The news we were all dreading...

As stated earlier I am sorry to see Kenseth go, but I am not blaming JGR, things just happen sometime.

I don't see the point in assigning blame, off a bunch of speculation.
 
ahudsonman said:
Look, let's call this what it is.
If you don't pay me 7 million per year.....I'm gonna go home.
I have had a good career, good life and I will now move on.
Good for you Matt. Good you have the money to take that stance. I do not begrudge you one bit.
But I also do not feel sorry for you. No one should.
With the troubled times in NASCAR and we all know the sport is enduring troubling times, without great sponsorship....ya can't pay a driver $7m per year. And as a team owner, you have rising young talent (which will be the "Matt Kenseths" for the next 15 years) and currently they will drive for $1m per year.....it's an easy decision. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Kasey was willing to take the pay cut to keep driving. Matt was not. Ok I respect both their decisions.
But do not take this out on Joe Gibbs....or on any oiwner......he has done what needs to be done to remain in business......like any responsible owner should.
Time to move on for us fans also. Enjoy NASCAR next season or do not follow the sport anymore. It's your decision. I'll still be enjoying NASCAR next year. And I will enjoy all the good young talent in the sport.
All things must change or die.
Click to expand...
Exactly what I wanted to say.
 
StandOnIt said:
So lets say publicly at the start of the season how much you love Matt and his family and want him to stay until he retires. 3 months later give him his walking papers. Short stroking it won't change any of that. Gibbs is nothing but a Toyota factory puppet anyway in his defense.
Click to expand...

Have you ever run a business? If so you'd know that things change throughout the year, often rapidly. The sponsor situations are huge, and make or break teams (see current day issues trying to field cars).

Anyone who knows Joe Gibbs (and I know people who know him very well) will tell you how sincere and dedicated he is to his family, faith and his businesses. But, as a coach and owner, he has to make tough decisions. Matt made his (wants to be paid a certain level to race) and he didn't get employed.
 
As a long time kenseth fan, I hold no ill will toward Gibbs as he made a business decision and that's that. If these middle age drivers cant find a ride, start your own team and give 'em hell.

My only regret is that he didn't put the #22 through the wall, instead of just into it.
 
Conover said:
Matt made his (wants to be paid a certain level to race) and he didn't get employed
Click to expand...
Link to the validity of this statement please.
It's been reported that there were no negotiations. He was just told that he was no longer welcome at JGR because they wanted Jones in the car. Look it up. Never mind here are some links.

"The team, however, couldn’t acquiesce with Kenseth’s wishes as it was contractually obligated to bring Jones back in-house or risk losing him to a rival. And with Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Daniel Suarez under contract, and with Jones regarded as a phenom, the decision of who would be the odd man out was obvious".

https://www.sbnation.com/nascar/201...h-out-erik-jones-joe-gibbs-racing-2018-season

“I think on the overall picture though for us, we just got put in this situation with a lot of things happening to our race team over a period of about a year and half where we wound up at this spot. We didn’t want to be here, but we wound up here and then we had to make a decision.
Among the other factors Gibbs mentioned was Carl Edwards’ abrupt retirement from the sport in the offseason. That decision triggered the progression of Daniel Suarez to JGR’s No. 19 Toyota for his Sunoco Rookie of the Year campaign this season".

https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2017/07/16/joe-gibbs-reacts-matt-kenseth-erik-jones-20-car/

"Kenseth’s fate had been in limbo — though it seemed obvious Jones was being groomed for the ride — and Gibbs made the transaction complete, leaving the 45-year-old driver without an ‘18 car".

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...ver-end-of-the-ride-with-joe-gibbs/103692166/
 
As I said, I have no problem with his business decision but I find it hard to swallow that Edwards is in anyway responsible.
 
Johali said:
Link to the validity of this statement please.
It's been reported that there were no negotiations. He was just told that he was no longer welcome at JGR because they wanted Jones in the car. Look it up. Never mind here are some links.

