MARTINSVILLE, VA - OCTOBER 31: Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the #88 Nationwide Chevrolet, talks with Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, in the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 31, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

Matt Kenseth addresses rumors about driving the 88 car


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Matt Kenseth's tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing will come to an end after the 2017 season, and he will be replaced by Erik Jones in the No. 20 car.

Related: Joe Gibbs discusses the decision to drop Matt Kenseth

The 45-year-old Kenseth wants to continue racing, but he doesn't have a car for 2018. There has been speculation that he could take over for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 car, but Kenseth doesn't think that will happen.

Kenseth appeared on "The Late Shift" on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Monday night, and he said he isn't sure where he'll be next season but he isn't too concerned about it.

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"I just don't know," Kenseth said. "I don't feel like that's going to be an opportunity I'm going to have. I really I don't know. I really honestly don't have anything lined up for sure. I will say that I'm not really that worried about it. I'm not really losing sleep over it. I'm not that concerned about next season."

Kenseth said he is more worried about competing for the postseason and for the championship this season with Joe Gibbs Racing.

"Everything is there that we need," Kenseth said. "It's all there in right in front of us. Not every driver can say that they got the opportunity to be in those cars. I think to get distracted and think about and talk about and worry about next year, it would really be taking away from what we're trying to do right now."

If the playoffs started today, Kenseth would be the last driver in the field. He has 38 wins for his career, and he won the Cup championship in 2003.

The No. 88 car might not be realistic, but if Kenseth wants to continue driving next season, it's hard to imagine some team not giving him a chance.

(h/t NBC Sports)

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