Matt Kenseth redirects talk of his NASCAR future with humor
TALLADEGA, Ala. — With only six weeks left in the NASCAR season and employment possibilities for drivers shrinking, former Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth remains a man without a cockpit for next year.
Is the Wisconsin veteran panicking? Hardly.
On Friday at Talladega Superspeedway, two days before what could be his final race at a track that is not among his favorites, Kenseth, 45, had the bearing of someone content in his status, not a probable future Hall of Famer possibly in the twilight weeks of his career.
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Asked if he has had any productive talks about next year, Kenseth replied that, yes, he has. “I had some real productive talks [while running] with Katie (his wife),” he said. “We’re going to run another day. Had a real long productive talk together. That was enjoyable.”
Kenseth has known for months that he won’t be returning to Joe Gibbs Racing next season — current Furniture Row Racing rookie Erik Jones will take over the No. 20 JGR Toyota in 2018 — but he has chosen to concentrate on this year — and his spot in the playoffs — instead of dwelling on what might (or might not) happen in the future.
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“I said a few weeks ago I wasn't going to talk about next year any more, as long as we're alive in the playoffs, which we're certainly not one of the favorites right now,” he said. “We haven't done the things we wanted to do, but we're certainly still alive.
"Anything can happen this weekend. Kansas (next week) is a great track for us. I'm honestly just focused on the next six weeks or whatever it is at the moment.”
Kenseth is in ninth place in the 12-driver playoff field, one point behind the eighth-place cutoff line, entering the second of three races in the second round. He is winless this season.
Asked what kind of ride would make him happy next year, Kenseth said, “I was thinking about maybe driving a school bus. I thought it would be fun. I drive the kids (three daughters) to school every morning. I enjoy that. I thought it would be fun to drive them home, too.”