Reading the tea leaves, it sounds more and more likely Matt Kenseth will have somewhere to race next season, and that place could be Hendrick Motorsports.
But even if the veteran driver makes the jump to HMS, he doesn’t expect to directly replace the most popular driver in NASCAR. Asked about reports that he will fill Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s seat in the No. 88 Chevrolet, Kenseth on Monday acknowledged that he thinks that’s unlikely.
“I don’t feel like that’s going to be an opportunity I’m going to have,” Kenseth told Kenny Wallace and Brad Gillie on “The Late Shift” on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “I really don’t know. I honestly don’t have anything lined up for sure.”
Kenseth’s admission isn’t a total surprise, since recent reports tying him to HMS have stopped short of saying which ride he’d take over. In addition to the No. 88, the No. 5 currently occupied by Kasey Kahne might have a vacancy, plus HMS still has the rights to the No. 25, which it hasn’t used since Chase Elliott ran the digits for five races in 2015.
Thumbnail photo via Peter Casey/USA TODAY Sports Images
