Where Will Matt Kenseth Drive For 2013?

Its Silly Season time, and the first big name that'll be a free agent for the 2013 is known. It'll be 2003 NASCAR Cup Champion, Matt Kenseth.

Because of lack of sponsorship for the #17, and being a contract year for Matt Kenseth, Kenseth would be released from Roush-Fenway Racing after the 2012 season ends, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. taking over the 17 ride for the 2013 season.

Main question now is, where will Kenseth drive for the 2013 Season? The biggest possibility is he'll be driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, either in the 20 car or a new 4th team for JGR (which is likely the 02, which they have used in 2008 and 2009 for a few races). For the 4th team to even be possible, it will depend on sponsorship. Joe Gibbs Racing said they would like to keep Joey Logano in the Cup, but with a big name like Kenseth (and if they can't find sponsorship for a 4th JGR team), Logano would likely drive for JGR full-time in the Nationwide Series.

Another possibility is Penske Racing, who will be moving to Fords for the 2013 season. For all we know, Penske will pick up a driver familiar with Fords. Unlike Joe Gibbs Racing, I think its doubtful Penke will have a 3rd full time team. Kenseth will likely replace Allmendinger in the 22 ride if Allmendinger's statistics doesn't improve before the season ends.

Cup Regulars In Nationwide/Truck Events: What Should Be Done?

Its been a problem for the past few years, Cup regulars dominating the Nationwide and Truck Series. Last year, NASCAR made drivers pick what driver points they would like to run for in one series. For example, if one driver picks Cup points, they would get no driver points for both the Nationwide and Truck Series. This rule was made so regulars have a chance to win the series. Teams will still get owner points, but some Cup drivers would still run several Nationwide (and Truck Series) events.

What should be done? I think the points rule should stay, but it should have a few changes to it. One change they should make is to limit how many Nationwide and Truck races a Cup driver can run in. For Nationwide, I say 10 races should be the maximum. For the Truck Series, I say 7 races should be the maximum. For example, if Brad Keselowski chooses to take Cup driver points for the 2013 season, he can only run up to 10 Nationwide events and 7 Truck Series events.

But what if someone that runs full-time in the Cup Series picks to run for Nationwide or Truck driver points (like Joe Nemechek does for NNS)? They can run as many Nationwide/Truck events as they please.

A Nationwide-regular driver can also run as many Cup races as they please too. For example, if Trevor Bayne picks Nationwide points for the 2013 season, he can run as many Cup races as he pleases too.

For the stand-alone events or if they are at a different track for a race weekend, no Cup drivers should attempt. For example, at Road America we should see no Cup drivers attempting the race. Don't worry, teams can still get owner points for the owners Championship.

Yes, sponsorship will still be an issue with this idea, but it will let fans enjoy races more without having to worry about a Cup regular dominating a race every week.