MATT KENSETH CAPTURES 2000 RAYBESTOS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR TITLE

Matt Kenseth captured the ROY title at Atlanta Motor Speedway, concluding a stellar Winston Cup Season for the first year driver. Kenseth surpassed all his personal goals for the season, claiming a win at Charlotte, finishing 14th in the points race, and coming home as the top finishing rookie in 16 of the 33 races.

“It’s a real honor to accept this award,” Kenseth said. “To come out on top of this great group of rookies, is really special. Dale Jr. is a great racecar driver who beat us in Busch the last two years and I knew he’d be tough again this year. He had some bad luck during the middle part of the season that helped us get ahead. You’re going to see him win many more races and championships in the future. Dave Blaney came on strong at the end of the year and the rest of the guys, Stacy Compton, Mike Bliss and Scott Pruett, all have bright careers ahead of them. To finish ahead of that caliber of talent says a lot about the commitment and talent of this race team.”

Kenseth will be attending the Winston Cup banquet at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on December 8, 2000, and will accept the Rookie of the Year award on stage. The awards banquet will be televised live on ESPN.

KENSETH CONCLUDES SEASON WITH A TOP TEN FINISH

Kenseth grabbed his 11th top ten finish of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, bringing the DEWALT Ford Taurus home in 9th spot. Matt qualified for the 500 mile race in 23rd spot, climbing into the top ten just prior to the halfway point of the race. Matt climbed as high as fourth while battling a loose race car but slipped back to 9th as the checkered flag fell.

“The very first run wasn’t too bad and then our car got really loose on us and we fell back quite a bit,” commented Kenseth. “We kept working on getting it better, but I’d wear the right-rear tire to the cords and I had to pit because we had the right-rear burned up. We got ourselves behind a little bit by pitting early and one time I went up and hit the wall and lost half the track to everybody pitting under green. Our car was probably a little faster than where we finished, but we made a lot of changes today and they all went in a forward direction.”

FIERY DAY AT THE ROCK

Matt Kenseth and the DEWALT Racing team had a smoldering race at Rockingham this weekend, with the car not running at its best and a scary fire in the pits.

Kenseth qualified for the 400 mile race in 28th spot. Matt was quick in happy hour, the last practice prior to the race, and the team was expecting a good finish. Kenseth took the green flag but immediately experienced a handling condition in the corners. After several adjustments during routine pit stops, Matt was able to climb into the top twenty. Kenseth was running in 21st spot when he came into the pits for a fresh rubber on lap 318 under the green flag. A fire broke out when burning pieces of rubber fell onto some spilled fuel on the ground. The fire spread quickly, causing burns to gasman, Rick Machinski. The fire was extinguished and Matt was sent back out onto the track. The caution flag was waved due to the fire and Kenseth went one lap down. The remainder of the afternoon was a blur with Matt and the team more concerned about their teammate, Rick, than the race. Kenseth took the checkered flag in 25th spot, continuing to hold onto 13th position in the point standings.

“I was just a really bad day,” stated Matt Kenseth. “At least we finished better than we have the last two times here in a Cup car. The car never handled good. With the fire and all, I am just glad to get out of here and know Rick is going to be OK. We will just have to go to Phoenix and try and do better.”

GASMAN UPDATE

Rick Machinski was immediately taken to the North Carolina Infield Care Center with 2nd degree burns on his neck and throat. At the conclusion of the race he was transported to Carolina Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. He was admitted for overnight observation and is expected to be released Monday afternoon.

NASCAR Winston Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

1. Matt Kenseth	276
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	248
3. Dave Blaney	197
4. Stacy Compton	182
5. Scott Pruett	181

NASCAR WC Drivers Pt. Standings

1. Bobby Labonte	4545
2. Dale Earnhardt	4444
3. Jeff Burton	4394
4. Dale Jarrett	4315
5. Ricky Rudd	4272
6. Tony Stewart	4210
7. Rusty Wallace	4115
8. Mark Martin	4042
9. Jeff Gordon	3904
10. Ward Burton	3809
13. Matt Kenseth	3436
16. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	3207

Matt Kenseth / Visine Racing Post-Race Notes for Rockingham

15 TOP-10 FINISHES IN 18 STARTS: Matt Kenseth finished seventh in the Sam’s Club 200 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, N.C. It marked his 15th top-10 finish in the Visine Chevrolet, including four victories.

EIGHT TOP-FIVE STARTS: Kenseth’s qualifying time of 24.005 seconds put him fifth on the starting grid for the 197-lap event. It was his eighth top-five start of the season.

RACE RECAP: Kenseth brought the Visine Chevrolet down pit road for the first time at lap 29 for new tires and fuel. Still displeased with the handling of the car, Kenseth returned for his second stop at lap 80 and the team made rear tire pressure adjustments. The Visine Chevrolet entered the pits in fourth position but returned to the track in 10th place after trouble with the right front tire. Back on the track, Kenseth maneuvered to gain positions and worked his way into the top five by his third and final stop at lap 138. No adjustments were made, only fuel and four fresh tires were added to the Visine Chevrolet.

SCHULER RETURNS IN MEMPHIS: Jason Schuler returns to the seat of the Visine Chevrolet this weekend at Memphis Motorsports Park in Tennessee. It will be his 11th start for Reiser Enterprises this season.

KENSETH ON THE RACE: “I was pretty happy with our run considering our last set of tires. They were really tight and it was almost impossible to pass. We struggled with tire pressures almost all day just to get the car to handle decent. I tried running every different line on the track to get the best run and we were always keeping with the lead pack, just didn’t have anything extra to get around them.”

