Matt Kenseth brought an end to his NASCAR career as a full-time driver after the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.
The 2003 Cup Series champion accumulated 39 victories in 697 starts. He was brought back from semi-retirement by Chip Ganassi Racing in April as a replacement for Kyle Larson, who was fired from the team for using a racial slur in an iRacing event.
After the 2020 season, his place in the team was handed over to Ross Chastin.
Speaking to the Wisconsin State Journal, Kenseth said:
“I can say with almost 100 percent certainty that my days in professional racing — at least full-time professional racing — are over.
“I look forward to doing late model stuff or IMSA, or something like that. A little bit here or there. As far as NASCAR racing full-time or professional racing, those days are behind me.”
Upon hiring Kenseth, Ganassi had said:
“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.”
Kenseth is a likely candidate to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in the future.
[Read More: Truck Series driver Natalie Decker tests positive for COVID-19]