About Matt
Kenseth
Matt Kenseth’s 2009 victory in the famed  Daytona 500 not only added another major accolade to
the driver’s already rich portfolio, it also made the Cambridge,
Wis., native one of only five drivers in NASCAR history to win a Cup
Championship, the Raybestos Rookie Award, and the Daytona 500,
placing him in the elite company of Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon,
David Pearson, and Richard Petty.
In addition, during his 11-year Sprint Cup career, Kenseth boasts
an International Race of Champions (IROC) title in 2004, and he is
one of only two drivers to make the “Chase for the NASCAR Cup” in
each of its first five seasons. Kenseth has visited victory lane in
the Cup Series on 18 occasions, scored 95 top-five finishes, 174 top
10’s, and four poles, and he took home the 2003 Sprint Cup
Championship to become Roush Fenway’s first Cup Champion.
Kenseth has also collected 25 wins in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series
along with 16 poles.
 Born and raised in
Cambridge, Kenseth began his racing career at the age of 16, winning
his first feature event in only his third race. By the age of 19,
Kenseth was racing against the likes of Dick Trickle, Ted Musgrave,
and Rich Bickle in the Wisconsin late model ranks. With a win in
LaCrosse, Wis., Kenseth set a new record for being the youngest
winner in ARTGO Challenge Series history, a distinction previously
held by his future teammate Mark Martin.
Kenseth took the Wisconsin racing ranks by storm in the early
’90s, winning races and  track titles at
venues all across Wisconsin, becoming the youngest driver to ever
win the prestigious Miller Genuine Draft National championships in
1994.
Following another Wisconsin track title in 1995 and successful
runs in NASCAR All Pro Series (1995), the Hooters Series (1996), and
the ASA Series (1997), Kenseth got a fateful call in 1997 from a
fellow Wisconsin racer, Robbie Reiser, who asked Kenseth to drive
for his team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
 The Kenseth-Reiser
tandem debuted on April 19, 1997, at Nashville Speedway, finishing
11th. Kenseth went on to capture two top-five and seven top-10
finishes in 21 starts and finished second in the Rookie of the Year
battle.
In 1998, Kenseth’s first full Nationwide Series season, he
finished second in the championship points with three wins. He also
made his Cup debut, substituting for Bill Elliott in the McDonald’s
Ford at Dover in September. The young Kenseth  drove to an impressive sixth-place finish
in his first run with NASCAR’s elite.
Kenseth finished third in the Nationwide Series points in 1999.
He also made five Cup starts in the No. 17 DEWALT Ford.
In 2000, Kenseth and the No. 17 team went full-time Cup racing.
He won his first career Cup race at the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s
Motor Speedway and  earned four
top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. For his efforts he was named the
2000 Raybestos Rookie of the Year.
The team finished strong in 2001, with three top-five finishes in
the last six races. In addition, the No. 17 pit crew set a world
record in winning the Unocal 76/ Rockingham World Pit Crew
Competition, besting 24 other teams for the honor.
In 2002, Kenseth registered a series-best five victories, and
finished eighth in the  final point standings.
The No. 17 crew won its second straight Unocal 76/Rockingham World
Pit Crew Competition with another world record, conducting a full
pit stop in 16.81 seconds.
Kenseth, Reiser, and Roush Fenway Racing made it all click in
2003 as the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford team won the final Winston-era
Cup Championship with a record-setting performance. Kenseth’s
consistency kept the rest of the field at bay with a series-best 23
top-10 finishes and 11 top-five finishes. Kenseth led the
championship point standings for a  record-breaking 34 straight weeks en
route to Roush Fenway Racing’s first-ever Cup title.
Kenseth and the team picked up where they left off, winning two
of the first three races in 2004. Kenseth qualified for the
inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup and finished eighth in the final
standings. In addition, he followed up his 2003 Cup title by
capturing the prestigious International Race of Champions (IROC)
title, winning two of the series’ four events.
