The 5 Drivers Left Disappointed By NASCAR Free Agency

On Friday, the five biggest winners in NASCAR free agency were identified; today, we look at five free-agent drivers who didn’t receive the level of riches or job security being sought.

Brad Keselowski

Keselowski entered the 2020 season as the most valuable free agent on the market, a driver on the cusp of his statistical peak seeking a deal in the neighborhood of his worth, which at the time was an estimated $8.2 million per year. There was a thought he’d return to the place of his formative years, Hendrick Motorsports, to replace Jimmie Johnson; if not, an extension with Team Penske, for whom he won its first NASCAR Cup Series championship, was an obvious fail-safe.

But then a global pandemic set in, forcing NASCAR teams to react, leaving free-agent drivers shortchanged in negotiations with an estimated 35 percent drop in salary. And even with Keselowski’s value reduced to $5.3 million, he was too costly for a newly frugal Hendrick Motorsports, unwilling to spend over $2 million for a driver. There were no other realistic suitors aside from Penske, and Keselowski accepted a one-year extension, containing a dramatic drop in base pay, that’ll land him back on the market in 2021.

This was a jarring exercise for Keselowski, 36, next in line to follow the likes of Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex and Denny Hamlin in enjoying the kinds of elevated production seen from drivers aged 39 or a little older. He was well aware of his age and his worth but saw no team willing to acknowledge his value.

Keselowski, with four wins through the season’s first 34 races, is currently projected for a 2021 season worth $5.4 million on the open market, a number that would sky-rocket with a surge in performance. He’ll have another round of negotiations next summer containing a strong argument for a more robust multiyear deal.

Kyle Larson

Whereas Keselowski was the most valuable free agent heading into this season, Larson was arguably the most coveted. Chip Ganassi Racing wished to retain his services, but Hendrick Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing, organizations with championship-caliber equipment, hovered. This was going to be Larson’s big payday too, presumably fetching a salary worth over $8 million a season in base pay.

In April, Larson was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR for his use of a racial slur in an online racing event; he was promptly fired by CGR at the behest of sponsors McDonald’s
MCD
and Credit One Bank. He retreated to the dirt tracks and out of the spotlight.

Hendrick seeing Larson’s talent now available for a song, inked him to a multiyear, rookie-scale contract, announced earlier this week. Larson’s car is currently and noticeably unsponsored, limiting the ceiling on what he can earn in performance incentives, which are usually paid out by sponsors.

In signing a driver valued at $4.7 million on the open market, following the COVID-related adjustment, to a deal bordering on $1 million per season, Hendrick made out like a bandit; however, it’s going to be difficult for a program with Larson as its nucleus to create actual revenue outside of race winnings, especially in the short term.

Suffice to say, none of this is what Larson had in mind when the season began, and there’s a very real possibility he’ll never again be paid what he’s worth on the racetrack.

Erik Jones

In most transactional seasons, regardless of the sport, an underappreciated talent falls through the cracks. This year, that was Jones, cut loose by Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing following a series of avoidable events, mishandled or largely ignored.

But Toyota and JGR aren’t the only entities on the hook for whiffing on a driver who ranked inside the top 12 in Production in Equal Equipment Rating in each of his four seasons in the Cup Series. CGR hired Ross Chastain to fill its open ride, while SHR promoted Xfinity Series driver Chase Briscoe. Chastain, who turns 28 in December, and Briscoe, who turns 26 in the same month, are older than Jones, 24, and unproven at the Cup Series level. Both organizations are at risk for failing to recognizing this screamer of an opportunity.

Ultimately, Richard Petty Motorsports took a multiyear flier on Jones. For RPM, it was a good identification of a still-developing talent, though it’s unclear how the program will be properly funded or progress from its 25th-place ranking in Central Speed as measured by Motorsports Analytics.

For Jones, who sought to continue his career at JGR, this year was one of understandable disappointment. He has a lot of heavy lifting on his plate in 2021.

Matt DiBenedetto

DiBenedetto’s peripheral numbers — he ranks as one of the five best restarters in the Cup Series — pop more than his race results, and while that might be a problem for Wood Brothers Racing, a team under Team Penske’s purview, it’s appealing to many other teams coveting elite driving skills, regardless of wider imperfections.

The 29-year-old driver was limited in his free agency, only “available” if Wood Brothers declined his team option for 2021. DiBenedetto went public with his plight, suggesting there were no talks between him and the team whatsoever until after the start of the playoffs, and when the team announced he’ll return for next season, they did so with a curious caveat: He’s out after 2021, to be replaced by Xfinity Series standout Austin Cindric.

There’s some good news for DiBenedetto: In addition to one more year in playoff-caliber equipment, he’ll receive a salary agreed upon in 2019, well before the pandemic price cuts. But he may be the first driver in NASCAR history to have his contact extension announced with a shelf life and a replacement, a backhanded compliment in the form of a press release.

Clint Bowyer

The 42-year-old Bowyer is bound for the FOX Sports TV booth in 2021. It’s a gig that offers a nice chunk of change to talk about racing. There are certainly worse jobs.

But this isn’t what he wanted most. He was animated in his adamance about returning to SHR in 2021 and many years after, as recently as July. While his production numbers lagged, and have declined every year since his age-39 season, he qualified for the playoffs but was eliminated in the quarterfinal round.

SHR, though, opted for youth and affordability, promoting Briscoe to its No. 14 car. Bowyer is lucky to have a fallback plan that pays well; however, FOX Sports is still the fallback plan, not at all what he desired from free agency.

He said he wanted to retire at SHR, and that’s technically coming true, but this isn’t the manner in which he wanted it to happen.