KENSETH ON SCHULER: “Jason (Schuler) will be back in the car next weekend at Memphis. I know he’s anxious to be driving again. They tested there earlier this month and it went really well. I think Jason will do just fine there, we didn’t have such a great run there last year, started 10th and finished 21st.”

North Carolina Speedway 
Rockingham, NC 
October 22, 2000

Notes of Interest

Matt Kenseth and the DEWALT Racing Team tested at North Carolina Speedway on October 10 and 11 in preparation for the Pop Secret 400.

Kenseth grabbed his second top ten finish in a row this past weekend at Talladega. Matt finished 9th at Charlotte two weeks ago and 10th at Talladega.

Matt has increased his lead to 27 points over Dale Earnhardt Jr., in the 2000 Rookie of the Year battle. This is the largest lead Matt has experienced over Dale Jr., season.

Matt Kenseth’s Thoughts on Rockingham

“A lot has changed since I won my first Busch Series race at Rockingham in 1998. We seem to struggle at ‘The Rock’ in a Winston Cup car. In the spring race we qualified well but I made a mistake during the race and got into the wall and bent the suspension. We tested there last week and it went OK. We didn’t find anything earth shattering. I am glad we’re getting back into my favorite tracks again. Racing on a one mile banked track is something I really enjoy. Rockingham is a track I have fun racing on.”

Matt Kenseth / Visine Racing Pre-Race Notes for North Carolina Speedway

EVENT INFORMATION: Site - North Carolina Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina; Time and Date - 2 p.m. ET, Saturday, October 21; Live Coverage - TNN (cable television) and MRN (radio); Qualifying - 12:30 p.m. ET, Friday, Oct. 20.

THREE IS NOT A CROWD: Another trophy won’t clutter Kenseth’s showcase so he’ll go for his third consecutive win this weekend at “The Rock.” Kenseth will pilot the same Visine Chevrolet that took him to victory lane in the last two Busch Series events.

DID YOU KNOW?: Kenseth won his first Busch Series event at North Carolina Motor Speedway on February 21, 1998, in the No. 17 Chevrolet. He qualified 27th and led only the final lap of the event.

TIE BREAKER: Kenseth only has a handful of chances remaining to break his season win record in the No. 17 Chevrolet. He currently has four wins with four races remaining on the circuit. In 1999 he tallied four wins and in 1998 he recorded three trips to victory lane.

TUNE IN FOR SEASON FINALE: Visine driver Jason Schuler returns to the No. 17 Chevrolet at Memphis Motorsports Park in Tennessee for his final run of the season. Schuler tested at the speedway on October 10-11. In 10 starts, he tied his best finish of 14th-place at New Hampshire International Speedway and Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis.

IN THE STANDINGS: The Visine Racing Team currently holds fifth in the owners standings. The No. 17 entry has 3,485 points and is 133 points behind fourth place, 154 points from third place, 309 points from second place, and 835 behind first spot.

MATT KENSETH COMMENTS: “I told Russ (Strupp) after Charlotte that I definitely wanted to bring this car to Rockingham. Our chassis setups have been good and the body is as close to perfect as they come.

“We’ve tried some different things because tires have really changed our setups this year. This is a place where you usually don’t have too many cautions so pit strategy could play a big role. You have to conserve your tires but stay out front to be competitive. It’s easy to go a lap down at a mile track with so many fast cars and so few cautions.”

RECAPPING THE ALLTEL 200 (February 26, 2000): Visine Racing driver Matt Kenseth finished ninth in the Alltel 200 at North Carolina Speedway. Kenseth started 28th but quickly cracked the top 10 by lap 39. The Visine Racing Team changed four tires and refueled under green flag conditions at lap 85. Unfortunately, the first caution flag fell at lap 86, trapping Kenseth in the pits. On the restart at lap 96, the Visine Chevrolet was one lap in arrears to the leaders. The Visine Racing Team learned a hard lesson in the pits, but Kenseth raced his way to the team’s second consecutive top-10 finish.

RECAPPING LAST YEAR’S KMART 200 (October 23, 1999): Kenseth put his No. 17 machine in seventh place for the start of the 197-lap event. He quickly moved into the top five pack of cars, eventually taking the lead at lap 123 for nine circuits. As the field battled for positions in the remaining laps, Kenseth was shuffled into fourth position before the checkered flag.

RECAPPING THE ALL PRO BUMPER TO BUMPER 300 (October 7, 2000): Savvy pit strategy and a few ounces of fuel saved the day for the Visine Racing Team, enabling Matt Kenseth to roll to his fourth victory of the season in the Visine Chevrolet. It was Kenseth’s first NASCAR Busch Series win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and the second consecutive win for the team after taking top honors at Dover Downs International Speedway in Delaware. Following the race, NASCAR officials impounded the No. 17 Chevrolet for further inspection of the motor. After a review the next morning, NASCAR determined that no rules were broken and the Visine Racing Team was credited with the win.

SPONSOR NOTES: Partners on the Visine Chevrolet for the Sam’s Club 200 are BenGay and Cortizone, products produced by Pfizer Warner-Lambert Consumer Healthcare.

DeWALT Racing Notes
MATT GRABS ANOTHER TOP TEN AT TALLADEGA

Matt Kenseth and the DEWALT Racing Team qualified for the Winston 500 in 36th spot. Kenseth took the green flag and immediately went to the back of the pack. Matt cruised with teammates Jeff Burton and Chad Little, at the tail end of the field, running half throttle and just trying to sort things out.