 The 2005 season is most remembered
for the terrific surge that saw Kenseth charge from 24th in the
points in mid-June — a staggering 320 points out of 10th — to
clinching his second berth in the Chase for the Cup just 12 weeks
later. During that stretch, the No. 17 DEWALT Ford led 626 laps,
scored six top-five finishes, and a victory to clinch a spot in the
10-car “playoff.” The team would finish the season seventh.
Kenseth won four times in the Cup car in ’06, including
back-to-back victories in August at Michigan and Bristol. He become
the first driver since Dale Earnhardt to win back-to-back Bristol
night races and he became one of only three drivers to make the
Chase for the  Cup in
each of its first three season. Kenseth entered the 2006 10-race
Chase “playoff” atop the point standings and went on to finish
second in the final standings, 56 points outside of first. Along the
way he set career highs for top-five finishes (15), laps led
(1,132), and average finish (9.8).
Kenseth would once again qualify for the Chase in 2007, making
him only one of two drivers to accomplish the feat in the first four
seasons of the format’s existence. He ran virtually the entire
“regular” season inside the top five, before hitting a string of
tough luck early in the Chase. Still, the team responded with a  string of five straight top-five finishes
to end the season, culminating in a victory in the season finale at
Homestead. Kenseth finished the season fourth in the Sprint Cup
point standings and his 624 laps led in the Chase were the most of
any driver.
In 2008 Kenseth once again secured his place in the NASCAR Chase
for the Cup, running to 20 top-10 finishes and an 11th-place finish
in the point standings. He also made his 300th Cup start at Phoenix
in April.
In 2009 Kenseth began the season with back-to-back victories,
winning NASCAR’s version of the Super Bowl — the Daytona 500 — and
followed that up with a win the next week at California Speedway.
However, the team would struggle down the stretch, narrowly missing
the “Chase for the Cup” for the first time in its six-year
existence. In fact, Kenseth became the first driver in Chase history
to hold a qualifying position for the Chase each of the first 25
weeks of the season without qualifying for the Chase. In addition to
the two wins, Kenseth earned his fourth career Cup pole, qualifying
first at Darlington in May. He won his 25th Nationwide race at
Darlington that same weekend and earned Nationwide poles at Richmond
and Texas.
Matt Kenseth Fast Facts
 BIRTHDAY:
March 10,1972
HEIGHT: 5'9"
WEIGHT: 152
WIFE:
Katie
CHILDREN: Ross, Kaylin
HOMETOWN: Cambridge,
Wis.
RESIDES: Mooresville, N.C.
Career Highlights
2009
 Two wins (Daytona 500 and Fontana)
Posted seven top five and 12 top-10
finishes
Captured fourth career Cup pole in May
at Darlington
Won his 25th career Nationwide Race in
May at Darlington
2008
Nine top-five finishes
20 top-10 finishes
Qualified for the Chase for the Sprint
Cup; one of only two drivers to do so each year of the format’s
existence
Made 300th career Sprint Cup start at
Phoenix in April
Scored 24th career Nationwide victory
at Atlanta in March
2007
Two wins (Fontana, Homestead)
13 top-five finishes
22 top-10 finishes
Finished fourth in NEXTEL Cup championship point
standings
Led 912 laps, the third most in his career.
Became one of two drivers to qualify for the
season-ending Chase in each of its first four seasons.
Two Busch Series wins (Fontana, Texas)?
Finished 10th in the Busch
Series championship point standings, despite missing 11 events. His
highest finish in the Busch Series since 1999.
