NASCAR: Joe Gibbs’ signing of Matt Kenseth expected Tuesday
Joe Gibbs Racing is expected to announce Tuesday that veteran Matt Kenseth will join its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team in 2013.
Kenseth, the 2003 Cup champion who’s third in this year’s standings, would take over the No. 20 Toyota currently driven by Joey Logano.
JGR, owned by Hall of Fame NFL coach Joe Gibbs, on Sunday scheduled a news conference for Tuesday at its Huntersville, N.C, headquarters.
Kenseth, 40, became available earlier this season when he announced plans to leave RoushFenway Racing, where he drives the No. 17 Ford, after this year. He has 22 career Cup victories.
Logano, 22, has two wins in his Cup career — including this year at Pocono — but often has struggled in the Gibbs car.
He’s currently 18th in the Cup standings and a long shot to qualify for NASCAR’s 12-driver Chase for the Cup title playoff that starts Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway.
JGR has indicated it’s exploring the possibility of keeping Logano by adding a fourth car to its team, whose other drivers are Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
But there also is widespread speculation that Logano is a leading candidate to join Penske Racing in 2013 to take over the No. 22 car, which had been driven by A.J. Allmendinger until he failed a drug test and was released by the team Aug. 1.
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