Did Matt Kenseth just back into becoming the top candidate to replace Dale Earnhardt Jr.?

Getting the bum’s rush from the 20 would normally get you pretty down … unless you end up in the 88 instead.

Sometimes a loss can turn into a win pretty quickly. Consider Matt Kenseth.

Speculation about Kenseth’s future with Joe Gibbs Racing has been swirling pretty much since the drop of the green flag at Daytona. This week, he fed the flames himself by publicly admitting (via ESPN) that he did not expect to be back in the No. 20 Toyota for JGR in 2018.

Seriously, this is about as definitive as it gets.

"“I haven’t really worked on anything real hard [for next year]. … I don’t really have anything to talk about for what I am doing,” Kenseth said. “At this point, I don’t have anything going on for next year.”"

Don’t feel too bad for Kenseth just yet. While he also spoke about how his performance this year (no wins, just barely clinging to a playoff spot on points) was below his standards, it’s not clear if that’s due to a decline in the 45-year-old’s driving or the general morass that the Gibbs team has found itself in so far.

Plus he could still end up in a primo ride even if Erik Jones swoops in and takes over in the 20. ESPN’s Bob Pockrass mentioned what many believe to be the case when he said that Kenseth is a candidate to take over for the retiring Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet.

But is he actually now the front-runner?

Next: Who might take over for Dale Earnhardt Jr. next year?

Consider that Kenseth probably isn’t a downgrade from Dale Jr despite being several years older. In just one more season at the NASCAR Cup Series level, Kenseth has more wins, top-10 finishes and poles, and he’s also a series champion, though that seems like forever ago (in 2003, to be exact).

Then add to that the idea that the other drivers Hendrick might want in the car are either unlikely to be available (Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson and yes, Carl Edwards), obvious place-holders (sorry Alex Bowman) or not quite ready to go Cup Series racing full time (William Byron, though he’s doing his best to argue against that). Kenseth looks better and better the more one thinks everything through.

The question, as it often is in NASCAR, is sponsorship. Kenseth isn’t as naturally personable and certainly not as popular as Junior. Would the companies that have backed Earnhardt during his Hendrick Motorsports career stick with the 88 with Kenseth as its driver?

That’s something all involved are likely to be pondering over the next few months. In any case, it’s definitely not time to feel too bad for Matt Kenseth. He very well could be teammates with Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott at this time next year, and that wouldn’t be too bad a gig at all.