Kenseth pitted on lap 49 for tires and fuel and resumed the race in 18th spot. Matt was running in the lead pack most of the afternoon, coming in to the pits for his second stop of the day in 5th position. Kenseth hung with the lead pack after the stop, leading the race twice before ducking into the pits for his final stop of the day. Kenseth took the green flag in 20th spot with 15 laps till the checkered flag. It was a intense battle to the end, with Matt going from 7th to 16th in one lap. Kenseth managed to sort through the chaos and finished the race in 10th position, claiming his second top ten finish in a row. Kenseth maintains his 13th place showing in the points race and continues to command a large lead over Dale Jr. in the rookie battle.

“Our car was pretty good,” stated Matt Kenseth. “We were really careful in the beginning. I was real paranoid about the big wreck happening and I didn’t want to be in the middle of it. So, we pretty much rode around in the beginning and then after our first stop I didn’t really have a drafting partner anymore so we just started driving hard and staying up in the draft — we handled good. A couple of times we drove all the way to the lead and stayed up there. Our car was real slow by itself, we were the last one to make it on time, but when you get in a big group of cars, it can take a last-place car, almost, and make it a car that can fun up front. We still have some work to do to improve our speedway program, but it was a real good finish for us”

NASCAR Winston Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

1. Matt Kenseth            266
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.    238
3. Dave Blaney             188
4. Stacy Compton        175
5. Scott Pruett              172

NASCAR Winston Cup Drivers Point Standings

1. Bobby Labonte        4537
2 Dale Earnhardt          4327
3 Jeff Burton                4229
4. Dale Jarrett              4135
5 Ricky Rudd              4102
6 Tony Stewart            4064
7. Mark Martin            3999
8. Rusty Wallace          3955
9 Jeff Gordon               3729
10. Ward Burton          3667

13. Matt Kenseth         3348

15 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  3146

DeWALT Racing Notes of Interest

Matt Kenseth and the DEWALT Team tested at Indianapolis on July 17 & 18 in preparation for the Brickyard 400.

Matt Kenseth has just a few more race weekends left with only one race to compete in. Kenseth will step back into his Robbie Reiser owned Busch Series car at Michigan on August 19, racing all of the remaining conjunction events this season, except Bristol. Kenseth will not be competing in any Truck Series races in 2000.

What did Matt do on his weekend off? Went home to Wisconsin, making a stop at Home Depot in Madison on Wednesday, July 26 for his sponsor DEWALT Tools.

Matt Kenseth’s Thoughts on the Brickyard

“Indianapolis may be a track that we struggle at a little. It’s a one grove track and very difficult to pass and very flat. It’s going to be a challenge. I am looking forward to going there, but I think it’s going to be a challenge for us to run up front at Indy.”

Matt’s thoughts on his performance thus far this season

“The beginning of the year toward the first third we were pretty fast but not very consistent. The one thing I’ve really worked hard on since Rockingham and Atlanta is to be consistent. We have improved over the last few months, finishing regularly in the top twenty, we just haven’t been as fast as we needed to be.”

NASCAR Winston Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

1. Matt Kenseth              227
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.      206 (-21)
3. Dave Blaney               150
4. Stacy Compton           142

NASCAR Winston Cup Drivers Point Standings

1. Bobby Labonte           2825
2. Dale Jarrett                 2772
3. Dale Earnhardt            2718
4. Jeff Burton                  2624
5. Rusty Wallace             2557
6. Tony Stewart              2540
7. Ward Burton               2535
8. Jeff Gordon                 2519
9. Mark Martin                2487
10. Ricky Rudd               2468

12. Matt Kenseth             2228 (-240 from 10th, -597 from 1st)

14. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.     2068

NHIS RACE REPORT

Matt Kenseth and the DEWALT Racing Ford started the thatlook.com 300 in 22nd position.

Things were looking good for the DEWALT Team at the inception of the 300 lap race until problems unfolded on lap 30. Matt was running in 19th position, when he began to feel the clutch slipping. Kenseth pitted under the second caution flag of the day to investigate the problem. The team decided to cut the clutch line and continue the race without the clutch rather than deal with it slipping all day. That seemed to solve the problem and Matt resumed racing in 40th spot. Kenseth began making up some ground, climbing to 14th position before the red flag was thrown for rain. The race was restarted and Matt fell back in the field due to his starter not working, costing valuable time in the pits. Kenseth fell back to 30th spot, but worked his way up to 19th when the race was halted again for rain, this time permanently. Kenseth maintains 12th place position in the driver point standings and now leads Dale Jr. by 14 points in the rookie race.

“The car handled really good, but we had a master cylinder or something go out in the clutch system and didn’t have a clutch the whole race. When we pitted we had good pit stops, but I couldn’t get out of the pits because the starter didn’t work either. We had to try to push start it and just lost a whole bunch of time. We had a good car, we got up to 13th or 14th at one time, but could never get track position after that. I think we had a top-10 car, we just didn’t show it with our finish.”

Honorary Race Day Crew Member

The honorary crew member at New Hampshire International Speedway was Paul Zannoni of Pelham, NH. Paul is a valued customer at Home Depot in Nashua, NH.

