Darlington, SC — Darlington Raceway is known for being a track too tough to tame. Unfortunately for the DEWALT Racing Team and driver Matt Kenseth, the track lived up to its reputation.

The race weekend was plagued with rain, forcing qualifying for the Mountain Dew Southern 500 to be gridded by point standings, putting the #17 DEWALT Ford in 9th spot.

Despite a few showers Saturday morning, the Winston Cup cars were able to take to the track for practice laps. Matt Kenseth grabbed the 2nd fastest lap in the first practice session and was in the top ten again in the second session. The team was confident they would have a good run in the 500-mile race on Sunday.

Rain again played havoc with the schedule on raceday. The start of the race was delayed for just under 2 hours, with the green flag waving at 2:45 PM.

Kenseth moved up to 7th position in the early laps, before settling into 11th spot, fighting a tight handling race car. After several stops to loosen up the car, Matt was running in 15th position and thinking the team might have gone too far in correcting the tight condition, as now the car was getting pretty loose. Matt slid back to 18th spot before caution flew on the raceway on lap 153 and Kenseth came back into the pits for adjustments. The handling of the car seemed to improve and Matt began making up some ground on the track. By lap 225, Kenseth was running in 12th spot with a very strong race car.

On lap 233, Kenseth got loose coming off Turn 4 and hit the outside wall, causing severe damage to the right front of the car. Matt immediately took the DEWALT Ford behind the wall for repairs. The #17 crew changed the entire front-end assembly in just 30 laps and sent Kenseth back out onto the raceway in 38th position. Kenseth was unable to gain one position, passing Mike Skinner, before the checkered flag dropped.

“I was just trying to go fast and just lost control coming off of Turn 4,” stated Kenseth. “The car was very loose most of the race and I guess I was just trying a little too hard. The guys did a great job, repairing the car so quickly. I’ve had some good runs at Darlington, unfortunately today wasn’t one of them.”

Kenseth finished in 37th spot and moved back one position in the point’s standings to 10th, 394 points behind leader Sterling Marlin. The next stop on the Winston Cup circuit is Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, Sept. 7, under the lights at 7:30 PM (EST).

Southern 500 • September 1, 2002
Darlington Raceway • Darlington, S.C.

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
03/17/02	34	8	293/293	$70,364	Running

Darlington Raceway Totals
Starts	6
Wins	0
Top 5:	0
Top 10:	2
Top 15:	2
Money won:	$162,064
Laps Completed	1,674/1,844 = 91%

Matt Kenseth’s thoughts on racing at Darlington:

“We tested a few weeks ago at Darlington because the past few times we’ve run there it hasn’t been our best effort. We wanted to make sure we could be as competitive as we could be. I love Darlington, it’s a great track, but you either love it or hate it. The groove is so narrow that you literally run right up against the wall. The pavement is really worn out, so the tires drop off fast. You start off fast then you are a second or two seconds slower by the end of the run. Because we run so close to the wall is why many cars get the famous ‘Darlington Stripe’ on the side. We’ve had a few of those so what we are interested in now is a win or top-5.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser’s thoughts on Darlington:

“We are taking car 14 to Darlington. This was the car we won with in Rockingham, and finished eighth with at Darlington this spring.”

Spotter Mike Calinoff’s thoughts on Darlington:

“Darlington is a welcomed change coming from Bristol. The sweeping turns give both the driver and the spotter a better chance to react.”

NOTES OF INTEREST:

APPEARANCE… Matt Kenseth will make an appearance at DEWALT’s Rolling Thunder display at Richmond next week. Check the souvenir rig for times.

BLOOMIN’ FAVORITE… Matt Kenseth still leads the series in the Outback Steakhouse Bloomin’ Favorite Driver of the race award. The payoff is $75,000 at the end of the season.

LAP LEADERS... Kenseth has led at least one lap in 12 of the 24 races run this season.

2002 TOTALS
POINTS	2,959 / 9th
MONEY WON	$2,770,552
LAPS COMPLETED	6,480/6,832 = 94%
STARTS	24
POLES	1 Dover
WINS	3  Rockingham, 2/24 Texas, 4/07 Michigan, 6/16
TOP FIVE	8
TOP TEN	12

BRISTOL, Tenn. (August 25, 2002) — “I had high hopes,” said Matt Kenseth after overcoming extensive heat and car radio problems to finish fifth in the Sharpie 500. Kenseth and the DEWALT team scored their 12th top-10 finish of the season and their second top-10 finish of the year at Bristol.

