NASCAR: The driver change that never ended up happening

One team’s driver change that had been “confirmed” a while back is not reflected in the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series driver lineup.

Late in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Matt DiBenedetto was facing an uncertain future. His first season behind the wheel of the #21 Ford at Wood Brothers Racing very well could have been his only season with the team.

Given Wood Brothers Racing’s technical alliance with Team Penske, there were rumors that Team Penske Xfinity Series driver Austin Cindric would be replacing DiBenedetto behind the wheel of the #21 Ford for the 2021 season.

In fact, that was the initial plan. But DiBenedetto’s performance late in the season changed the minds of those at Team Penske, and he was given the opportunity to compete for Wood Brothers Racing for another season.

But the confirmation of DiBenedetto’s return for the 2021 season came with the confirmation that Cindric would be replacing him in 2022.

So why is rookie Harrison Burton, not Cindric, replacing DiBenedetto behind the wheel of the #21 Ford?

Brad Keselowski entered the 2020 season in a contract year with Team Penske. He signed a contract extension to continue driving the #2 Ford for the 2021 season, but that deal only extended through the 2021 season.

Rumors began to swirl that the 2021 season would be the 2012 champion’s 12th and final season with Roger Penske’s team and that he would be moving to Roush Fenway Racing to not only replace Ryan Newman behind the wheel of the #6 Ford but to become a third co-owner of the team.

While this blockbuster move remained unconfirmed for quite a few months, it was eventually confirmed that Keselowski would indeed not be returning to the Captain’s team for the 2022 season.

DiBenedetto seemed like a logical replacement candidate, given the fact that Cindric was already “confirmed” to replace him at Wood Brothers Racing for 2022. However, Team Penske announced that Cindric would instead forego his season with the Wood Brothers and move straight into the #2 Ford.

This gave DiBenedetto a slim chance to return to Wood Brothers Racing for what would have been a third season, but the team ended up signing Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series driver Harrison Burton instead.

Only after these announcements were made was it confirmed that Keselowski would indeed be on his way to Roush Fenway Racing in 2022. The team later announced that they would be changing their name to RFK Racing, with the “K” added as a nod to their new co-owner alongside Jack Roush and Fenway Sports Group.

DiBenedetto, meanwhile, was left without a Cup Series ride, despite the fact that Cindric’s move to Wood Brothers Racing as his replacement never ended up happening.

The 30-year-old Grass Valley, California native is now competing full-time in the Truck Series with Rackley WAR behind the wheel of the #25 Chevrolet throughout the 2022 season. The 2022 Truck Series season got underway last night with the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway. DiBenedetto finished in 10th place.