NASCAR Winston Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

1. Matt Kenseth 218
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 204
3. Dave Blaney 147
4. Stacy Compton 142
5. Scott Pruett 121

NASCAR Winston Cup Drivers Point Standings

1. Bobby Labonte         2670
2. Dale Earnhardt          2625
3. Dale Jarrett               2602
4. Ward Burton             2456
5. Tony Stewart            2455
6. Mark Martin             2453
7. Jeff Burton                2449
8. Ricky Rudd              2419
9. Rusty Wallace          2377
10. Jeff Gordon            2348

12. Matt Kenseth         2073
14. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 1944

DAYTONA RACE REPORT

Matt Kenseth qualified for his first night race at Daytona in 22nd spot, making the field in the first round qualifying session. The car was working well and the crew seemed pleased until the Friday morning practice session. Kenseth was a victim of circumstances, becoming tangled in an accident about an hour into the practice. Matt took the brunt of the mess and was forced to go to a back up car for the race. Kenseth had to start the event in the rear of the field because he was racing a car he did not qualify.

The race began and Matt was running strong. Kenseth ran in the top twenty most of the race, getting as high as 10th after a 2 tire stop on lap 106. Matt just missed an accident on lap 114, involving Bill Elliott, but came away unscathed. Kenseth was riding in 28th spot on lap 153, when caution flew with just 7 laps to go. Matt pitted for fresh tires and grabbed eight positions before the checkered flag dropped. Kenseth finished in 20th spot and was the top finishing rookie.

“I was a little close when Elliott flipped over there. I think he might have gone over my hood just about. It was kind of an uneventful night for us beside that. The DEWALT guys did a good job and got me good track position. They did a good job getting this backup car together. It was fairly fast, but without having the morning practice and only having happy hour we kind of missed on the setup and we were just pushing terribly. It was a good call to get four tires there at the end because we gained a few positions back.”

Honorary Race Day Crew Member

The honorary crew member at Daytona International Speedway was Mike Cornelius of New Smyrna Beach, FL. Mike is the Field Operations Manager for Tri-City Electric.

NASCAR Winston Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

1. Matt Kenseth            213
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.    198
3. Dave Blaney             142
4. Stacy Compton         137
5. Scott Pruett               113

NASCAR Winston Cup Drivers Point Standings

1. Bobby Labonte       2527
2. Dale Earnhardt        2475
3. Dale Jarrett             2451
4. Ward Burton          2347
5. Jeff Burton              2314
6. Ricky Rudd            2285
7. Mark Martin           2283
8. Tony Stewart          2270
9. Rusty Wallace         2259
10. Jeff Gordon           2193

12. Matt Kenseth         1967
14. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 1844

Jason Schuler Rebounds from Qualifying Setback

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 26) – Despite an accident during qualifying that damaged the front clip and rear bumper of the Visine Chevrolet, Jason Schuler finished 22nd in Sunday’s NASCAR Busch Series Lysol 200 at Watkins Glen International. The setback during time trials forced Schuler to miss the event’s final practice session while the team replaced the damaged parts.

“Jason did a great job for his first time at this race,” said crew chief Gary Cogswell. “This certainly isn’t an easy place, and we’ll take what we learned this year and improve on that for next season.”

Schuler finished the race on the lead lap, and once he worked his way up to the top 25 after starting 29th, Schuler stayed there for most of the race. Schuler made his first pit stop for tires and fuel under caution at lap 12. On the second pit stop during lap 39, the Visine Racing Team made a track bar adjustment after Schuler informed his crew the car was difficult to turn in the corners. His final pit stop came during lap 47 as the team added fuel and made a chassis adjustment.

A native of Cambridge, Wis., Schuler continues his stint in the Visine Chevrolet this weekend at The Milwaukee Mile in Wisconsin in the Sears Diehard 250. Qualifying begins on Saturday, July 1, at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Wisconsinite Jason Schuler Makes Milwaukee Mile Debut in Reiser Entry

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (June 27)— Jason Schuler will compete near his hometown of Cambridge for the first time as the driver of the Visine Chevrolet in Sunday’s DieHard 250 at The Milwaukee Mile.

Schuler has taken over interim driving duties for Visine teammate and Cambridge classmate Matt Kenseth. Kenseth, along with team owner Robbie Reiser, will miss the DieHard 250 for the first time since 1997 to compete in Saturday night’s Winston Cup Series Pepsi 400.

“Everyone’s really excited about racing in Milwaukee this weekend,” said Schuler, whose team is third in the owners standings. “I know the fans will miss not seeing Matt and Robb, but we’ve got a lot of people supporting us this weekend; and I hope we’ll have our best start and finish yet.”

It will be Schuler’s sixth race on his schedule of 12 in the Visine Chevrolet. Thus far his statistics from five races indicate that his best finish was 14th at New Hampshire International Speedway in May. Circumstances of the other races have resulted in strong runs, unavoidable accidents and subpar finishes.

With the guidance of team owner Reiser and advice from Kenseth, perhaps the DieHard 250 will be a turning point for Schuler.

“I’ve only raced at Milwaukee once in 1997 for a Hooters race, but I really like this style of track,” Schuler said. “We’ve got good cars, good equipment, and an awesome team. I have five races under my belt now plus testing time at other tracks. I know Matt, Robb and the team have confidence in me, which eases the pressure a little. We just need some luck to fall our way so we can finish in the top 10.”

The Reiser Enterprises team behind Schuler is the same team that helped Kenseth finish 12th in his first NASCAR Busch Series race at The Milwaukee Mile in 1997. Kenseth went on to secure fifth place in both the 1998 and 1999 DieHard 250 events.

Time trials at The Milwaukee Mile begin on Saturday, July 1 at 12:30 p.m. ET.

SEARS POINT RACE REPORT

Matt Kenseth and the DEWALT Racing Team had a frustrating race at Sears Point Raceway, experiencing a disappointing starting position and an equally frustrating race.