Kenseth and his DEWALT Power Tools team had high hopes going into the most exciting race of the year. With a tenth place qualifying effort and a reliable car, they thought the chances of another top-10 were pretty good.

The 500-lap event has always been known to bring out the best and worst in drivers. With over 180,000 onlookers in the stands, temperatures in the cars as well as tempers of the drivers are known to flare up at some point during the race. Saturday night was no exception, and in typical Bristol fashion Kenseth clawed his way to the front of the pack.

Cautions came early and often. Luckily, Kenseth, with the spotting assistance of crew chief Robbie Reiser on the pit box and Mike Calinoff on the roof, moved his way through the top 10. The car was tight in the center and loose off the corners so the DEWALT crew made adjustments and picked up positions in the pits each time Kenseth came in for service.

With the exhaust vents running directly under the drivers seat and the amount of heat generated by short track racing, Kenseth complained his seat and foot were extremely hot. He was fairly uncomfortable at the halfway point of the race while running 12th, but shortly after caution laps cooled down the conditions in the car Kenseth felt better.

On lap 298, Kenseth dodged a bullet when a wreck on the restart occurred in front of the leaders. Kenseth just missed the No. 88 car, which was spinning down the banking. At the time he was running 10th and told Reiser he was just trying to race smart, and save the car for the end of the race.

Another wreck occurred on lap 315, which was close to the fuel window for the No. 17 car. NASCAR decided to bring out the jet dryers to blow away the debris, so Kenseth and Reiser capitalized on the long caution and pitted the car. Matt restarted the race 13th on lap 330, but had enough fuel to make it to the end. The strategy paid off on lap 370 when the leaders had to pit. Kenseth moved to 3rd on the restart and chased down the lead from No. 97 of Kurt Busch on lap 434.

Kenseth held the lead until lap 444 when the No. 29 car of Kevin Harvick passed him. Unfortunately in the 50-lap dash to the end of the race, Kenseth was passed by Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. because they had fresher tires.

Kenseth crossed the stripe fifth behind race winner Jeff Gordon.

“What a great run for this team,” said crew chief Robbie Reiser. “That was our best finish here at Bristol, and we worked hard for it. Matt drove the heck out of that car, and everyone — right down to the spotter — did an awesome job.”

“Towards the end of that last long run there the car just slowed up,” said Kenseth. “I knew tires would be a factor but was hoping fuel mileage was going to be more of a factor. I raced with the No. 29 car of Kevin Harvick to try and get back the lead and I wasn’t even looking in my mirror. All of a sudden someone said the No. 2 was right back there. I saw them all coming on new tires so I did everything I could to hold ’em off, but it’s a great finish for us.”

Kenseth is ninth in the point standings going into Darlington, just 281 points behind leader Sterling Marlin.

Sharpie 500 • August 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
03/24/02	6	6	500/500	$74,760	Running

Matt Kenseth’s thoughts on racing at Bristol

“Qualifying is very important at Bristol because it’s the only track left on the circuit with a backstretch pit area. If you don’t qualify in the front you pit on the back so qualifying well at Bristol is probably more important than any other track this year. We ran very well last spring at Bristol so we expect more of the same this time around. This race is more or less the most exciting race for the fans on the circuit.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser’s Thoughts on Bristol:

“We are taking car 10 this weekend to Bristol. It is the car that finished fourth last year at Loudon and Phoenix and sixth at Bristol and Richmond this season. We are looking to keep this top-10 streak in car 10 alive.”

Spotter Mike Calinoff’s Thoughts on Bristol:

“The biggest challenge at Bristol is the fact that you not only have to watch your car and ahead, but you have to be aware of everything that’s going on behind as well. Things happen so fast that a wreck behind your driver can turn into something right in front of him in a heartbeat.”

NOTES OF INTEREST:

APPEARANCE…Matt Kenseth will make an appearance at DEWALT’s Rolling Thunder display at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday August 24th. Please check at the No. 17 Roush Racing DEWALT souvenir trailer for times.

BLOOMIN’ FAVORITE…Matt Kenseth still leads the series in the Outback Steakhouse Bloomin’ Favorite Driver of the race award. The payoff is $75,000 at the end of the season.

LAP LEADERS...Kenseth has led at least one lap in 11 of the 23 races run this season.

