Where will Mat land for 2018?

I can see Matt going to the 5 and Jr running some races in the 88 kinda like what Mark Martin did in the 55 when he was at MWR
 
FLRacingFan said:
With Farmers and Great Clips out the door after this year there's almost nothing on the #5 for 2018 right now.
Click to expand...
I was just reading that. I guess that means HMS doesn't have to buy him out if he can't get sponsored and the ride is open to those that have a sponsor. The new norm in racing.
 
ToyYoda said:
Other than Richmond, nobody had great success in it though. Schrader won a few times in it, but between 1992 and 2007 the #25 car only went to Victory Lane four times.
Click to expand...

The 25 hasn't had a great driver since Tim Richmond. I love Ken Schrader but he was never much of a threat to win in Cup. Nadeau, Nemechek, Vickers, Mears all won in the 25 and they weren't all that good. Dallenbach sucked. Todd Bodine nearly won at Texas filling in for Craven.

I would love to see it come back and finally get a great driver again. At the end of the day it's just a number :rainfro:
 
Team Penske said:
Isn't DeWalt still signed with JGR for next year. ??
Click to expand...

They signed their latest deal in 2016, and it was said to be for 'multiple years'. I think their sponsorship may be timed to Matt's contract, but I'm not really sure ... hope so. I'd like to see them follow him to wherever he lands. Matt and Dewalt have been pretty synonymous with one another in nascar over the years.
 
Invisible Guest said:
They signed their latest deal in 2016, and it was said to be for 'multiple years'. I think their sponsorship may be timed to Matt's contract, but I'm not really sure ... hope so. I'd like to see them follow him to wherever he lands. Matt and Dewalt have been pretty synonymous with one another in nascar over the years.
Click to expand...
I'd like to see Matt and DeWalt take go to the 10 next year, if he does race the next few years hope he goes out in a Ford
 
Any team with an opening would want Kenseth. I think he is still competitive in his 40s, his experience is probably valuable to a team and as a mentor.
 
I'm afraid that leaving the #20 for the 5 or 88 would be a major step down.

Those cars haven't sniffed VL in a few years now.
 
StandOnIt said:
Jr pretty much guaranteed Matt would race next year if he wanted to. And he has proven to be a man of his word. I wouldn't be surprised if the offer is on the table.
Click to expand...

Junior sure seemed to act as if he knew something about Matt's situation .. he was having a little trouble keeping a straight face during that interview. My initial thought was that there was some sort of a deal between Hendrick or JR and Matt.
 
This concerns me as a DP fan...I wonder if tony holds some ill will to GIbbs still and stealing Matt is something he would like to do.
 
Invisible Guest said:
Junior sure seemed to act as if he knew something about Matt's situation .. he was having a little trouble keeping a straight face during that interview. My initial thought was that there was some sort of a deal between Hendrick or JR and Matt.
Click to expand...
Matt and Jr. have been good friends since they ran in Busch together. If JRM wanted to go Cup full-time, there wouldn't be anything surprising about Matt as the driver, and Hendrick could use a satellite team after losing SHR.
 
i am going to predict Matt Kenseth will drive the #94 DeWalt next year for Jr Motorsports and Jr will run the #8 Limited schedule with Budweiser returning (I Hope)

If that does not happen then Matt will drive the #5 DeWalt and Byron will drive the #88/25 with Axalta
 
Gibbs said that having Kenseth return next year is “certainly what we hope. That’s what we’re working toward” and noted the driver’s renewed interest in long-distance cycling.

upload_2017-7-13_21-0-34.jpeg


http://nascar.nbcsports.com/2017/04...rumors-says-racing-in-2018-is-always-my-hope/
 
LouieLouie said:
I'm in the crowd that says retirement. He won't be able to find a ride that he can get paid enough in so he'll retire like Biffle.
Click to expand...

I would certainly hope not. Just from drivers who drove last year (2016) look at what we no longer have going into 2018.

Jeff Gordon 93 Wins - 4 Championships - 3 Daytona 500's
Tony Stewart 49 Wins - 3 Championships
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 26 Wins - 2 Daytona 500's (No word if he will even run any races next season)
Carl Edwards 28 Wins
Bobby Labonte 21 Wins - 1 Championship
Greg Biffle 19 Wins
Brian Vickers 3 Wins
Michael Waltrip 4 Wins - 2 Daytona 500's

That's well over 200 cup wins 8 series titles and 7 Daytona 500's. Throw in the fact that the top 3 guys were possibly the series 3 biggest names, losing Kenseth would just be another massive blow to Nascar as a whole.
 