Kenseth started the 112 lap event in 38th position, using his third provisional starting spot of the year. The green flag dropped and Matt was battling a tight race car. The car seemed to improve only slightly despite many adjustment during the races several pit stops. Kenseth managed to make the best of the circumstances and finished the Save Mart 350K in 32nd position. Many things were learned by Kenseth during the first road course race of the 2000 season, which Matt hopes will carry into the Watkins Glen race in August.

“It’s real tough to come out here. It’s a real tricky road course to come to without testing and without shaking your car down. It’s real difficult to keep up with these guys. I followed a lot of drivers and tried a bunch of different lines and still couldn’t run with them. So, we’ve just got to learn something about our car. It’s not brain surgery to get around here, so we just have to figure out what’s wrong with the car and make it run faster.”

Honorary Race Day Crew Member

The honorary crew member at Sears Point Raceway was Gil Munz of San Rafael, CA. Gil is customer of Home Depot.

NASCAR Winston Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

1. Matt Kenseth           202
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.   191
3. Dave Blaney            132
4. Stacy Compton        131
5. Scott Pruett              108

NASCAR Winston Cup Drivers Point Standings

1. Bobby Labonte          2400
2. Dale Earnhardt           2333
3. Dale Jarrett                2271
4. Ward Burton              2196
5. Jeff Burton                 2134
6. Ricky Rudd                2130
7. Mark Martin              2123
8. Tony Stewart             2115
9. Rusty Wallace            2089
10. Jeff Gordon             2059

13. Matt Kenseth          1864

14. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  1786

Notes of Interest

Matt Kenseth is running a brand new #17 DEWALT Ford Taurus at Daytona. The team tested the car at Talladega on Wednesday, June 21, in preparation for the Pepsi 400.

DEWALT Tools is proud to announce a new strategic alliance with Motorola Sprint Professional Two-Way Radio, the leader in the two-way radio category, beginning July 1, 2000. This partnership will feature Motorola as an associate sponsor located on the B-pillar of the #17 DEWALT Racing Ford.

Matt Kenseth’s Thoughts on Daytona

“I am looking forward to running Daytona because I have never run a night race at a speedway like that before. I think it will be exciting being down there for the Fourth of July race. Daytona is always a fun weekend anyway. And now it’s a little shorter race on Saturday night, so it should be an exciting atmosphere.. They say Daytona is real slippery for the night race, so the car is not going to handle as good as when we were there in February. The car will slide around a lot more. Hopefully you will have to let off the gas and whoever makes their car handle the best will have a shot at winning. Instead of being like a Talladega race, where it’s a plate race and you just hold it wide open and whoever is the fastest, wins. We built a brand new car for Daytona that we tested at Talladega. It’s a little faster than the car we had in February. The thing is everyone gains on their speedway program from the Daytona race. We just hope we have gained in the speedway program as well.”

DeWALT RACING— Notes of Interest

Matt Kenseth has never seen Sears Point Raceway before. Kenseth did attend a road course driving school in preparation for the Save Mart/Kragen 350K.

Kenseth will be running a brand new #17 DEWALT Ford Taurus at Sears Point Raceway.

Matt will be taking in a few sights while in San Francisco. This is Kenseth’s first visit to the Bay area.

Matt Kenseth’s Thoughts on Sears Point

“The road course is a track that I have never been very good at. We have run good at times on the road course in the Busch Series, but haven’t finished the greatest. We did not test at Sears Point, but I did go to a driving school to work on my road course skills. The team built two new road course cars that have never been raced or tested. This is a track we may struggle more so than others. I just want to finish and get some experience. If I could leave Sears Point and feel like I learned a bit more on how to tackle the track, I’ll be happy.”

Wild Animals Can’t Contain Schuler at Watkins Glen

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 21) – Jason Schuler didn’t know that testing for Watkins Glen International back in May was going to include a crash course in the fauna of Watkins Glen, New York. As Schuler approached turn 11 on fresh Goodyear tires a woodchuck ran across the track, causing Schuler to spin around in the Visine Chevrolet. 

Of course, the Visine crewmembers thought Schuler’s excuse for the spin was just a tale.

“I came on the radio and told them I almost hit a woodchuck,” Schuler said. “They thought I was making things up but it would’ve really damaged the nose of the car if I hit it so I tried to stop and spun out.”

It wasn’t until an innocent witness, who had been watching from turn 11, came forward and told the team what he had seen. In fact, Schuler dodged the backwoods creature and avoided serious damage to his Visine machine.

Under the guidance of fellow teammate Matt Kenseth, Schuler completed 130 laps of testing in May. It was his first time at the 2.45-mile track but not his first time driving at a road course. In 1998 Schuler competed at road courses in Topeka, Kan., and Los Angeles.

“Watkins Glen is definitely faster than my previous experience on road courses,” Schuler said. “There’s a lot more shifting up and down but it’s fun. We had a good test, and I’m looking forward to the race.”

Barring any wild animals on the track, qualifying for the Lysol 200 begins at 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 24. The race begins around noon ET on Sunday, June 25. ESPN television and MRN radio will broadcast the event live.

DeWALT RACING— POCONO RACE REPORT

Matt Kenseth competed at Pocono Raceway for the first time in his Winston Cup career, qualifying in 29th spot. Kenseth fell back slightly in the field at beginning of the race, battling a very tight race car. Despite making adjustments on each pit stop, the tight handling condition didn’t diminish, and Matt was forced to fight the push most of the race. Kenseth raced in the top twenty most of the event, breaking into the top ten after great pit stops by the DEWALT Team. Although Matt was running competitive lap times, Kenseth was never able to run up with the front runners. Matt finished in 14th spot and moved to 12th in the points standings.

