Staff Report | NASCAR.com
Team owner Jack Roush told SiriusXM Radio host Claire B. Lang on Wednesday night that he is in negotiations to fill his team’s No. 6 Ford next year, and Trevor Bayne will not return to the car.
“We’re making a search,” Roush said in the interview. “We’re in negotiations with drivers right now that would drive the 6 car next year. I think the decision’s been made. I don’t want to be breaking the story here, but I think the decision’s been made.
“Trevor is not going to be in the car next year. Who we’re talking to and how close we are in those negotiations, I’m not inclined to say.”
Bayne had driven the Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford full time since the start of the 2015 season, logging four top-five finishes and 13 top-10s in three full-time seasons from 2015-17.
Earlier this year, Roush brought back veteran Matt Kenseth on a part-time basis to split seat time with Bayne. Kenseth had retired following the 2017 season after Erik Jones slid into the No. 20 Toyota at Joe Gibbs Racing.
“Matt is one of the guys who really put us on the map of the racing landscape,” Roush said at the time. “He’s one of the most talented drivers to ever sit inside a race car and his will to win, drive and determination have always embodied what we strive for as an organization.”
Roush did not confirm whether the team was bringing Kenseth back full time, or if it had targeted another driver.
“I want a driver that can be fast,” he said when asked what he’s looking for in the next driver of the No. 6.
Roush also fields the No. 17 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series with driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