I don't get why fans of many sports feel the sport will fall apart when a group of successful participants leave.

Funny, but the sport somehow managed to exist BEFORE those participants and their fans came along. It's almost as if those guys somehow managed to build a fan base of their own when they were new, back when earlier fans were wailing about the departure of the successful participants of an previous era.

Apparently they were able to gather fans but today's new comers won't.
 
Here's a quote from Joe Gibbs from last year.

**Kenseth's boss, Joe Gibbs, insists emphatically his senior driver's future is secure. "Kenseth's future is - we love him," Gibbs says with a laugh. "I can tell you that right now. We love Matt Kenseth. He's a big part of our program. We don't need to announce anything. He's solid."***

https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-c...-that-he-isn-t-considering-retirement-687884/
 
DanicaFreak said:
This concerns me as a DP fan...I wonder if tony holds some ill will to GIbbs still and stealing Matt is something he would like to do.
Click to expand...

Sharp business people see events from a business perspective and don't hold grudges or take things personally like individuals or fans do. If business was not conducted this way it would no longer be business and would become a soap opera. If you are in business you are in it to make a profit so the people you have to dance with in order to make that happen is not that important.
 
Invisible Guest said:
Here's a quote from Joe Gibbs from last year.

**Kenseth's boss, Joe Gibbs, insists emphatically his senior driver's future is secure. "Kenseth's future is - we love him," Gibbs says with a laugh. "I can tell you that right now. We love Matt Kenseth. He's a big part of our program. We don't need to announce anything. He's solid."***

https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-c...-that-he-isn-t-considering-retirement-687884/
Click to expand...

The climate in Nascar has changed rapidly from this year to last. Once Nascar accepted 20 million from Monster to sponsor the whole series it woke up the sponsors of teams and what they were paying to associate with the series. If Monster can get the entire series for 20 million bucks why would a sponsor pay 10 million to be the primary sponsor of a team for 20 races?
 
Invisible Guest said:
Here's a quote from Joe Gibbs from last year.

**Kenseth's boss, Joe Gibbs, insists emphatically his senior driver's future is secure. "Kenseth's future is - we love him," Gibbs says with a laugh. "I can tell you that right now. We love Matt Kenseth. He's a big part of our program. We don't need to announce anything. He's solid."***

https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-c...-that-he-isn-t-considering-retirement-687884/
Click to expand...
Sports managers say similar things in all sports. Hell, sports players say the same things. Everyone in the business knows (and fans should know too) that it's window dressing, nothing more. The only relationship you should bank on in this sport is Hendrick - Johnson - Knaus.

I notice nobody called Carl Edwards a back-stabber, and he left with a year on his contract. o_O
 
I had no idea Wally Dallenbach had a full time ride at Hendrick

WOW
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Sports managers say similar things in all sports. Hell, sports players say the same things. Everyone in the business knows (and fans should know too) that it's window dressing, nothing more. The only relationship you should bank on in this sport is Hendrick - Johnson - Knaus.

I notice nobody called Carl Edwards a back-stabber, and he left with a year on his contract. o_O
Click to expand...
Escapee? :idunno:
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Sports managers say similar things in all sports. Hell, sports players say the same things. Everyone in the business knows (and fans should know too) that it's window dressing, nothing more. The only relationship you should bank on in this sport is Hendrick - Johnson - Knaus.

I notice nobody called Carl Edwards a back-stabber, and he left with a year on his contract. o_O
Click to expand...

Oh I know .. just posting to show that Joe Gibbs is pretty good at PR spin. He's full of crap like most PR folks. I'm sure Matt fully understands the business aspects of being replaced by a hot shot youngster ... just have to hope Matt will get a top new ride next year and race like he has a chip on his shoulder.
 
Invisible Guest said:
Here's a quote from Joe Gibbs from last year.

**Kenseth's boss, Joe Gibbs, insists emphatically his senior driver's future is secure. "Kenseth's future is - we love him," Gibbs says with a laugh. "I can tell you that right now. We love Matt Kenseth. He's a big part of our program. We don't need to announce anything. He's solid."***

https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-c...-that-he-isn-t-considering-retirement-687884/
Click to expand...
Yeah mine above the Pic was a direct quote also from four months ago. At any rate it leads me to believe Gibbs is either a bold face lair or he doesn't have any control over who he hires.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sdj
Wildthing said:
I had no idea Wally Dallenbach had a full time ride at Hendrick

WOW
Click to expand...
Wally D was the first driver I pulled for when I started paying attention to NASCAR. I was familiar with the family name, and he was being sponsored by a computer equipment manufacturer I used at home and at work (Hayes modems).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom