June 26th, 2012 
Journo Sources are telling TNI, Roush Fenway executives announced to the organization today that Matt Kenseth would be leaving the team at the end of the season.
Despite earlier rumors that Penske would be Kenseth’s destination, all signs indicate Joe Gibbs Racing as the driver’s future home. What that means for the Gibbs teams is not entirely clear. The team does have room for expansion.
Roush has struggled this season to secure full sponsorship for the one time Sprint Cup Series champion and 22-time winner. With money tight, we are hearing Roush was unwilling to offer the contract the 40-year-old Kenseth was seeking.
We will keep you posted as we get more details.
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When you have two former champions who can’t get sponsorship, NASCAR can’t claim to be out of the woods. I’m not a huge Kenseth fan, but he’s a class act.
So now we wonder where he ends up at Gibbs: is this curtains for Logano? I can’t see Gibbs dumping Kyle, who may be a pain but is also the most spectacularly talented driver in NASCAR. Hamlin is solid. Maybe a fourth car?
Makes one reflect back to when Cousin Carl was shopping around and Jack & Ford upped-the-anti(supposedly). And then the Biff re-upped. Did Matt see that as a sign he would be begging for sponsorship scraps? Hmmmm… Dating back to CE’s Martinsville post-race fake jab at MK a few years back. IMHO, Matt still has never cared for Carl’s antics…and rightly so.
Remind me again who is leading the points? and won the 2012 Daytona 500? and won a cup for Jack?
What a coup for Joe Gibbs! Let’s see if Roush burns Kenseth on the way out like he did to Kurt Busch.
Why make the announcement so early in the season? Seems it could have a negative effect on a championship caliber crew and driver.
I can remember Jack saying after Daytona the Matt was the leader and standard bearer for Roush Fenway Racing. I wonder how much he could have been asking for if both Ford and Roush were willing to let him go. He has been in a Ford his entire career. I relize he is 40, but may be he wanted the change of scenery. Seems like there will be much more to come out regarding this story.
I feel that Matt can do better somewhere else. I don’t think Jack in the Hat has worked hard enough for Matt. I think he feels Matt would never leave. I think it is time in his career to make a move, and Gibbs is a great place.
Now if Stewart could find a way and place for Matt, then I feel that would be the best option….isn’t Newman up for contracts too ?
At first I was really surprised by the move, but the more you think about it, it makes sense for both. Roush for some reason can’t get full sponsorship for Kenseth, which is shocking. Gibbs can give him that and pay his price, either by bringing a new sponsor on board or by giving him the 20 car. Roush finally has a place for Ricky Stenhouse. Maybe the reduce driver salary will make it easier to get sponsorship on the 17. Ricky has also earned a chance in a quality Cup ride.
I also wonder what this means for Logano. Does Gibbs have another Cup sponsor(s) lined up for him in a 4th car? If not, I would think a Penske might make a play for him. Logano is more accomplished at this point in his career than AJ Allmendinger. If AJ doesn’t start showing results, and Gibbs doesn’t have a fully funded car for Logano, a move to Penske might make sense. Yeah, “Silly Season”.
No ill will here. Kenseth wanted a big pay day and Roush didn’t see that it made sense when they have a talented, young and marketable Stenhouse behind him whose cheaper. Kenseth will land with a great team and everything will continue.
Actually Joe K, Matt entered Nascar driving the #17 Kraft foods CHEVROLET owned by Robbie Reiser. He replaced Tim Bender in the car (at first temporarily then permanently) in 1997. It was Mark Martin who pointed Matt out to Jack as someone he should hire. In 1998, still driving a #17 Chevrolet, Matt won his first Busch Series race at Rockingham by bumping Tony Stewart.
As for Matt winning the championship this season? I doubt it. Roush now has no reason at all to invest further in his performance this season. I’m sure the 17 car will become an R&D team for the rest of the year to help Greg and Carl do the best they can. Matt will be cut out of the loop for information and debriefings.
This is nothing new with rat in the hat. Look what he did to Jeff Burton for Carl Edwards. He procure sponsorship for Jeff and 2 weeks later, Carl had a sponsor! Just the rat dumping the old guys, as usual. Boggle is most likely next since he’s pushing 40 too! Just saying.
Your just saying, that you have no clue how this game works. That’s part of the sport. It happens in every team. JGR parted with Bobby Labonte to move a a younger and/or more talented driver in, it will happen to Burton again when RCR is ready to move Dillon up. So on and so on.
Kenseth to EGR…watch, best friends with McMurray.
Man this has to be the weirdest one I have seen in a while. I think the cat in the hat lost more than an eye in his plane crash a year ago.
Shifting gears a bit, but wasn’t that a great post-race truck race interview w/ Kyle Larson last night? This kid is the real deal and seems down to earth.