BRISTOL, Tenn. (March 24, 2002) — Matt Kenseth and the DEWALT Power Tools team survived the typical beating and banging of Bristol to finish sixth in the Food City 500 on Sunday.

Kenseth started the race from the sixth position, marking the DEWALT team’s best qualifying effort since March of 2000. During practice sessions throughout the weekend, Kenseth was near the top of the speed charts. The car was handling well, and the entire team was positive they would be contenders — given they could keep the fenders on the car.

In the team meeting on Sunday morning, crew chief Robbie Reiser demonstrated his usual leadership as he told the team to focus on one race at a time. He told them to keep their heads in the game, and to be prepared for a long race. Reiser asked them to keep their emotions in check in the event of a wreck, since Bristol was known to bring out tempers. Finally, he told them they would have the car to beat, if it all came together for them, and they made no mistakes.

Throughout the race, Kenseth had a decent car. He said it was tight in the center and loose off, so the team made track bar and air pressure adjustments to fix it.  At one point Kenseth thought they had transmission problems, but as it turned out, the problem was not something they were unable to deal with. Kenseth lost second gear, and was just a little slower getting through the gearbox on restarts.

It was frustrating for the team who is practically unbeatable in the pits, that they could not catch a break in Bristol. Kenseth’s stall was located in pit number six, between the No. 25 car of Jerry Nadeau and the No. 4 car of Mike Skinner. Both Nadeau and Skinner were competitive and were on the lead lap. Space on pit road was tight. Each time Kenseth pitted, he had to angle the car in, and the team had to push him in reverse to back out of the stall. They lost precious time and track position in the pit area each time.

Kenseth had many close calls during the 500 lap event, but he was able to drive around cars spinning in front of him due to his amazing driving skills and with the help of spotter Mike Calinoff high above turn one.

A sixth place finish at Bristol demonstrated the consistency of the No. 17 team, as they have now moved into second place in the point standings.

“A sixth place at Bristol is awesome,” said Kenseth. “I am really pleased with that, because we qualified and raced consistently. There was a lot of wrecking out there today, and some of the leaders were not shy about turning people. We played it safe, and if someone had a better car, since it was such a long race, instead of letting them turn me or something, we let them go by, and just got it back later.”

Robbie Reiser was very pleased with the finish as well. “What a great day for Roush Racing. Kurt Busch won and we finished sixth. This was a great effort on the part of the No. 17 team. We kept the fenders on the car, and brought home another top-10. These guys take it one race at a time, and, well, it’s just really encouraging to see us running as well as we are.”

The DEWALT Team will take the weekend off for Easter, and prepare for Texas Motor Speedway.

Food City 500 • March 24, 2002
Bristol Motor Speedway • Bristol, Tenn.

Matt Kenseth’s Performance Summary at Bristol Motor Speedway

Date	Start	Finish	Laps	Money	Status
3/26/00	22	12	500/500	$42,165	Running
8/26/00	22	39	376/500	$35,575	Overheating
3/25/01	24	14	500/500	$57,340	Running
08/25/01	38	33	394/500	$51,295	Accident

Matt Kenseth’s thoughts on racing at Bristol

“I am glad NASCAR made the rule changes for pit road. Even though last spring’s race was won from a provisional starting position and a backstretch pit, it will make things even under caution and now there wont be a big disadvantage for pitting on the back stretch.”

“It will be just like Martinsville — without the wall in turns 3 and 4. These new rules shouldn’t change the strategy much except you might see guys not making as many two tire stops as often as in races past if they are pitted on the backstretch.”

“Even though pit road will be more even, we try to qualify the best we can every week.”

“I really do like racing at Bristol — it’s a lot of fun — especially when your car handles good. I will tell you when it is not too fun, when your car is handling bad, or you get a lap down early — it makes for a really long race.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser’s thoughts on racing at Bristol:

“This time we are taking car 10 to Bristol. The key for us this weekend will be to stay out of wrecks, and bring the car home in one piece. I’m happy to be third in points but we all know that can go away real quick in this series. We are staying focused on one race at a time.”

Spotter Mike Calinoff’s views from above Bristol:

“I might be one of the few spotters who really enjoys working Bristol. The fast pace and the wrecks that can develop in a split-second — it really keeps you on your toes. This year they’ve moved the spotters stand to the front stretch from turn three and that is really going to make a difference.”

Notes of Interest:

Kenseth in third…
Matt Kenseth is third in the Winston Cup point standings. He is currently 143 points behind leader Sterling Marlin.