2006
Four wins (Fontana, Dover, Michigan, Bristol)
Career best, 15 top-five finishes
21 top-10 finishes
Career best, 9.8 average finish
Career best, 14.6 average start
Finished second in NEXTEL Cup championship point
standings
Led career high 1132 laps
Won once (Daytona oval) and finished second in the
IROC Series Championship
Three Busch Series wins (Bristol, Phoenix,
Homestead)
Scored 18 top-10 finishes in 21 starts in the
Busch Series
2005
One win (Bristol)
Won two poles (Bristol, Kansas)
12 top-five finishes
17 top-10 finishes
Finished seventh in NEXTEL Cup championship point
standings
One Busch Series win (Darlington)
Scored 12 top-10 finishes in 15 starts in the
Busch Series
2004
Two wins (Rockingham, Las Vegas)
Eight top-five finishes
16 top-10 finishes
Finished eighth in NEXTEL Cup championship point
standings
Won two of four IROC events and picked up IROC
Series Championship
Three Busch Series wins (Texas, Loudon, Atlanta)
Scored 11 top-10 finishes in 16 starts in the
Busch Series
2003
NASCAR Winston Cup Champion, the final champion of
the “Winston era”
One win (Las Vegas)
11 top-five finishes
Career best, 25 top-10 finishes
Two Busch Series wins (Fontana, Charlotte)
Scored nine top-10 finishes in 14 starts in the
Busch Series
2002
Five wins (Rockingham, Texas, Michigan, Richmond,
Phoenix)
Won one pole (Dover)
11 top-five finishes
19 top-10 finishes
No.17 DEWALT crew won World Pit Crew Competition
(2nd year straight)
Finished eighth in Winston Cup championship point
standings
2001
Four top-five finishes
Nine top-10 finishes
No.17 DEWALT crew won World Pit Crew Competition
Finished 13th in Winston Cup championship point
standings
One Busch Series win (Bristol)
Scored 14 top-10 finishes in 23 starts in the
Busch Series
2000
Winston Cup Raybestos Rookie of the Year
One win (Charlotte), 18th career start
Four top-five finishes
11 top-10 finishes
Finished 14th in Winston Cup championship point
standings
Four Busch Series wins (Daytona, Fontana, Dover,
Charlotte)
Scored 17 top-10 finishes in 20 starts in the
Busch Series
1999
Started five Cup races with Roush Racing and
DEWALT
Four Busch Series wins (Darlington, Nazareth,
Fontana, Bristol)
Two poles in Busch Series
Finished third in Busch Series championship point
standings
Partnered with DEWALT Industrial Tools in the
Busch Series
1998
Three Busch Series wins (Rockingham, Pikes Peak,
Dover)
Scored 17 top-five finishes and 23 top-10 finishes
Made NEXTEL Cup Series debut at Dover and finished
sixth
Finished second in Busch Series championship point
standings
1997
Joined Reiser Enterprises in April
Two third-place finishes in the Busch Series
(Dover, Fontana)
Finished second in Busch Series Rookie of the Year
race with only 21 starts
Finished second in ASA Series points prior to
moving to Reiser Enterprises
1996
Made Busch Series debut at Charlotte in May
Finished third in the Hooters Pro Cup Series with
one win
1995
Captured track title at
Wisconsin Intl. Raceway in Kaukauna
Scored four consecutive
feature wins at Kaukauna
Won Red, White and Blue
State Championship Series
1994
Captured track titles at
Wisconsin Int’l and at Madison Int’l
Holds record for most
feature wins (12) at Madison
Won the Miller Genuine
Draft National championships
1993
Won Late Model Rookie of
the Year at Wisconsin International
Captured the Alan
Kulwicki Memorial race at Slinger Speedway
Won two ARTGO feature
races
Won a feature in the
Wisconsin Short Track Series 200
1991
Became the youngest
driver ever to win an ARTGO racing series feature
event breaking record set previously by Mark Martin
Won Late Model Rookie of
the Year at Slinger Speedway
|
Career Statistics |
|
Sprint
Cup Series • 2003 Champion |
|
. |
Starts |
Wins |
Top-Fives |
Top-10s |
Poles |
Earnings |
|
. |
364 |
18 |
94 |
173 |
4 |
$64,362,928 |
|
Nationwide
Series |
|
. |
Starts |
Wins |
Top-Fives |
Top-10s |
Poles |
Earnings |
|
. |
231 |
25 |
108 |
156 |
15 |
$6,327,809 |
|