2002 TOTALS
POINTS	2,799 / 9th
MONEY WON	$2,672,177
LAPS COMPLETED	5,980/6,332 = 94%
STARTS	23
POLES	1 Dover
WINS	3  Rockingham, 2/24 Texas, 4/07 Michigan, 6/16
TOP FIVE	7
TOP TEN	11

BROOKLYN, MI (August 18, 2002) — In a solid attempt to back up the win at Michigan International Speedway in June, Matt Kenseth and the DEWALT Team were candidates for Victory Lane for most of the Pepsi 400, but ended up 11th.

Throughout the weekend, Kenseth was not only on the top of his game, but on the top of the speed charts. With the car that won in June, Kenseth and the boys felt confident they could make it two in a row.

Shortly after the race started, Kenseth began to move through the field. The first caution flag flew early, as eventual race winner Dale Jarrett took a ride through the frontstretch grass. Kenseth pitted his car, taking on two tires and fuel. The racing resumed on lap 14 and Kenseth broke into the top-10 on lap 17. He was fifth at lap 25 and brought the No. 17 car into the pits again on lap 29.

Kenseth continued the charge and passed Kevin Harvick on lap 63 for second place. The DEWALT Ford chased down Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s Chevrolet until he had to pit under the green flag on lap 78. The DEWALT crew had a 14.4 second pit stop and sent Kenseth out on the track with the lead when the field cycled through. Kenseth led until lap 89 when Dale, Jr. passed the No. 17. Kenseth told crew chief Robbie Reiser the car was loose, and he was going as fast as he could with the car.

On lap 127 the DEWALT crew pulled off a 13.7 second stop and sent Kenseth out on the track with the lead again. As the race wore on, Kenseth stayed strong on the track. Fuel mileage became a concern, as the No. 17 would be 11 laps short if the race stayed green until the end. On lap 143 the team changed two tires and filled the car with fuel. The handling of the car went south, as Kenseth radioed in he was tight and began to lose ground on the track. He fell to 10th.

The crew capitalized on the opportunity to fix the ill handling race car on lap 164 as they changed four tires and made a track bar adjustment. Unfortunately, the stop buried Kenseth deep in the field, because the cars ahead took on two tires. Kenseth had to battle back from 18th place to the front. When the final caution came, 12th running Kenseth pitted for four tires and fuel because the car needed a major air pressure adjustment. The decision was made because the car was so bad, Matt felt he would lose more positions had they gone to the end with it.

He went back out onto the track in 22nd position and worked his way up to 11th. The finish was not exactly what the team had in mind, but according to the driver, it could have been a lot worse.

“I don’t know what happened there,” said Kenseth after the race. “We had a good run going then it went way bad. We were loose and tight and couldn’t figure out what was going wrong. I definitely think something broke in the motor at some point. We made our way back to 11th, but it was a much better car than that.”

Kenseth is ninth in the point standings after 23 races — 295 points behind leader Sterling Marlin.   

Pepsi 400 • August 18, 2002
Michigan International Speedway • Brooklyn, Mich.

Matt Kenseth’s Performance Summary at Michigan

Winston Cup
Date	Start	Finish	Laps	Money	Status
08/22/99	25	14	200/200	$25,040	Running
06/11/00	23	17	193/194	$37,650	Running
08/20/00	28	8	200/200	$42,490	Running
06/10/01	31	15	200/200	$54,040	Running
08/19/01	33	4	162/162	$70,050	Running
06/16/02	20	1	200/200	$154,100	Running

Matt Kenseth’s thoughts on racing at Michigan 

“It is always good to go back to a track where you have run well, or won at. We go to every track trying to run good and win. I like tracks like Michigan and Charlotte. They are fast tracks and we generally run well on them. It would be nice to repeat a win and gain some points to get back in the hunt.”

CREW CHIEF ROBBIE REISER’S THOUGHTS ON MICHIGAN:

“We are taking car 15 back to Michigan. It is the car we won with in June so we hope it will be as good as it was then. So far this year we have not been able to take the same car and setup back to a track and perform the same. We’ll see what we have when we get out on the track.”

SPOTTER MIKE CALINOFF’S THOUGHTS ON MICHIGAN:

“I’ll be pretty pumped up this weekend as we go back and defend our win in the spring. Michigan is a relatively easy track to spot because there is a lot of room and you can forecast where the cars will wind up during a wreck.”