“It was an uphill struggle all day,” stated Kenseth. “We were way too tight on our set-up and me being a rookie around here trying to learn where I’m going. A top 15, that was my goal when I came here, to finish 15th or better, and we did that, so I guess I gotta be happy with that. We were pulling for a top 10 there at the end and we got shoved up in the marbles and I got too loose on our last set of tires and couldn’t get going. We just fought a push so bad all day we just made sure we adjusted out there at the end, and we got it too loose.”

Honorary Race Day Crew Member

The honorary crew member at Pocono Raceway was John Krueger of Waterloo, NY. John owns 11 Hep Sales stores in the New York— Pennsylvania area.

NASCAR Winston Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

1. Matt Kenseth           195
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.   181
3. Stacy Compton        123
4. Dave Blaney             123
5. Scott Pruett              102

NASCAR Winston Cup Drivers Point Standings

1. Bobby Labonte        2240
2. Dale Earnhardt         2183
3. Dale Jarrett               2125
4. Ward Burton            2096
5. Jeff Burton                2019
6. Rusty Wallace          1999
7. Tony Stewart            1976
8. Ricky Rudd              1975
9. Mark Martin             1958
10. Jeff Gordon             1874 

12. Matt Kenseth           1797

14. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.    1695

DeWALT RACING— Notes of Interest

Matt tested at Pocono Raceway with fellow 2000 rookie contender Dale Earnhardt, Jr. on Thursday, June 1. This was Kenseth’s first time at Pocono.

Kenseth continues to lead in the Raybestos Rookie battle, commanding a 13-point lead over Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Wood Magazine joins the DEWALT Team as an associate sponsor the remainder of the 2000 season. Wood Magazine is the world’s largest woodworking publication serving over 555,000 active and dedicated woodworkers since 1984.

Matt Kenseth’s Thoughts on Pocono

“I tested for a day at Pocono. It’s a really weird track and kind of difficult. I think we may struggle a little more there than other places. But it’s an interesting track and has a real different shape to it and you drive it different than any other oval track I have ever been to. I am looking forward to the challenge and trying to get used to the place”

No. 17 Visine Chevrolet

NASCAR Busch Series ¨ Myrtle Beach 250 ¨ June 17, 2000
Myrtle Beach Speedway ¨ Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Team News: Jason Schuler tested his Visine Chevrolet at Myrtle Beach Speedway on June 5-6 in preparation for the Myrtle Beach 250. He will race car No. 7 in the Reiser Enterprises stable. The team originally planned to take the car that was damaged in an accident this past weekend at South Boston Speedway in Virginia.

Team News: Reiser Enterprises’ record at Myrtle Beach Speedway is impressive. From 1997-1999, Kenseth competed 100 percent of the laps and earned a third-place finish last season.

Last year’s Myrtle Beach 250, July 17, 2000: Matt Kenseth improved from his ninth-place starting position to finish third in the Myrtle Beach 250. It is his best finish in three starts at the .538-mile track. Kenseth led laps 66-100. It was his 10th top-five finish in 19 races on the 1999 Busch Series circuit.

Last Race: In only his third NASCAR Busch Series race, Jason Schuler thought he had tamed South Boston Speedway until the unruly bullring unleashed the ninth caution of the Textilease Medique 300, claiming the Visine Chevrolet. An accident on lap 173 took Schuler from a strong 12th-place run to a disheartening 38th-place finish. Schuler, who started 37th, carefully kept the Visine Chevrolet on the lead lap through the first quarter of the race. On lap 97, Schuler came in for a second pit stop and returned to the field in 26th place. Several laps later under a caution at lap 113, the lead pack of cars entered pit lane for service while the Visine Chevrolet remained on the track, enabling Schuler to crack the top 10. Schuler showed a great deal of patience in the tight racing conditions. As he exited turn two during lap 173, the Visine Chevrolet made contact with several cars, forcing Schuler to the garage.

Jason Schuler, Driver Comments: “I hope to get in a better starting position this weekend so we don’t have as far to go to get to the front of the field. We’ve got good cars but we just need to stay out of trouble and be there in the top 10 at the end of the race.”

Gary Cogswell, Crew Chief Comments: “The whole team thought Jason did an excellent job in South Boston. We utilized some pit strategy to get us up in the field and he did the rest. Unfortunately, your good race can go bad in an instant at these short tracks, but he’s been doing his job just as we expected.”

Sponsor Notes: Partners on the Visine Chevrolet for the Myrtle Beach 250 are Desitin, BenGay and Cortizone, products produced by Pfizer Consumer Health Care.

DeWALT RACING— MICHIGAN RACE REPORT

Matt Kenseth qualified for the Kmart 400 in 23rd spot, getting the DEWALT Ford Taurus into the field during the first round qualifying session.

Kenseth started the race and immediately began to experience a handling problem. Matt was extremely loose in the corners and was struggling to maintain his track position. After several adjustments during early pit stops, Kenseth was still fighting a handling condition, but was making some ground up on the track. Matt was in 15th spot on lap 148, when rain began to fall
and the red flag came out. The race was delayed for over an hour before the track was dry enough to continue. The race restarted and Matt pitted for tires. A lug nut was left off the rear tire, so Kenseth was forced to pit again and fell back to 31st at the restart. Matt managed to make it to 17th position before rain came again and the race was called with just 6 laps to go. Kenseth moved up one position in the points race and continues to lead the rookie battle.

“We just didn’t hit the right set up today,” stated Matt. “I struggled all day with the handling of the car. No matter what changes we made, it didn’t seem to remedy the problem. We’ll just take the 17th place and get ready for Pocono.”