Top Lap Leaders

1	Tony Stewart	226
2	Sterling Marlin	207
3	Matt Kenseth	202

Top Mile Leaders

1	Sterling Marlin	363.96
2	Tony Stewart	343.78
3	Jeff Gordon	287.92
4	Matt Kenseth	235.42

Kenseth has led in three of the five races so far this season.

DEWALT prepares to FRAME IT UP…

DEWALT Power Tools is introducing a promotion that will leverage their field marketing’s presence on job sites and heighten the focus on its new lineup of framing products. For the next month (ending April 30, 2002) the DEWALT Field marketing (Swarm teams) will be focused on the Framing Contractor, and the FRAME IT UP promotion will be in full swing.

For the first time in its history, DEWALT is able to offer every tool the Framing Contractor uses and needs. From framing nailers to compressors, and generators to circular saws, saw blades to tool belts, DEWALT’s new lineup is Guaranteed Tough and eager to tackle even the hardest applications.

The Frame It Up promotion encourages the framing contractor to purchase his tools and accessories at the outset of the Framing season. The program allows those who purchase $500+ in select framing products to receive free merchandise. The more you purchase the more your redemption becomes.

Prizes are as follows:

• $500–$999 receive a free DW106K corded drill
• $1,000–$1,999 receive a DW911 Jobsite Radio
• $2,000–$2,999 receive a DW987K-2 Cordless 18 Volt Drill
• $3,000–$3,999 receive a DW987KS-2 Cordless 18 Volt Drill/Saw Combo Kit
• $4,000 and up receive a DW4Kit-2 Cordless 18 Volt 4 pack kit

The concept is simple, reward folks for their loyalty to DEWALT Power Tools. No matter where they make their purchase. So be on the lookout for the DEWALT field marketing team in your area because FRAME IT UP is coming to a job site near you.

2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results

POINTS: 682
MONEY WON: $556,002
LAPS LED: 202
LAPS COMPLETED: 1,424/1,498 = 95%

DARLINGTON, SC (March 17, 2002) — It was a roll of the dice by the No. 17 DEWALT Power Tools team in the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. With a disappointing qualifying run and practice runs that were not up to expectations, Matt Kenseth and crew chief Robbie Reiser made spring and shock changes prior to the race in order to better their chances for success.

During the pace laps, Kenseth radioed the team and said, “I don’t know what we have here today, boys, but we will see soon enough. Let’s keep our heads in this thing, and see what we can get.”

Kenseth started the race in the 34th position. By lap 13 he was running lap times as fast as the leader while riding in the 30th position.  The first caution flag flew on lap 38 when the leader at the time, Steve Park, tangled with a lapped car, and second place runner, Ricky Craven.

Kenseth came into the pits with a loose condition and running 28th. The team changed four tires, made an air pressure adjustment, and sent Kenseth out in the 19th position.

He then moved his way even further through the field until the next caution flag flew. Kenseth came into the pits on lap 92 in the 16th position and went back out into the field 12th. The car was better on long runs, so the air pressure adjustments gave the car more grip as Kenseth tore his way into the top-10.

At the halfway point of the race, on lap 147, Kenseth was running 9th.

The No. 17 car began to give Kenseth a hard time as he was loose and tight on different parts of the track. Green flag pit stops started on lap 194 and Kenseth came in on lap 196. Unfortunately, the No. 97 car of Kurt Busch spun out trying to peel off the track onto pit road. Two other cars ran into each other trying to avoid the spinning car of Busch, bringing out a caution flag. Kenseth and the team, as well as many others, would have to restart the race on the tail end of the lead lap.

A twelve-car pile-up occurred on lap 226 again involving the leaders and lapped traffic. Fortunately, Kenseth was not involved, and ended up in the sixth position when the race restarted on lap 210.

Kenseth then held on for the finish, taking the checkered flag in the eighth position.

“That was a great run for this team,” said crew chief Robbie Reiser. “We had no idea what kind of day we were in for and this team worked hard at getting a top-10 out of it. Matt drove a great race.”

“We actually ran pretty bad,” said Kenseth in a post race interview. “The DEWALT car didn’t handle as good as we hoped it would, but through attrition and great pit stops we eighth out of it. We missed the setup today pretty bad.

“You always hate to see wrecks, but everybody that was probably on the lead lap that got in that wreck would have probably beaten us. Most of those guys were running ahead of us at the time of the wreck, so you never know. You never know what’s gonna happen in one of these things until they’re over, but I’m real happy to get out of here eighth. Maybe this time we have some luck on our side. We thought it was bad luck by coming into the pits and losing our lap, but after the wreck happened it was probably good luck we pitted that time. I felt like we had a top-15 car and we came home eighth, so that was great.”

Sterling Marlin won the race, followed by Elliott Sadler, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and rookie Ryan Newman.

