August 31, 2003
Labored Day; Kenseth 14th in Final Darlington Classic

DARLINGTON, SC (August 31, 2003) - For only the sixth time in the last 25 races, Matt Kenseth finished out of the top-10, capturing 14th place in the 53rd and final Southern 500 to be run on Labor Day Weekend at Darlington Raceway. However, Kenseth did gain even more ground on his closest pursuers in the championship hunt, as both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon had troubles of their own.

Rolling off the starting grid from the sixth position, the No. 17 Smirnoff Ice Triple Black Ford quickly dropped into fifth on the first lap. The first of 10 caution periods would occur as early as lap six as several cars were involved in a melee touched off while entering turn three at the tricky 1.33 mile track. Once pit lane was open, Kenseth and all of the leaders ducked in for four tires, which the crew completed in 14.23 seconds. A few cars stayed out on the track and Kenseth restarted the event from the eighth position. Though he reported that the car was too loose on the exits of the corners, he was making some serious progress on the racetrack.

Kenseth bulled his way into the top-five on lap 24 and finally took the point on lap 66. Just five laps later, the second caution flag waved for debris. Because the track surface at Darlington is so rough, team routinely will change all four tires on every single stop. The No. 17 Smirnoff Ice Triple Black team had 21 sets ready to go in the pits. After changing four tires in 13.68 seconds, the team showed why they are two-time world pit crew champions, as they got Kenseth off pit road first once again.

By lap 90, Kenseth continued to lead and made it look easy as he was followed by teammate Jeff Burton, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon. When the caution flew once again on lap 98, Kenseth asked for no changes on the car. After pitting, Kenseth was beat off of pit road by Jeff Burton and he restarted in second on lap 103. One lap later, however, Kenseth dove low on Burton heading into turn three and quickly reclaimed his lead. However, the duel between the teammates lead to trouble for the No. 17 Smirnoff Ice Triple Black Ford four laps later as Kenseth went high in turn one-too high as it turned out. Kenseth bounced the car off the wall twice before regaining control. “I got into it pretty good,” he radioed to the crew. All eyes were on the car as it came back around the track. “No tires rubbing,” reported spotter Mike Calinoff. The car was still up to speed with no major suspension damage either.

Kenseth began to fall back in the field as the laps ticked by. However, a saving grace caution arrived on lap 146 for debris on the backstretch. Two laps later, Kenseth was finally able to bring the car down pit road for a close look at the damage to the right side of the car. Front tire carrier Chris Brook pulled the fender back out and Kenseth was on his way after a four tire change. Kenseth restarted in 11th on lap 153 of the event. Thirteen laps later, a major accident occurred heading into turn three taking out championship contender Jeff Gordon. Kenseth used the opportunity to once again pit for tires and fender damage control.

By the halfway point of the race, Kenseth was continuing to report that the car was too loose on exit. “I’m just burning the right rear off the car,” he said in frustration. Unable to pass any cars, he was sitting tight in the top-10. After a caution flag pit stop on lap 227, the team tried an adjustment to the track bar as well as air pressure in the tires. It didn’t help. Under the next caution period, Kenseth reported, “I can’t stand on the gas like I need to.” Under caution on lap 240, the team reversed the changes and sent Kenseth back out onto the track in 16th for a restart on lap 247.

With the sunny skies giving way to increasing cloudiness, the No. 17 Smirnoff Ice Triple Black Ford seemed to stall out in competition. “I just can’t make up any ground out here,” Kenseth reported under caution on lap 273. With the laps winding down, crew chief Robbie Reiser continued to throw changes at the car, hoping to make it come alive again as it had at the beginning of the event. Again and again, Kenseth reported that the car just wouldn’t tighten up for him. “I don’t even know what to tell you,” Kenseth said with exasperation on lap 309.

On his second to last pit stop of the day on lap 311, Kenseth barely overshot his pits and had to back the car up, damaging the clutch. “It’s just been one of those days,” said Reiser, trying to comfort Kenseth for the final charge to the finish. Kenseth restarted the event in 17th place on lap 315 of the 367-lap event. Kenseth worked his way back to 13th place in just 15 laps and the team looked like it was about to pull off another improbable top-10 finish, but the loose condition of the car refused to cooperate. On the team’s final pit stop on lap 334, the team pulled a rubber out of the right rear spring in hopes of tightening the car for the final run. Unfortunately, it didn’t help and the team lost two positions en route to the finish.

Afterward, Kenseth shouldered the blame for damaging a front-running race car.

“We had a great car today and I hit the wall early. I think I bent the truck arm bracket and it was never right from that point on. I just made a mistake that I usually don’t make today. That was really stupid. I get so much crap (laughing). People think I’m riding around all the time. I was trying to lead the most laps and it was dumb. I should have let (Jeff) Burton go and race the race track like you’re supposed to do here and wait until the end, but I just drove it too hard and I got in the wall. It could have been worse, but we had a shot to win so it kind of hurts.”