Honorary Race Day Crew Member

The honorary crew member for the Michigan Speedway was Kevin Barpenberger of Cleveland, OH. Kevin works for Home Depot.

NASCAR Winston Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

1. Matt Kenseth           184
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.    171
3. Stacy Compton         118
4. Dave Blaney              115
5. Scott Pruett                 95

NASCAR Winston Cup Drivers Point Standings

1. Bobby Labonte          2116
2. Dale Earnhardt           2018
3. Ward Burton              2014
4. Dale Jarrett                 1955
5. Jeff Burton                  1868
6. Rusty Wallace             1855
7. Tony Stewart               1821
8. Ricky Rudd                 1810
9. Mark Martin                1798
10. Jeff Gordon               1732 

11. Matt Kenseth             1676

15. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.     1589

MATT GRABS 2ND AT DOVER

Matt Kenseth and the DEWALT Racing Team captured their third top five finish in two weeks, grabbing a second place position in the MBNA 400 at Dover Downs.

Kenseth qualified for the event in 26th spot, claiming the quickest time during Saturday’s second round qualifying session. Matt took the green flag and steadily made his way towards the front. Kenseth jumped into the top ten after a quick stop by the DEWALT team on lap 42 and remained among the front runners the entire race. Kenseth battled with Tony Stewart for the lead the final ten laps of the race, but settled for second place. Matt captured his third top five finish in four weeks and moved to within 42 points of tenth spot in the points battle.

“It was a real good run, I’m real proud of these guys. We probably didn’t have as good a car as we had here last year, but it was pretty decent. I just didn’t make the right call there at the end, I got the car too tight and couldn’t run with Tony, but it was a real good run. That’s two weeks in a row that we’ve run real strong and I’m glad we’re getting a little bit of consistency”

NASCAR Winston Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

1. Matt Kenseth          174
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  160
3. Stacy Compton       113
4. Dave Blaney            107
5. Scott Pruett               86

NASCAR Winston Cup Drivers Point Standings

1. Bobby Labonte          1946
2. Ward Burton              1864
3. Dale Earnhardt           1848
4. Dale Jarrett                 1790
5. Mark Martin               1755
6. Jeff Burton                  1733
7. Rusty Wallace             1704
8. Ricky Rudd                 1678
9. Tony Stewart               1641
10. Jeff Gordon                1606 

12. Matt Kenseth             1564

15. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.     1465

Kenseth Conquers Monster Mile to Finish Third

DOVER, Del. (June 5)— It was a monster of a day for Visine Racing driver Matt Kenseth at the one-mile concrete oval of Dover Downs International Speedway. Kenseth recovered from a spin on lap 72 to finish third in the MBNA Platinum 200 on Saturday.

“We made some contact with another car which caused our left rear tire to go flat,” Kenseth said. “We were more lucky to not hit anything. I was concerned with our pit strategy because we used two sets of tires before we had that flat so we used our last set after the spin. That long green flag run for the last half of the race helped us stay in the top five.”

Kenseth, who started 16th, made his first pit stop during lap 31. The Visine Chevrolet got four fresh tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. During the next caution period during lap 55, Kenseth returned to pit road for four new tires and a wedge adjustment. A mere 18 laps later, the left rear tire of the Visine Chevrolet went flat, sending Kenseth into a spin. The Visine
Racing Team changed four tires once again and topped off on fuel at lap 87 to go the duration of the race without stopping.

When the next caution flag was waved at lap 101, Kenseth remained on the track while the majority of the field went to pit lane for service. On the restart of lap 105, Kenseth was third. At lap 111, the Visine Chevrolet was on the point for three laps. The remainder of the race was caution free, and Kenseth remained in third place.

Kenseth competed in 12 of the first 14 NASCAR Busch Series events. He posted nine top-10 finishes, eight top-five finishes and two wins. Jason Schuler will take the seat of the Visine Chevrolet for the next eight races.

Schuler started 10th and finished 14th in his last Busch Series race at New Hampshire International Speedway on May 13.

KENSETH WINS COCA-COLA 600

Matt Kenseth and the DEWALT Racing Team captured the win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway Sunday night, Matt’s first career Winston Cup victory in just his 18th start.

Matt qualified for the 399 lap event in 21st position. Kenseth quickly moved into the top ten, claiming 9th spot on lap 153. Matt broke into the top five soon after and sat in that position until the one hour rain delay on lap 258. Matt resumed the race in eighth spot after a pit stop for fuel, but quickly moved back into the top five with 100 laps to go. Thanks to stellar pit stops the entire night, Matt hung in the top five until lap 375, when he took the lead and didn’t look back till the checkered flag dropped.

“I feel good right now,” stated Kenseth. “I’m pretty surprised, but it feels great to win our first race, especially the Coke 600. This is huge to be able to adjust from the beginning of the race to the end of the race and a lot of the changes that go on with this race track. I’m really, really surprised. This car here ran pretty good for us at Texas and I wrecked it there and we were junk last week with this car at The Winston, but Robbie and all these guys here behind me did a good job of getting this thing competitive and using their heads and thinking and trying to figure out what was wrong with it and making the changes to make it run. My heart started beating pretty hard there as soon as I took the lead there from Bobby. I was starting to think that Junior is a long way back there, I don’t think he can catch us. I just had to try real hard to hold off Bobby. We started out a little quicker, which was a surprise because that was just opposite of what we were all night, but I never really thought we had it in the bag there until we got two to go.”