"The team, however, couldn’t acquiesce with Kenseth’s wishes as it was contractually obligated to bring Jones back in-house or risk losing him to a rival. And with Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Daniel Suarez under contract, and with Jones regarded as a phenom, the decision of who would be the odd man out was obvious".

https://www.sbnation.com/nascar/201...h-out-erik-jones-joe-gibbs-racing-2018-season

“I think on the overall picture though for us, we just got put in this situation with a lot of things happening to our race team over a period of about a year and half where we wound up at this spot. We didn’t want to be here, but we wound up here and then we had to make a decision.
Among the other factors Gibbs mentioned was Carl Edwards’ abrupt retirement from the sport in the offseason. That decision triggered the progression of Daniel Suarez to JGR’s No. 19 Toyota for his Sunoco Rookie of the Year campaign this season".

https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2017/07/16/joe-gibbs-reacts-matt-kenseth-erik-jones-20-car/

"Kenseth’s fate had been in limbo — though it seemed obvious Jones was being groomed for the ride — and Gibbs made the transaction complete, leaving the 45-year-old driver without an ‘18 car".

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...ver-end-of-the-ride-with-joe-gibbs/103692166/
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting established facts.
 
KyBuownsyourbrain said:
As a long time kenseth fan, I hold no ill will toward Gibbs as he made a business decision and that's that. If these middle age drivers cant find a ride, start your own team and give 'em hell.

My only regret is that he didn't put the #22 through the wall, instead of just into it.
Click to expand...

Think about it he probably didn't gain any sponsors from being known as a Kamikaze driver.... and now here he is
 
KyBuownsyourbrain said:
As I said, I have no problem with his business decision but I find it hard to swallow that Edwards is in anyway responsible.
Click to expand...

I don't think he is responsible. I am sure JGR wanted to keep him but they obviously had a strong enough bench.
Edward's is more marketable than Kenseth and younger, so Kenseth would have been first to go, imo.

Edward's retirement actually made things easier for JGR imo. It has allowed them to retain Suarez and Jones with one less tough decision that Edward's made for them.

Again all just my opinion.
 
Fordracing7 said:
Think about it he probably didn't gain any sponsors from being known as a Kamikaze driver.... and now here he is
Click to expand...
I seriously doubt that has anything to do with it. Hell, if I had the dollars, I'd sponsor anyone who puts #22 in the garage.

Greg said:
I don't think he is responsible. I am sure JGR wanted to keep him but they obviously had a strong enough bench.
Edward's is more marketable than Kenseth and younger, so Kenseth would have been first to go, imo.

Edward's retirement actually made things easier for JGR imo. It has allowed them to retain Suarez and Jones with one less tough decision that Edward's made for them.

Again all just my opinion.
Click to expand...

Makes sense.
 
Can Gibbs pull off the impossible and hire another unlikeable driver?
 
So with Jones moving into the #20 next year, I sincerely hope that fans don't transfer any real or perceived transgressions committed by Kenseth to him. As I would hope that any unresolved payback that Kenseth may owe is not for Jones to usurp.

Hold the driver responsible - not the number.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
If you're referring to having too many men work on the car, that's a crew chief's job, not a driver's.

Perhaps a season off to study team duties and responsibilities is in order.
Click to expand...



Better that the whole team learns the rules ........ my copy of the rule book was apparently lost in the mail.
 
kyle18fan said:
Better that the whole team learns the rules ........ my copy of the rule book was apparently lost in the mail.
Click to expand...
Why? What's the point of learning rules that don't apply to you? I could see your point if the team members were interchangeable, taking turns driving, jacking, fueling, etc. They don't. I manage a computer network; I don't need to know the details of generally accepted accounting principles.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Why? What's the point of learning rules that don't apply to you? I could see your point if the team members were interchangeable, taking turns driving, jacking, fueling, etc. They don't. I manage a computer network; I don't need to know the details of generally accepted accounting principles.
Click to expand...



I would like to read one book that no other human has ever seen
 
I've been a Kenseth fan since his Busch days where he and Jr were friendly rivals (which I thought was cool). I think he is still competitive and he could be a good mentor; it is too bad that he couldn't find another competitive ride but leaving NASCAR under your own terms is rare. Kenseth, Stewart, and Gordon were the three guys I cheered for the good, bad, and ugly. I'll still think of Matt when I see the Dewalt colors.
 
Greg said:
Rumor
Click to expand...