Kenseth and the DEWALT team roll into Bristol sitting third in the championship point standings, 143 points behind leader Sterling Marlin.

Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 • March 17, 2002
Darlington Raceway • Darlington, SC

Matt Kenseth’s Performance Summary at Darlington Raceway

Date	Start	Finish	Laps	Money	Status
09/05/99	31	37	145/270	$25,531	Accident
03/19/00	16	6	293/293	$47,575	Running
09/03/00	24	33	286/328	$41,675	Running
03/18/01	30	17	292/293	$43,640	Running
09/02/01	28	23	365/367	$50,025	Accident

Matt Kenseth’s thoughts on racing at Darlington:

“Darlington has always been a great track for me. It is similar to Rockingham and we are bringing the same car we won with a couple of weeks ago, with only one minor change — I had them raise the roof a quarter of an inch!

“Last year we were racing in the top ten when we got caught up in the melee with two to go. I remember that race ended under caution and we finished 23rd.  We had such a good run there. I’ve had success at Darlington in the Busch series so I think it will be a good weekend.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser’s thoughts on racing at Darlington:

“This DEWALT Team is really on a roll. We have been there each week, and have made great strides since last year. We’ve been working non stop at the shop and will continue to improve. Darlington is usually a hard track on drivers, but Matt seems to like it and does well there. We are taking the winning car back from Rockingham, and should have a good run. We like being contenders every week. Championships are built on consistent performances, but right now we are focused on one race at a time.”

Spotter Mike Calinoff’s views from above Darlington:

“Darlington is a relatively easy place to spot. The view is perfect and wrecks collect cars fast — so I’ll really have to be on my game. We’ve got a ton of momentum going into Darlington, and we are going to try and capitalize on that.”

Notes of Interest:

Roush Racing continues romp in point standings…
All four of the Roush Racing stable of drivers are still in the top-10. Mark Martin is fourth, Kenseth is sixth, Kurt Busch is seventh, and Jeff Burton is ninth.

Top 10 Lap Leaders:

1.	Tony Stewart	219
2.	Matt Kenseth	202
3.	Sterling Marlin	150

Kenseth has led in three of the four races so far this season.

Top 10 Miles Leaders:

1.	Tony Stewart	334.22
2.	Sterling Marlin	286.10
3.	Matt Kenseth	235.42

HAMPTON, Ga. (March 10, 2002) — It was a weekend of highs and lows for the No. 17 DEWALT Power Tools team, as they battled their way through the field to a fourth place finish in the MBNA America 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Driver Matt Kenseth was on the top of his game as he blistered the field in practice throughout the weekend. Mechanical problems during Kenseth’s qualifying lap would relegate him to start 42nd in the field, because the DEWALT Team had to change motors on the No. 17 car.

“During our qualifying lap I began to lose power,” said Kenseth. “I had to shut the car down halfway through that second lap. I’m disappointed because we had a great car capable of a top-10 qualifying run and now we are going to have to start from the back.”

Before the green flag flew on Sunday, Kenseth made his way to the back of the pack. He started 42nd and by lap 43 he had passed the 20th place car for position.

The first round of green flag pit stops came on lap 58 where Kenseth came in for four tires and a minor air pressure adjustment because he was a little loose when he was on the gas in the corners. The DEWALT team belted out an impressive 14.6 second stop, sending Kenseth out 12th in the field.

By lap 65 of the 325-lap event, Kenseth was 10th. While running ninth, Kenseth came into the pits again for tires and another minor air pressure adjustment on lap 78 under a caution. A 14.06 second pit stop by the DEWALT crew sent him out onto the track in the seventh position.

Heavy winds were a factor all day as the event unfolded under clear, but chilly skies in Hampton, Ga. Kenseth told crew chief Robbie Reiser the car was loose when the wind hit it, but otherwise it was one of the best cars he ever had.

By the time the halfway mark of the race passed, Kenseth was running fifth. On lap 210, Kenseth came into the pits second for tires, and the 13.77 second service job by the DEWALT guys sent him out in the lead. Kenseth then remained in the top five until a pit stop on lap 259. A 14.4 second stop sent him out with the lead again, and ready to sprint to the finish.

Another caution flag flew and Kenseth came into the pits on lap 283 for tires and fuel. He came into the pits second. The front tire hit the air hose and flew out of the No. 17 pit box during the stop. Time was lost as the team had to retrieve the tire, sending Kenseth out 16th in line.

He impressively worked his way from 16th to fourth in the closing laps of the race to the finish. Kenseth scored his second top-five of the 2002 season, and was part of the record setting 34 lead changes during the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He climbed from tenth to sixth in the point standings and has now led laps in each event with the exception of Las Vegas in 2002.

