Matt Kenseth to rejoin Roush Fenway Racing, return to NASCAR Cup Series competition in 2018

Matt Kenseth is returning to the NASCAR Cup Series to drive Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 6 car in select races this season, multiple sources told SB Nation.

Kenseth will share the No. 6 Ford for the remainder of the 2018 season with Trevor Bayne, who has driven the car on a full-time basis since 2015 but will now move to part-time status rounding out the races Kenseth does not compete in.

Roush Fenway will announce the news at a press conference scheduled for Wednesday at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C.

Kenseth’s first race with Roush Fenway is expected to be May 12 at Kansas Speedway.

Kenseth began his Cup Series with Roush Fenway, driving full-time for the team from 2000-2012 before leaving to join Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013. Kenseth, 46, drove for JGR through the end of the 2017 season with the team electing to replace him with 21-year-old Erik Jones, a move largely dictated not on performance but Jones’ youth and ability to attract sponsorship.

Unable to secure a ride with a team the same caliber as JGR, Kenseth then elected to step away from racing but emphasized he was not retiring and would return if the right situation arose.

Kenseth won the 2003 Cup Series championship and two Daytona 500s during his first stint with Roush Fenway. Kenseth is a 39-time race winner in NASCAR’s premier division, with 24 of those wins coming with Roush.