Honorary Race Day Crew Member

Anthony Leister was DEWALT’s Honorary Crew Member at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Anthony is the outside sales representative for Hugh’s Supply in Spartanburg, SC.

NASCAR Winston Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

1. Matt Kenseth          154
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  149
3. Stacy Compton       105
4. Dave Blaney             98
5. Scott Pruett              80

NASCAR Winston Cup Drivers Point Standings

1. Bobby Labonte       1776
2. Ward Burton           1722
3. Mark Martin           1695
4. Dale Earnhardt        1693
5. Jeff Burton              1672
6. Dale Jarrett             1630
7. Rusty Wallace         1578
8. Jeff Gordon             1539
9. Ricky Rudd             1523
10. Tony Stewart         1456

13. Matt Kenseth         1394

16. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 1326

MATT KENSETH’S RICHMOND BUSCH RECORD

Date       Start Finish Laps      $ Won    Status
9/5/97     32       22   248/250  6,800      Running
6/5/98     14         3   250/250  24,965    Running
9/11/98    23        4   250/250  21,525    Running
5/14/99    18        3   250/250  28,865    Running
9/10/99    30       20  249/250  16,950    Running

Notes of Interest

Matt Kenseth captured his career best Winston Cup finish at California last Sunday, grabbing 3rd place. His previous best finish was a 4th at Dover Downs in September of 1999.

Kenseth and the DEWALT Race Team did not test at Richmond prior to the Pontiac Excitement 400.

Matt will be running a brand new #17 DEWALT Ford Taurus at RIR this weekend.

Kenseth has been the top finishing rookie in six of the first ten races of the WC season. Matt currently leads the 2000 Raybestos Rookie of the Year battle.

Matt Kenseth’s Thoughts on Richmond

“We’ve ran pretty good at Richmond in the Busch Series car, grabbing a few top five’s. I’ve never won there, but we’ve always run well. It’s a fun race track to drive on because you can race side by side. Even though it’s a short track, there is still room to pass. Short tracks aren’t my favorite race tracks, but I’ve always enjoyed competing at RIR.”

Kenseth grabs 3rd at California Speedway
Career best finish

Matt Kenseth and the DEWALT Racing team dominated at California Speedway, with Matt leading the most laps and grabbing his career best finish in the Winston Cup Series.

Kenseth was strong from the get go, moving from his starting position of 23rd into the top ten in just 30 laps. With the help of some great pit stops by the DEWALT crew, Matt took over the lead on lap 87. Kenseth led until the next round of stops cycling back to 5th, but reclaimed the top spot on lap 110.

Kenseth dominated the next 50 laps, falling back only slightly under green flag pit stops. Once the field cycled through their stops, Matt was again out front, leading the race with a considerable lead over second place when caution flew on the speedway on lap 220. Kenseth ducted into he pits for four tires and fell back to 6th with positions one through five getting only 2 tires. This proved to be the decisive moment, with Kenseth never able to get back to the front spot after leading four times with a total of 119 laps. Matt finished in 3rd position, a career best Winston Cup finish and moved up to 16th in the point standings.

“We didn’t really need the caution. We had an excellent race car, but I was really struggling to come from the back. When we saw that caution, I just wanted to get four (tires) because we had such a good car and I didn’t think as many people would have gotten two as they did and I thought they would have fell back faster than they did. Hindsight is 20-20. I probably should have got two tires and kept the lead and I don’t think they could have gotten around us. It’s neat to dominate all day, but it doesn’t do any
good if you’re not in victory lane. I thought we were gonna win today with those long green flags, we led so long. If it wasn’t for the caution, we were gonna win the race. I’m real proud of this team, but I sure wish we would have won it. The team came a long ways and I’m real proud of them guys. They were a front-running team today.”

Honorary Race Day Crew Member

Rik Gagnon of Costa Mesa, CA was DEWALT’s Honorary Crew Member at the California Speedway, representing White Cap.

NASCAR Winston Cup Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings

1. Matt Kenseth            113
2. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.     102
3. Stacy Compton           81
4. Dave Blaney               76
5. Scott Pruett                60

DeWALT Racing Notes - Talladega Race Report

Matt Kenseth and the #17 DEWALT Ford Taurus took their first provisional starting position of the year at Talladega, beginning the race in 42nd spot. Despite the race car not being the fastest by itself, it proved to be very 
quick in the draft.

The green flag waved and Matt was heading to the front. Kenseth was as high as 16th position on lap 32, but was battling an overheating problem. Matt pitted on lap 62, and lead a few laps prior to diving into the pits for a routine stop. Four tires were put on the car as well as fuel and tape was removed from the nose to cool the motor. Kenseth went back out on the track but was behind the lead draft pack by half a straightway. Matt went one lap down to the leader on lap 114.

The second and final pit stop of the day for the #17 car was made on lap 125. Kenseth continued to cruise in the top 25 the remainder of the race, avoiding the big wreck on lap 137. Matt grabbed several more positions before the checkered flag waved, finishing in 18th spot. Kenseth was the top finishing rookie for the second race in a row, and has claimed that title at both superspeedways in 2000.

“I thought the race was pretty good,” stated Kenseth. “Even though we didn’t have a very fast car by itself, it was fast enough to be competitive in the draft. I had to back up at the end of the pack there before our first pit stop because we were having a heating problem again. We got in and out of the pits too slow and lost a lap, but other than that, we had a car that 
could stay with the lead draft.”

Honorary Race Day Crew Member

Bobby Jones of Warner Robins, GA was DEWALT’s Honorary Crew Member at the TalladegaSuperSpeedway, representing Warner Robins Supply.