“That was a great run,” said Kenseth in a post race interview. “I am a little disappointed because at the end we lost a tire on our pit stop. We came from last place and came up and ran with the leaders all day, so I can’t ask for more than that.

“We were in contention for a win if the race would have unfolded into our hands, so that gives me a lot of confidence. This is one of the greatest race tracks we go to, and one of my personal favorites. It is real fast, but you can run on the bottom or you can run right up against the wall. I think it makes for a good race. The driver can do a little extra here. If your car is not handling right on the bottom, you can move to the top or vice versa.

“One thing I’ve learned with this kind of racing is you never count your chickens until they hatch. I knew we were in a good position and I knew we had a fast car, but I wasn’t as good as Tony Stewart and a couple of those other guys. If everything would have fallen our way we could have had a shot to win this thing, but I’m real happy running fourth.”

Atlanta 500 • March 10, 2002
Atlanta Motor Speedway • Hampton, Ga.

Matt Kenseth’s Performance Summary at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Date	Start	Finish	Laps	Money	Status
03/12/00	4	40	199/325	$32,700	Engine
11/10/00	23	9	324/325	$54,750	Running
03/11/01	38	37	273/325	$42,080	Engine
11/18/01	23	17	325/325	$63,275	Running

Matt Kenseth’s thoughts on racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway:

“I really like Atlanta. It’s the fastest track on the circuit that we don’t have restrictor plates on. The DEWALT team has had some good runs there, and some bad luck as well. We’ve led in a few of the races so we should be a contender on Sunday.”

“Atlanta is fast — I really like it because of the high banking.  You can get some major speed off the corners onto the straights.

“I think if we are going to see teams struggling with the one engine rule, we will see it in Atlanta.  Again, I don’t see the Roush teams having problems, I see us being competitive.

“We are working on better qualifying, and Atlanta is the site of my best qualifying effort ever. I’ve also taken provisionals there too. I’d like to win a pole this year and stay away from taking provisionals, maybe it will be this weekend.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser’s thoughts on racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway:

“We are taking car No. 6 to Atlanta. It’s the car we had there last year and the one we went to victory lane with in at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. There is no doubt we have the team this year to contend for a championship. We need to race one race at a time, because championships are based on consistency, and won over time.”

Spotter Mike Calinoff’s views from above Atlanta Motor Speedway:

“We’ve had some really strong runs in Atlanta so we’re going with a lot of confidence. It’s one of my favorite places to spot because it’s so fast and you really have to be on your toes.”

Notes of Interest:

Happy Birthday Matt…
Matt Kenseth will turn 30 as he makes his 80th Winston Cup start this Sunday.

Roush Racing powerful start…
All four of the Roush Racing stable of drivers are currently placed in the top-10 in championship point standings. Mark Martin is third, Jeff Burton is fourth, Kurt Busch is eighth and Kenseth is tenth with one win.

Home Depot Autograph session…
Matt Kenseth will sign autographs on Friday, March 8th at the Home Depot in Cumberland from 8-9pm. The store is located at I-285 and Paces (exit 18).

LAS VEGAS, NV (March 3, 2002) — Matt Kenseth started the UAW/GM Daimler Chrysler 400 vying for a win and the No Bull 5 Winston Million. With a car capable of providing the DEWALT Team with back to back victories, they fought to hold on for a 14th place finish.

The eighth place start was the team’s best qualifying effort since March of 2000. During practice sessions throughout the weekend, the No. 17 car was one of the fastest in the 43-car starting grid.

Shortly after the green flag dropped for the 267-lap event, the field started to spread out single file, and Kenseth began losing ground to the leader. He reported to crew chief Robbie Reiser that the car was extremely loose. In fact, it was so loose, Kenseth could barely keep it from spinning out when competitors came within a certain distance of his rear bumper.

The team made air pressure, sway bar, track bar and wedge adjustments in order to rectify the situation. Kenseth was on the defensive all day as he tried to hang on and keep the car on the track.

On lap 154, Kenseth spun onto the frontstretch grass bringing out a caution flag. The only casualty to the No. 17 car was four flat spotted tires. The team made more adjustments during the pit stop and sent Kenseth back out on the track.

During the closing laps of the race, Kenseth began working his way back up into contention. He managed to salvage a 14th place finish.

“We really worked for that one,” said Kenseth. “We could only do so much with that car, because it was so loose. I was holding on for much of the race, and we made some big adjustments. It was a great qualifying effort for this team, and we are going to work on these cars some more. Maybe we will bring a different kind of car, with more downforce, to a track like this next time.”

Kenseth is now 10th in the point standings heading to Atlanta.