How a NASCAR veteran landed a deserved farewell tour

When Kyle Larson lost his Chip Ganassi Racing drive and was indefinitely suspended by NASCAR for using a racial slur on an iRacing broadcast, it set in motion a chain of events that led to one of the series' most popular drivers receiving a shock call-up to drive CGR's No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro.

Having been pushed aside by Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 to make space for development driver Erik Jones, Matt Kenseth entered 15 Cup races in 2018 for his previous employers Roush Fenway Racing - the team with which he won the 2003 Cup series championship and scored both of his Daytona 500 victories in 2009 and 2012 - but hasn't competed since.

But Larson's error of judgement created a window of opportunity that nobody, least of all 48-year-old Kenseth, could have foreseen.

Ganassi was in need of a new driver who could live up to Chip's "I like winners" moniker and also appease sponsors. Many thought Ross Chastain was the favourite for the seat due to his established relationship with the team, with whom he scored his first Xfinity Series win in 2018. It was also strongly rumoured that the team's former driver Jamie McMurray would come out of retirement and return to the seat as he had a good relationship with CGR's primary backers.

Yet the move is one that makes sense for all parties, not least in allowing Kenseth the opportunity to finish a glittering career on his own terms.

Kenseth's title came in the final year before the introduction of the Chase, in which he only won once but finished 28 of the 36 races inside the top 10. Despite that, he's been a regular winner since the very start of his full-time Cup career in 2000 with Roush Racing (now Roush Fenway Racing), finding victory lane only 12 races into the season in NASCAR's longest race, the Coca Cola 600, and has a tally of 39 wins from 655 starts.

His time with RFR was fruitful, winning 24 races - including a season-high five in 2002 - and a consistent presence in the end-of-year Chase, finishing runner-up in 2006 and ending the 2007 and 2011 campaigns in fourth. But after spending 13 years with the team and now aged 40, Kenseth decided in 2012 that it was time for a change of scene and walked away to race for JGR.

It's often said that grass isn't always greener on the other side, but that certainly wasn't the case for Kenseth. He won a career-high seven races in 2013 to place second in the championship standings and solidify his place within the JGR organisation.

He also enjoyed a strong 2015 campaign, winning five times, but arrived at the Kansas playoff race needing a win to keep his championship hopes alive after a blowout in the previous race at Charlotte. Kenseth was leading with a few laps to go when he was spun off the nose of Joey Logano and could only finish 14th.

Kenseth didn't want to take any ride and run for a paycheck. He wanted an opportunity at a team where he could be competitive and an asset to that team so, Kenseth didn't start the 2018 season

Getting tangled up at the 'Big One' at Talladega caused him to miss out on the playoffs, and he exacted his revenge on Logano two weeks later at Martinsville by shunting the Penske Ford into the wall, which earned him a two-race ban - the first time he had missed a race in 15 years of full-time competition.

Kenseth won 15 races with JGR in a five-year period leading up to the conclusion of the 2017 season where another change was made. This time though, it was out of his hands and the veteran was left without a ride.

There was even a bit of a send-off for Kenseth at the season finale where Dale Earnhardt Jr. was also making his final start. Kenseth's competitors hailed him as a still capable driver with seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson remarking that he was "just too good" to be left out in the cold.

But Johnson's follow-up comment was telling: "I do feel that Matt is at a point in his career where he's not going to take just any ride."

Sure enough, Kenseth didn't want to take any ride and run for a paycheck. He wanted an opportunity at a team where he could be competitive and an asset to that team so, Kenseth didn't start the 2018 season. His time on the sidelines didn't last long though.

Long-time Roush driver Mark Martin, who was instrumental in persuading Jack Roush to look at Kenseth in his Busch Series days, took to the podium at a press conference to announce that Kenseth would reunite with the team for a partial schedule, sharing driving duties with Trevor Bayne.

His goal was to "help Roush Fenway return to prominence" after several years of subpar performance with his insight from behind the wheel and Kenseth concluded the season with two top ten finishes at Phoenix and Homestead, finishing sixth in what was thought to be the final race of his career with Ryan Newman signed to take over the No. 6 car in 2019.

When pressured what his plans were for 2019 and beyond, Kenseth told the media: "I'm certainly not talking about next year and I haven't really put as much thought into it as you all have, honestly."

But all that changed with Larson's indiscretion.

In addition to the Chastain and McMurray rumours, Ganassi even admitted that Kenseth's former RFR and Gibbs team-mate Carl Edwards was considered, only for Edwards - who retired after the 2016 season - to decline the offer. Ultimately, he turned to Kenseth, who will drive for a Chevrolet team for the first time in his long career.

"I have always said that when we have to fill a driver spot, that I owe it to our team, our partners and our fans to put the best available driver in the car," said Ganassi in a team release. "We are doing exactly that with Matt.

"Throughout my time in NASCAR, I have always admired the way Matt Kenseth raced. He has proven to be a consistent winner, strong competitor, and respectful driver, and I'm glad we are able to add another NASCAR champion to the team for the remainder of this season."

Ganassi outlined what made Kenseth desirable when talking with the Associated Press, putting it simply: "Stability. No baggage. Family man. Daytona 500 winner. Championship winner."

Chastain remains an integral part of Ganassi's future plans and will run a third entry for the team in association with Spire Motorsports in May's Coca-Cola 600 (should it go ahead) at Charlotte.

As for Kenseth, he'll be reuniting with old Roush team-mate Kurt Busch - who succeeded Kenseth as the 2004 Cup series champion - in a surreal return to a competitive car that Larson took to sixth in the standings last year.

"I can't say racing was even on my radar two weeks ago," he said on Monday. "After spending some time thinking about it and all the unique circumstances surrounding all of us right now, it just seemed the timing and the opportunity was perfect to come back.

"I know I have a lot of work ahead of me to get up to speed in a relatively short period of time, but I'm looking forward to the challenge."

There's no reason to think that Kenseth won't do exactly what Martin did and reach Victory Lane in the twilight of his career

The closest comparison to Kenseth's late career trajectory is Martin, who was granted a farewell tour of sorts during the 2005 season. He would continue in NASCAR on a part-time basis until 2009, when he joined championship-winning juggernaut Hendrick Motorsports full-time and, at the tender age of 50, won five races on his way to finishing second in the championship behind only Jimmie Johnson.

Martin finally ended his career after a part-time schedule with Michael Waltrip Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing in 2013, at the age of 54 and nearly eight years after that initial 'farewell tour.' The two drivers have a mutual admiration for each other, with Martin once calling Kenseth his "favourite driver of all time" after his 2018 return to RFR.

Considering all the twists and turn of this year on and off the track, there's no reason to think that Kenseth won't do exactly what Martin did and reach Victory Lane in the twilight of his career.

Ganassi received a waiver from NASCAR which also means that Kenseth is eligible for the 2020 championship.

Having only missed four races, it's feasible that he could make his way into the playoffs, so perhaps he will even battle for the championship one final time...