IROC Series • 2004 Champion |
|
. |
Starts |
Wins |
Top-Fives |
Top-10s |
Poles |
Earnings |
|
. |
12 |
3 |
9 |
11 |
NA |
$1,160,000 |
|
Year-by-Year in Cup |
|
|
Year |
Owner |
Races |
Rank |
Wins |
Top5 |
Top10 |
DNF |
Poles |
Won |
|
|
1998 |
Bill
Elliott |
1 |
57 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
$42,340 |
| |
1999 |
Jack
Roush |
5 |
49 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
$143,561 |
| |
2000 |
Jack
Roush |
34 |
14 |
1 |
4 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
$2,408,138 |
| |
2001 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
13 |
0 |
4 |
9 |
5 |
0 |
$2,565,579 |
| |
2002 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
8 |
5 |
11 |
19 |
3 |
1 |
$4,514,203 |
| |
2003 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
25 |
2 |
0 |
$9,422,764 |
| |
2004 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
8 |
2 |
8 |
16 |
6 |
0 |
$7,400,969 |
| |
2005 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
7 |
1 |
12 |
17 |
4 |
2 |
$7,034,134 |
| |
2006 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
2 |
4 |
15 |
21 |
1 |
0 |
$9,554,966 |
| |
2007 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
4 |
2 |
13 |
22 |
4 |
0 |
$8,663,624 |
| |
2008 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
11 |
0 |
9 |
20 |
3 |
0 |
$5,526,940 |
| |
2009 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
14 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
2 |
1 |
$7,085,710 |
| |
TOTALS |
|
364 |
|
18 |
94 |
173 |
38 |
4 |
$64,362,928 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cup Wins — 18 |
|
|
Date |
Track |
| |
05/28/00 |
Lowe’s Motor Speedway |
| |
02/24/02 |
North
Carolina Speedway |
| |
04/08/02 |
Texas
Motor Speedway |
| |
06/16/02 |
Michigan Int’l Speedway |
| |
09/07/02 |
Richmond Int’l Speedway |
| |
11/10/02 |
Phoenix Int’l Raceway |
| |
03/02/03 |
Las
Vegas Motor Speedway |
| |
02/22/04 |
North
Carolina Speedway |
| |
03/07/04 |
Las
Vegas Motor Speedway |
| |
08/27/05 |
Bristol Motor Speedway |
| |
02/26/06 |
California Speedway |
| |
06/04/06 |
Dover
Int’l Speedway |
| |
08/20/06 |
Michigan Int’l Speedway |
| |
08/26/06 |
Bristol Motor Speedway |
| |
02/25/07 |
California Speedway |
| |
11/18/07 |
Homestead-Miami Speedway |
| |
02/15/09 |
Daytona
International Speedway |
| |
02/22/09 |
California Speedway |
|
Cup Poles — 4 |
|
|
Date |
Track |
| |
06/02/02 |
Dover
Int’l Speedway |
| |
08/27/05 |
Bristol Motor Speedway |
| |
10/09/05 |
Kansas
Speedway |
| |
05/09/09 |
Darlington Raceway |
|
Year-by-Year in
Nationwide |
|
|
Year |
Owner |
Races |
Rank |
Wins |
Top5 |
Top10 |
DNF |
Poles |
Won |
|
|
1998 |
Bill
Elliott |
1 |
57 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
$42,340 |
| |
1999 |
Jack
Roush |
5 |
49 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
$143,561 |
| |
2000 |
Jack
Roush |
34 |
14 |
1 |
4 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
$2,408,138 |
| |
2001 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
13 |
0 |
4 |
9 |
5 |
0 |
$2,565,579 |
| |
2002 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
8 |
5 |
11 |
19 |
3 |
1 |
$4,514,203 |
| |
2003 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
25 |
2 |
0 |
$9,422,764 |
| |
2004 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
8 |
2 |
8 |
16 |
6 |
0 |
$7,400,969 |
| |
2005 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
7 |
1 |
12 |
17 |
4 |
2 |
$7,034,134 |
| |
2006 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
2 |
4 |
15 |
21 |
1 |
0 |
$9,554,966 |
| |
2007 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
4 |
2 |
13 |
22 |
4 |
0 |
$8,663,624 |
| |
2008 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
11 |
0 |
9 |
20 |
3 |
0 |
$5,526,940 |
| |
2009 |
Jack
Roush |
36 |
14 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
2 |
1 |
$7,085,710 |
| |
TOTALS |
|
364 |
|
18 |
94 |
173 |
38 |
4 |
$64,362,928 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