But, when the point sheet was tallied at the end of the day, it showed just how charmed the Roush Racing team of Matt Kenseth really is. Even on bad days this year, they’ve somehow continued to increase their 2003 point lead over and over again. Sunday was no different as Kenseth made up yet another 38 points over second place Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the run for the championship title. Kenseth now leads the series by 389 points with 11 races to go.

When it isn’t quite your day … well, sometimes it is anyway.

August 28, 2003
Some valid points about the Points

CONCORD, NC (August 26, 2003) — Matt Kenseth has been leading the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup points race since the fourth week of the season. Through 24 races, he has amassed 3,592 points and currently holds a 351-point advantage over second place Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It’s been recently suggested by detractors of the current points system that this year is a runaway rout by the No. 17 DEWALT Tools team. However, mathematics may prove otherwise when compared to the past four NASCAR Winston Cup Champions.

Taking the amount of points each champion received by the end of the year and dividing by the total number of races, you get an average of points gained on a per race basis. Keeping in mind that the maximum total of points that can be accrued in a single event is 180, for not only winning the race, but also leading a lap (presumably at least the last one). Another scenario that will also give you the maximum 180 points per event is to finish in second place but lead the most laps for an additional five bonus points.

Examining this example, in 1999 Dale Jarrett finished the year as the Winston Cup Champion with 5,262 total points. Divide this by the 36 points-paying races and you get an average of 146 points per race.

In 2000, Bobby Labonte used a consistency strategy to score 5,130 points in 36 races. The average? 142 points per race.

In 2001, Jeff Gordon captured his fourth Winston Cup Championship with a grand total of 5,112 points in 36 events. This also comes to an average of 142 points per race.

Last year, Tony Stewart pulled off the championship with the worst average points finish per race in the last five years. He scored 4,800 points, which divided by 36 events gives you an average of 133 points per race.

How does 2003 current point leader Matt Kenseth stack up to these numbers through 24 races so far this year? He has currently scored 3,592 total points (633 more than last year at this time). Using the division, Kenseth comes in with an average points-per-race score of … 149 — higher than any other previous champion, but certainly no runaway average.

August 18, 2003
Matt’s Mad Dash:
Kenseth Nets Top-Five Finish at Bristol Motor Speedway

BRISTOL, TN (August 23, 2003) — Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Racing team finished fourth in the running of the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. The finish marked Kenseth’s 10th top-five finish and his 19th top-10 finish in 24 starts in 2003. The evening turned out to be a great points night for the 17 team, as well, as Kenseth bested both of his closest championship pursuers once again.

Yet, perhaps what stood out the most during the wild night race was Kenseth’s charge to the front after his final pit stop on lap 445 of the 500-lap event. Following the restart with less than 50 laps to go, Matt Kenseth stormed to the front, going from 18th place to 4th place in just 36 laps. Kenseth felt afterwards that had he pitted for the fresh tires on the stop just previous to the final caution flag, he might have had a chance to compete for the win.

“I probably should have stopped one stop earlier and we might have had a chance at the win, but it really came through on new tires. I’m proud of my DEWALT guys.”

Rolling off the starting grid in 10th place, Kenseth did a masterful job during the first 100 laps of the event, never falling out of the top-10 running order. By lap 46, he radioed to crew chief Robbie Reiser that the car was loose into the corners and loose off. After a track bar adjustment during a lap 65 pit stop, Kenseth reported that the car was much better gaining traction on the exits-a vital component of a great Bristol setup.

It was a typical Bristol night race-a night in which the number of cautions would tie the all-time record of 20-and would affect 31 of the 43 drivers before the night was over. It was almost Kenseth’s turn on lap 159, as teammate Kurt Busch and rookie Casey Mears got together just behind Matt going into turn one. Sliding forward, they flattened Kenseth’s left rear tire down to the rim. Fortunately, the caution flew and Kenseth did not lose any track position.

As the laps wore on in the event, Kenseth continued to complain that the car was too loose. Reiser kept the air pressure and wedge adjustments on par, but a dropped lug nut on the lap 224 pit stop cost the team track position and Kenseth was forced to restart all the way back in 19th position.

With the car still loose on the ensuing run, Kenseth voted to come down pit road again during a caution on lap 256. “I’d rather fix the car now and get it right than ride back here,” he stated. “I’m not going to go forward with it like this,” he added. After restarting 15th on lap 261, Kenseth charged up through the field. “It’s got great forward bite now,” he radioed to Reiser on lap 275. He re-entered the top-10 running order under caution on lap 301 of the 500-lap event and took over seventh place following another caution just five laps later. “This car is about right,” he reported on lap 326, while running sixth.

Over the next 100 laps, Kenseth bided his time and ran in the top-10. But, an incident involving Kenseth and Jeff Gordon on lap 443 left Kenseth in quite an apologetic state. Trying to pass the 49 car of Ken Schrader, Gordon tapped him from behind, checked up-then Kenseth ran into the back of the 24 car. Kenseth was on the radio immediately telling his spotter Mike Calinoff to relay his remorse to the 24 crew. After the race, Kenseth stated that the incident left him with a tainted feeling about the night.

“I pulled down to actually get out of his way because he was on new tires and he got by me and then there was car coming on the outside. He was on the gas and he was