Take it for what it's worth, but when this news broke yesterday during Happy Hour, Neither Nate Ryan, Jeff Burton or Steve Letarte felt that this was a money issue, but a competitive ride issue. I don't know what the truth is, but if Kenseth still wants to drive as bad as his comments seem to imply, then I don't think he would have let money get in the way. I would have been more than happy to see him in the 5 car for a year or two (and I've never really been a Kenseth guy at all) but I think the meteoric rise of William Byron over the summer and the fact that he came with a pretty good chunk of sponsorship probably sank any chances of that. I think if Hendrick thought he could keep Byron in Xfinity for one more year he might have been inclined, but I think memories of Brad Keselowski probably made him hesitant to keep Byron back and free to troll for other offers.
 
I wonder if juniors retirement isn’t more Hendrick trying to reduce his salary, and less about concussions?

Seems to me the owners are starting to collude against the drivers. If they don’t watch it, they might have a date in a court room.
 
joe h said:
I wonder if juniors retirement isn’t more Hendrick trying to reduce his salary, and less about concussions?

Seems to me the owners are starting to collude against the drivers. If they don’t watch it, they might have a date in a court room.
Click to expand...

Collude? They are all separate legal entities and do not all form into a ruling body like the NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB. If you have the talent and can bring in sponorship dollars they will keep you around. If Jr. wanted to race he could have gone anywhere he wanted to if Hendrick didn't want him. He's the Michael Jordan of the sport.
 
Contrary to what the popular opinion seems to be I think this is a good thing for the sport.

The fact that teams and sponsors want to put drivers in their cars who will be competitive for a long time to come shows their interest in the longevity of their competitiveness and the sport as a whole.

I think Matt is out because no one is sure he would even be around more than a couple more years anyway. Why hire that when you can get a young guy with more promise in the future and probably pay less to have him drive your car?
 
Despite how much I've loathed Matt since the Martinsville incident, it's unfortunate to see him effectively forced out while he's still capable of competing for wins and, to a lesser extent, championships. Otherwise I think he actually has been an underrated personality for the most part; his dry humor is a lot more than what many other drivers bring to the table. Much like Helio Castroneves, he won't get a proper send-off, the difference being Helio at least has a retirement plan in place.

The youth movement comes at a price, and Erik Jones has some big shoes to fill.
 
SlicedBread22 said:
Contrary to what the popular opinion seems to be I think this is a good thing for the sport.

The fact that teams and sponsors want to put drivers in their cars who will be competitive for a long time to come shows their interest in the longevity of their competitiveness and the sport as a whole.

I think Matt is out because no one is sure he would even be around more than a couple more years anyway. Why hire that when you can get a young guy with more promise in the future and probably pay less to have him drive your car?
Click to expand...

That isn't the issue for most of us. It was the way it was done. Preacher should be apologizing for saying what he did. Going from everything is great, we just love this guy, we want him to stay here until he retires, to cutting his throat 3 months later. Compare that to Roush saying nothing about not renewing Biffle, or Hendrick saying and doing what he said he would do with Kasey and buying out the last year of his contract and finding him a ride. I'm glad Matt spoke out finally, eloquently. He got a raw deal, I hope after the season he airs out the rest of it. I guarantee there is more to the story.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
This is just an ignorant comparison.

Hendrick’s youth movement developed by Gordon and Jr announcing retirement and going out on their own terms. Kasey was not performing and thats just a business move.

JGR is starting to push for a youth movement while pushing out a championship competitive driver. Denny has said himself that he is looking over his own shoulder, and he is also a championship competitive driver.

A toxic atmosphere develops when there is supposed to be a “team” but drivers become replacement paranoid for nothing other than their age.
Click to expand...

Kenseth should sue NA$CAR for age discrimination, it's against law ya know.
 
Oh boo hoo hoo. Last time I looked, car racing was a sport, and you have to be an athlete to participate. Matt is 45 years old and nothing lasts forever. He's made a ton of money and will never have to lift a finger to earn a buck again.
 
Matt is past his prime and hasn't produced in the playoffs. 2003 was a long time ago and NASCAR doesn't crown a champion like that anymore. Jones is the future at JGR and Matt could find a job if he really wanted but it seems like he's fine taking a year or two off, who knows he might like it.
 
Matt was the first driver I ever spoke to in person. It was at breakfast with champions the morning of the final race at rockingham. I watched him beat khane in that magic finish in person that day. Been a fan ever since, even though he sold his soul to the devil (Toyota).

Really hate to see him go. I think the penalty that took him out of the chase was the final nail in the coffin where he decided he was ready to go.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom