Matt Kenseth News
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Valvoline to sponsor Kenseth in three races: Roush Fenway Racing announced that Valvoline, the leading innovator and supplier of quality, high-performing automotive products, will sponsor the No. 17 entry and driver Matt Kenseth for three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races during the 2010 season. The No. 17 Valvoline Ford Fusion will debut this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway and then will also serve as the primary sponsor for April's Talladega race weekend as well as the November Cup Series race in Phoenix. Valvoline first teamed up with Roush Fenway Racing in 1990, and together the duo has brought home 44 wins in the Sprint Cup series. Valvoline is the official motor oil at Roush Fenway Racing, and has been providing Americans with the best motor oil and automotive products longer than any other motor oil company.(RFR)
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Kenseth: Change was needed: Matt Kenseth says it became obvious that something had to change when his crew members were becoming too much like him. "You guys say I don't show emotion sometimes. I kind of felt like the whole group was sort of like that," Kenseth said Friday, explaining an unexpected crew chief change made after only one race. "I just felt like it needed something to throw a spark in the thing." Back in California where Kenseth got his last victory a year ago, Todd Parrott replaces Drew Blickensderfer atop the No. 17 Ford pit box this weekend. After Blickensderfer became his crew chief last year, Kenseth won at Daytona and California. That momentum didn't carry over because Kenseth hasn't won since, and missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship for the first time. But instead of making a change during the offseason, Kenseth made the move after an eighth-place finish at Daytona last weekend, when he managed a top-10 finish after running in the middle of the pack most of Sunday's race. "We were just missing something on the team," Kenseth said. "I didn't feel the way we operated at Daytona that we could win races and win championships." Kenseth took the blame for the timing of the switch, explaining that team owner Jack Roush asked him at the end of last season if any changes needed to be made. At the time, Kenseth felt like everything was OK and that Blickensderfer deserved the benefit of a full season and full offseason. "It's really hard to explain the timing of the change. It doesn't make any sense," Kenseth said. "Instead of dragging it out, it was just something that needed to be done. ... Get a head start on this thing instead of waiting until we're halfway into the season and it's too late to dig ourselves out." Roush described himself as "really conflicted" about the switch but said that it became clear when he met with general manager Robbie Reiser and Kenseth this week that the change was necessary. Roush said there was "zero sponsor pressure" for a switch. The team owner also, without elaborating, used the term "interim" concerning the role for Parrott, who was the crew chief when Dale Jarrett won the 1999 Cup championship.(AP)
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Roush Fenway Racing names Parrott new crew chief for Kenseth: Veteran crew chief Todd Parrott has been appointed crew chief of Roush Fenway's No. 17 Sprint Cup Crown Royal Ford team with driver Matt Kenseth. Parrott will take over the role effective immediately. Drew Blickensderfer, who has served as crew chief on the No. 17 since the start of the 2009 season [winning the Daytona 500 and race afterwards in Calif], will assume a role in Roush Fenway's research and development department. Parrott, who won a Sprint Cup championship with Dale Jarrett in 1999, is the third winningest active crew chief in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 29 career wins.(RFR)
Friday, February 5, 2010
Crown Royal to sponsor No. 17 in additional races: Roush Fenway Racing announced that Crown Royal has extended the number of races in which it will be primary sponsor of driver Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 Sprint Cup Series team. Crown Royal will serve as the primary sponsor for 35 Sprint Cup Series races in 2010 [of 38 races counting the Bud Shootout & All-Star race). The makers of Crown Royal Canadian whisky, a subsidiary of Diageo plc, have been partners with Roush Fenway Racing dating back to 2003. "I'm thrilled that Crown Royal chose to expand their sponsorship of our team for the entire 2010 season," said Kenseth, one of only five drivers in NASCAR history to win the Sprint Cup rookie of the year award, a Sprint Cup Championship and the Daytona 500. "I know that this is going to be a successful season for our No. 17 team and it will be great to represent the Crown Royal brand for 35 Cup Series events. I had the honor of working with DIAGEO and their Smirnoff ICE brand back in 2003 where we developed a great relationship. In addition to the sponsorship, we look forward to helping Crown Royal promote its responsible drinking platform, as well as kick-off the annual Crown Royal "Your Name Here" program this week, which awards naming rights to the Spring race at Richmond International Raceway to an adult fan." Kenseth will make his inaugural run in the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford on Saturday, Feb. 6 for the non-points exhibition event, the Budweiser Shootout, at Daytona International Speedway. The first points race of the season will be the Daytona 500 the on Sunday, Feb. 14 in which Kenseth is the defending champion of the event. (Roush Fenway Racing)
Friday, January 15, 2010
Matt Kenseth wants to leave NASCAR on his terms: Matt Kenseth aslked how long he wants to continue racing: “The goal is to be competitive all the time and do it as long as you want; to do it on your terms, that would be your goal. Not too many people get to do that anymore. It’s competitive; really hard when you have a couple down years. It doesn’t really matter what you’ve done in the past, people are going to look at what you’re doing now. … Ten years ago I think most experienced veterans could race as long as they wanted to. It’s not really that way anymore. How much of an adjustment was it with a new crew chief last year (Drew Blickensderfer) and how can you build off it? I think we’ve learned what makes each other tick. … So I think it’ll be a better year. I think we’ll both have a little bit more of a comfort level with each other and how we like to run things.” (St. Petersburg Times)
Saturday, December 5, 2009
No. 17's Drew Blickensderfer honored: Drew Blickensderfer, crew chief of the No. 17 Ford, won the Moog Problem Solver of the Year Award for 2009. This marks the first time Blickensderfer has won the award coming of a season that included winning the Daytona 500 and following that up with a win at the Auto Club Speedway the next weekend. Blickensderfer led his team to two wins, one pole, seven top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 2009, his first full-season as crew chief for Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 team.(Roush Fenway Racing)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Crown Royal to sponsor Kenseth in 2010: Roush Fenway Racing announced Tuesday that Diageo, parent company of Crown Royal, has renewed its multi-year sponsorship. Crown Royal will serve as the primary sponsor for Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 Sprint Cup team at 18 Cup events in 2010. "I'm excited about teaming up with Crown Royal," said Kenseth, one of only five drivers in NASCAR history to win the Sprint Cup rookie of the year award, a Sprint Cup Championship and the Daytona 500. "I worked with Diageo's Smirnoff ICE brand back in 2003 and we developed a great relationship. They were a part of our championship season and we were able to take part in a lot of really cool promotions and events to promote messages associated with responsible drinking. I'm really looking forward to representing Crown Royal and continuing that great work." Diageo has been a partner of Roush Fenway Racing dating back to 2003 where Kenseth was first paired with the Smirnoff Ice Brand. In 2005, Crown Royal entered the sport as sponsor of the No. 97 team and in 2006 became sponsor of Jamie McMurray and the No. 26 team. "We will miss Jamie (McMurray) as he has been an amazing partner both on and off the track taking our 'Be a champion. Drink Responsibly,' campaign to new heights. We were lucky to have him as part of our team and whatever sponsor aligns with him will have a great person working on their behalf. We wish him well," said Dan Sanborn, Sr. Director, Corporate Relations for Diageo. "We are pleased that we found a suitable home within Roush Fenway Racing for one of the greatest brands in the world," said Roush Fenway Racing president Geoff Smith. "With the conclusion of the contract arrangement with Crown Royal, Roush Fenway Racing's Sprint Cup driver lineup will see Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan joining Kenseth to round out our four approved entries. We are still hoping to be able to transfer the No. 26 team, intact, to Yates Racing in order to keep everyone employed and racing within the Ford community."(Roush Fenway Racing)
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Crown Royal to sponsor No. 17 up to 20 races in 2010: A week after DeWalt Tools announced they will not return as sponsor of Matt Kenseth's Roush-Fenway Racing Ford next season the team will announce this week that Crown Royal will take over as primary sponsor for up to 20 races in 2010 according to team sources and Jayski.com. Kenseth debuted in NASCAR's top tier series in 2000 with DeWalt and won the 2003 Series championship. DeWalt was the primary sponsor for Kenseth's entire Cup career to this point. "I've got a lot of great friends at the company," Kenseth said. "I'll continue to have a lot of great friends at the company, but certainly it's disappointing we couldn't figure out how to make all of that work and keep it all together somehow." The loss of the sponsorship wasn't a surprise to Kenseth. "DeWalt was looking to sell some of the races this year on a part-time basis and knew they needed help next year," Kenseth said. (NASCAR Examiner)
Thursday, July 23, 2009
DeWalt Tools will not renew contract after season: Roush Fenway Racing was informed today that DeWalt Power Tools will not renew its sponsorship of Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 team for the 2010 NASCAR season. “We would like to thank DeWalt for serving as a great partner for the past 10 years,” said Roush Fenway President Geoff Smith. “During that time we have seen great success for both their company and marketing program, as well as with Matt on the race track. They will always be remembered and honored as the sponsor of Jack Roush’s first Sprint Cup Championship team. Despite this success – in the face of the significant world-wide economic decline in the construction industry – DeWalt’s decision to not return is not a great surprise to us. Fortunately, we have several great companies interested in taking over and we expect to begin finalizing those sponsorship arrangements in the very near future. All of us at Roush Fenway Racing remain committed to keeping the No. 17 DeWalt car running up front, winning races and to put them in a position to contend for a second championship this season.”(Roush Fenway Racing)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Matt and Katie Kenseth welcome Kaylin Kenseth into the world: Katie Kenseth has given birth to a baby girl - Kaylin Nicola Kenseth. The news was broken by Ross Kenseth, driver Matt Kenseth's son, via Twitter. Said Ross, "Everyone is really excited!" The Kenseths did not know the baby's sex until her birth on Monday. The child is the first for the couple and the second for Matt. Ross, 16, is Matt's son from a previous relationship. Matt and Katie married in 2000. (All Left Turns)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Kenseth says Ford is gaining on competition: Matt Kenseth said Ford is regaining on the competition, mostly the Chevrolet and Toyota teams, which have won a majority of races to date. He can point to two races this season where he had a good car, but suffered bad luck. "It's not like a steady uphill graph where we've been doing a little bit better every week and we keep getting better and we're almost there," Kenseth says. "We have about a four-week run where we were running pretty good and then we had a couple weeks where things didn't go right. "The Pocono race, we performed really well and our fuel mileage wasn't good enough and the way we pitted at the end, we didn't get a good finish. Then at Michigan we just ran pathetically terrible. We left a wheel loose and lost a lap, got that back, and then couldn't make it to the end on fuel without running half-throttle and ran around half-throttle to make sure we made it on fuel." (Daytona Beach News-Journal)
Friday, May 22, 2009
Kenseth sporting a green paint scheme: The No. 17 Ford Fusion will carry the green and gold colors of R+L carriers this weekend for the Coke 600. It will be the first of four races this season with R+L Carriers as the primary on the No. 17 Ford. Kenseth has carried the R+L Carriers paint scheme 10 times since 2006. In his 10 previous starts in the No. 17 R+L Carriers Ford, Kenseth has achieved 10 top-12, eight top-10, and four top-five finishes. (PR)
Kenseth list Coca-Cola 600 as one of his favorite races: Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth lists this weekend's 600-lap marathon at Lowe's Motor Speedway as one of his favorite events on the circuit, and why not? Kenseth captured the first of his 18 Sprint Cup wins in the 2000 Coca-Cola 600. "It's probably my favorite event of the year," said Kenseth. "We won our first race here (at Lowe's Motor Speedway) in the 600, so that makes it kind of special for us. It used to be the only race of the year when you'd start in the day when it was usually hot and sunny, and you'd end at night. "It's usually a challenge to start during the day and end at night," added Kenseth. "Although a lot of tracks have kind of copied that since then, it used to be the only one that did that, so there are a lot of challenges that go with it and it's always interesting to be halfway decent at the beginning and still have a car that will handle right at the end." IRoush Fenway PR)
Monday, May 4, 2009
Kenseth worried about swine flu: Matt Kenseth isn't taking any chances with disease. The driver washed his hands after meeting with media after Friday's Nationwide race. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Friday, April 17, 2009
Fan gets Ford test drive with Matt Kenseth : As part of Ford Racing’s We Race. You Win. national sweepstakes, Chuck Fountain was visited at his home in suburban Minneapolis by Matt Kenseth, and the two spent Tuesday afternoon drivin’ around town. Now, Ol’ Steady Matty won the Daytona 500 this year and the series championship in 2003, so, obviously, he knows a little somethin’ about quality cars—and, especially, how to drive ’em. And, on that day, Matt and Chuck didn’t even need any snow tires. The weather could not have been better: 65 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Not a one. They drove in and around Chuck’s hometown in a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, and then stopped off at a nearby quarter-mile track to put a 2010 Ford Fusion Sport through its paces. They even had time to have lunch with the mayor. The We Race. You Win. sweepstakes is a pretty cool deal and is continuing’ throughout the season. Again, each time a Ford driver wins a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points event in 2009, one lucky fan and a guest will win an all-expenses paid trip to Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway from November 20th to the 22nd. During the race weekend, one of those fans will win the grand prize of a 2010 Ford Fusion. Fans can register online, and, in addition to the grand prize, will also be eligible for one of 10 random monthly drawings of Ford Racing themed prizes, including autographed helmets, apparel packs and more. So, additionally, Chuck has won one of those trips to Ford Championship Weekend, as of right now, he has a 50-50 chance of winnin’ the grand prize. Headin’ into this weekend’s race at Phoenix, where Kenseth won in 2002, Ford racers have won twice—both by Ol’ Steady Matty. (FordRacing.com)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
USG Sheetrock on No. 17 at Vegas: #17-Matt Kenseth will run the USG Sheetrock paint scheme on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first of three times this season. The other two USG Sheetrock races will be Chicago in July and Phoenix in Nov.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
No. 17 Blickensderfer named Wyall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race: Drew Blickensderfer, crew chief of the No. 17 Carhartt Ford driven by Matt Kenseth, has been named the Wypall Wipers Crew Chief of the Race for the second straight week following Sunday's Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Ca. The No. 17 Blickensderfer-led team took their second victory on Sunday following the coveted first place finish in the Daytona 500 a week prior. In addition to the $1,000 check, the winning crew chief will receive signage to announce the win on their pit box the following week.(Wypall PR)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Kenseth going for third straight win: Matt Kenseth has a serious chance to become the first driver ever to open a season with three consecutive wins. He already has two wins at Las Vegas (2003-2004) and has led 438 laps there, more than any other driver. (PR)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Kenseth flys home to get extra clothes: One year Matt Kenseth showed up at the Daytona 500 with extra clothes for after the race. The Daytona 500 winner, after all, has to stay the next day for the winning car's enshrinement, and then spend a few days in New York doing talk-show interviews. Feeling good about his chances, Kenseth was prepared. Then he went out and ran one of his worst Daytona 500s. Having learned his lesson, this year Kenseth intentionally didn't come prepared. He was so unprepared that he didn't even have a change of clothes for the morning. After he won his first Daytona 500, Kenseth flew home to get some clothes, then flew back to Daytona for his championship festivities that began Monday morning. (Orlando Sentinel)
Monday, February 16, 2009
No. 17 Matt Kenseth winning car inducted into Daytona USA: The victory celebration of the 51st annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race continued Monday morning as Matt Kenseth’s No. 17 DeWalt Ford was inducted into the Daytona 500 Experience – the Official Attraction of NASCAR –during the annual ConAgra Champion’s Breakfast. Kenseth, owner Jack Roush and crew chief Drew Blickensderfer participated in a fan forum inside the attraction and received their winning Daytona 500 leather jackets from Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig. The three were joined by the rest of the #17 Roush Fenway Racing crew to continue the tradition of signing the car, which will be on display inside the attraction until the 52nd annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 14, 2010. “To win the 500 is really cool,” said Kenseth, who also unveiled the logo for next year’s Daytona 500 to the media attending the event. “It’s pretty cool that the 17 group and team that Jack and Robbie (Reiser, former crew chief, current GM of Roush Fenway Racing) assembled was able to win that first championship and first Daytona 500.” “The first 14 times that I came to Daytona for road racing I always took a trophy home – every time,” said Roush, referring to his Rolex 24 success. “As we started coming with the Cup cars and it didn’t happen right away, I kind of put it out of my mind and decided that I was snake-bit – that I had already had more success than I deserved and I would be denied this one.” Not wanting to jinx his chances of a victory, Kenseth was not prepared for this week’s whirlwind media tour in New York City and California. He had to fly back home after last night’s race to pack before returning to Daytona for this morning’s celebration. “I wasn’t prepared for it kind of on purpose,” Kenseth said. “One year I was thinking, ‘They take you all these places, don’t want you to go home afterwards, you’re gone all week – so I’ll bring some extra clothes.’ That was my worst 500 I think we’ve ever had. “I told (wife) Katie if it happens and we win, I’ll worry about it then. So I had to worry about it last night. They’re not going to let us go home until after California, so I needed to go home for a few hours.” Among the media duties Kenseth will perform this week include appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman on Monday night and Live with Regis and Kelly on Tuesday morning. “As a kid, I always watched Letterman with my dad,” Kenseth said. “Of any TV show I could ever be on, I’ve always wanted to be on Letterman. The first two times I’ve been on there we’ve done the Top 10 list and I’ve never got to meet him or talk to him. This time I think I get to sit down and talk to him so I’m looking forward to that.”(DIS PR)
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Matt Kenseth wins Daytona 500: Matt Kenseth won NASCAR's season-opening Daytona 500 Sunday when heavy rain halted the race after 152 laps, 48 short of the scheduled distance. The victory was the first since November 2007 for the Ford-driving former NASCAR champion, who started from the rear of the field after switching to a back-up vehicle. "I was pretty miserable some nights because we just couldn't make our car handle," Kenseth told reporters. "This back-up car is actually way better than the 500 car. I felt pretty good going into this morning, but I didn't dream we were gonna win." (Washington Post)
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Blickensderfer named crew chief for Matt Kenseth: Roush Fenway Racing has named Drew Blickensderfer crew chief for Matt Kenseth’s #17 DEWALT Sprint Cup team for the upcoming 2009 season. “We are really looking forward to Drew coming on board with the #17 DEWALT team,” said Kenseth. “Drew brings a great work ethic and high level of enthusiasm to our team. He has been waiting for the opportunity to become a crew chief in the Sprint Cup Series and I know he’ll make the most of it. I had the chance to work with Drew for a couple of years in the Nationwide Series and he is one of the hardest working guys in the garage. He has a passion for the sport, and I know he will be a great addition to our #17 team.” Blickensderfer served the past three seasons as a crew chief in Roush Fenway’s highly successful Nationwide Series program. He helped guide Danny O’Quinn to a Raybestos Rookie title in 2006, before teaming with Kenseth in the Nationwide Series for the next year and a half. The duo earned three victories in the series, before Blickensderfer moved over to Carl Edwards’ No. 60 team midway through the 2008 season. There, he helped guide the Edwards’ team to seven wins in their last 19 races and a second-place finish in the Nationwide Series point standings. With the addition of Blickensderfer, Chip Bolin – who served as the crew chief on the #17 Sprint Cup team in 2008 - will return to his previous post as team engineer, where he was instrumental in helping guide the team to a Cup championship in 2003. “Chip has been one of the biggest assets to this team since the beginning,” said Kenseth. “Both as an engineer and crew chief, he has been instrumental in our championship run in 2003 and our making the Chase every year since. We are looking forward to adding Drew to the mix and everyone on this #17 DEWALT team is committed to working together and to running up front next season.”(Roush Fenway Racing PR)
June 4 2006:
Kenseth upends McMurray's Win: Matt Kenseth caught Roush Racing teammate Jamie McMurray with three laps left and pulled away to win Sunday at Dover International Speedway. McMurray seemed poised to win for the second time in his Nextel Cup career after taking the lead with 98 laps left in the Neighborhood Excellence 400. He held the lead for the next 95 laps, but Kenseth's No. 17 Ford started nipping at McMurray with about 30 laps left in the caution-marred race. With three laps to go, Kenseth passed McMurray after the leader was slowed a bit by Michael Waltrip' lapped car. With one lap to go, Kenseth pulled away for his second win of the season and 12th of his career. (ABC News - Race Cast -Results - Points)
May 27, 2006:
Kenseth, says Roush cars at disadvantage at tire testing: Matt Kenseth said that tire testing is a big plus this season, and he questions why Jack Roush's teams haven't been picked for any. "That tire test is a big advantage, and for some reason the Roush teams haven't been invited to any tire tests yet," Kenseth said. "I think they're holding something over your head about not testing with other kind of tires or something. "I'm not really sure what the deal is. But as far as I know, no Roush cars have been invited to any tire tests, which seems a little unfair for gathering data." (Salem-Journal)
March 13, 2006:
Reiser Wins WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race Award: The tag team of Matt Kenseth and Robbie Reiser had a near-perfect afternoon this Sunday at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Unfortunately for the No. 17 DEWALT team, a late-race caution allowed Jimmy Johnson to pass Kenseth on the final lap and kept them from sealing their day with a win. Reiser may not have brought his driver a victory, but he still performed in award winning fashion, as he was voted the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race. A panel of voters; including Tony Eury Sr., a member of the local media and a WYPALL® Wipers representative; all agreed that Reiser deserved Crew Chief of the Race accolades for keeping Kenseth up front nearly all race long. As the current record holder of laps led at the track, Kenseth added to his total this weekend, leading a race-high 146 laps of the UAW–Daimler Chrysler 400. “Robbie (Reiser) did everything right today,” said Eury Sr. “His car was the class of the field. Matt (Kenseth) was driving away from everybody. If it hadn’t been for the last caution, they would have won for sure.” “It was a good race for us today,” said Reiser following the event. “When you have that good of a car, you hate to finish second. Everything was falling into place, but the last caution let Jimmy (Johnson) catch up with us and get by us there at the end. The crew did an awesome job today and Matt drove a great race. If we keep preparing cars like that, we’ll definitely win some more races.” For winning the Crew Chief of the Race award, Reiser was presented with $1,000. At the end of the season the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000 and be crowned the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Year. This was Reiser’s second win, which puts him ahead of Darian Grubb, who has one win, in the standings. (SMC 500)
Feb. 28, 2006:
Reiser wins WYPALL® Crew Chief of the race award: Matt Kenseth set a new precedent this weekend at California Speedway. Along with crew chief Robbie Reiser, the driver of the No. 20 DeWalt Ford came from farther back than anyone in track history to take the checkered flag in this weekend’s Auto Club 500. Reiser’s come from behind performance earned him the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award. Three judges; Tony Eury Sr., a WYPALL® Wipers representative and Jerry Bonkowski of Yahoo Sports; agreed that Reiser deserved top honors for his winning game plan. “No one had their eye on Kenseth early in the race, but he was slowly working his way up front,” said Eury Sr. “He just kept chipping away at the leaders and before you know it, he was knocking on the door. Robbie (Reiser) did an awesome job making adjustments on the car and getting it better and better during the race. “ “We knew it was going to be tough to make up all that ground,” said Reiser following the race. “Track position was so important, so we made a two-tire stop early on to get up front. The pit crew never missed a beat and kept Matt (Kenseth) at the top of the board all day. It was just a great team performance.” Reiser earned $1000 for winning the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award. He is now tied with Darian Grubb in the Crew Chief of the Year standings for the Nextel Cup series. The challenge returns to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 12th. At the end of the season, the crew chief who possesses the most weekly titles will take home $20,000 and the privilege of being dubbed the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Year for the Nextel Cup Series. (SMC 500)
Feb. 26, 2006:
Kenseth wins the Auto Club 500: Greg Biffle was the class of the field, and Tony Stewart had a car capable of winning. Matt Kenseth still found himself in Victory Lane at California Speedway. Biffle and Stewart both wound up watching the end of Sunday's Auto Club 500 from the garage, victims of late-race engine failures that allowed Kenseth to race away with his 11th NASCAR Nextel Cup victory. His second win in 72 starts definitely came as something of a surprise to Kenseth, especially considering how strong Roush Racing teammate Biffle was Sunday. Even when Kenseth took the lead late in the race, he didn't expect to win. "I was sort of planning on running second,'' Kenseth said, grinning. In the end, though, Kenseth fought off a late challenge from Daytona 500 winner Jimmie Johnson to earn the victory. (SI.com - Results - Points)
Nov. 19, 2005:
Sad News: John Reiser, father of #17 crew chief Robbie Reiser and Matt Kenseth’s long-time Busch Series car owner, has passed away. John had been battling cancer for the past few months. Sympathies are with his wife, Alice, and Robbie, and the rest of the family this weekend. More details when available at the Matt Kenseth website. (mattkenseth.com)
Matt Kenseth Page 2 News
|
Birthdate: March 10, 1972