2002 TOTALS
POINTS	2,664 / 10th
MONEY WON	$2,606,837
LAPS COMPLETED	5,691/6,042 = 94%
STARTS	22
POLES	1 Dover
WINS	3  Rockingham, 2/24 Texas, 4/07 Michigan, 6/16
TOP FIVE	7
TOP TEN	11

WATKINS GLEN, NY (August 11, 2002) — After stellar qualifying and practice performances, Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 DEWALT Power Tools appeared to be the team to beat in the Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen. Unfortunately, after starting 8th, Kenseth had problems early on in the race and never recovered to finish 33rd.

Kenseth and the team had a successful test two weeks ago at the Glen. It showed when they jumped to the top of the speed charts in Happy Hour on Saturday. Pegged as a team to beat throughout the weekend, Kenseth felt confident on the road course.

Shortly after the start of the race, Kenseth was battling Ryan Newman for sixth place when he went into the corner between turns nine and ten for the pass. The rear tires locked up on the No. 17 car, causing Kenseth to slide off the course into the sand trap. It took the wreckers almost two laps to retrieve the car, and allow for Kenseth to get underway.

The DEWALT Crew then changed tires, but Kenseth had sustained some damage to the car and lost some gears. He piloted the car around Watkins Glen for the remainder of the race, with only fourth gear to finish 33rd, one lap shy of the leader.

“I thought we had a much better car than some of those guys and I went to pass and my rear tires just locked up on me,” said Kenseth. “I was stuck in the sand trap and lost a lap or two, and then tore up the gears. It just wasn’t our day.”

Kenseth and the team head to Michigan next weekend, the site of their third win of this season. The 33rd place finish caused Kenseth to lose one position in the points as he fell to tenth.
   

Sirius Satellite at the Glen • August 11, 2002
Watkins Glen International Raceway • Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Matt Kenseth’s Performance Summary at Watkins Glen

Winston Cup
Date	Start	Finish	Laps	Money	Status
08/13/00	12	10	90/90	$54,565	Running
08/12/01	38	23	90/90	$44,120	Running

Matt Kenseth’s thoughts on Watkins Glen

“Finishing third in a race like the Brickyard 400 was awesome for this team. Since we only run two road courses every year we don’t have a lot of road course experience in building cars and knowing what to do as a team. So we built a new car and went to Watkins Glen to test it out so we could be more competitive during the race. We found some things during the test, but it was kind of the middle of the road as far as satisfaction with the results.

“When comparing the two road courses we run, Watkins Glen and Sears Point, they are two totally different deals. Sears Point is like a short track or a Rockingham, and Watkins Glen is more like a speedway like a Michigan. At the Glen, we carry a lot more speed going through the corners. Sears Point has a lot of lower speed corners and elevation changes. It’s easier to spin the tires out there and it’s a harder track to drive and set up for. It isn’t as hard to pass at the Glen as it is at Sears Point.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser’s thoughts on Watkins Glen

“We are taking car 24 to Watkins Glen. The team tested there after Pocono, and we learned some things. The biggest challenge this week will be for the crew, because they are actually pitting the car backwards. On pit road at the Glen, the drivers side of the car is on the opposite side so we practiced pit stops like that this week, and hopefully it’s enough to prepare the guys.”

Spotter Mike Calinoff’s thoughts on Watkins Glen

“Every year I look for a new vantage point that might give me the best view. I have found that I’m probably most effective in the esses. Robbie will be able to handle the frontstretch and into turn one. We’ll also stick someone down in the “inner loop” and maybe down in nine. Other than that Matt will kind of be his own spotter!”

NOTES OF INTEREST:

LAST YEAR… After 21 races last season, Kenseth was 14th in the point standings with no top five’s and four top-10’s. He was 14th in points. Going into Watkins Glen, ninth place Kenseth trails points leader Sterling Marlin by 266 points with 15 races to go.

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (August 4, 2002) — Temperatures soared at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the running of the ninth annual Brickyard 400, but the heat didn't stop Matt Kenseth from bringing the DEWALT Power Tools Ford home in third behind race winner Bill Elliott and second place finisher Rusty Wallace.

Kenseth was impressive all weekend posting practice times in the top-10 on the speed charts. After qualifying 18th on Saturday morning, Kenseth thought his car was in good shape for the race.

“The DEWALT car was pretty good during qualifying,” said Kenseth. “I got through one, two and three perfect, I just scrapped turn four. I think if we go back and add up the segments I think we would have had probably around a 49.50 or so and that would have likely put us in the top five or six. I just got too tight getting into turn four and pushed real bad coming off of four and I had to let all the way off the gas on the straight-away. If that didn’t happen we would have been in real good shape.”

Following impressive pre-race ceremonies at the ninth annual Brickyard 400, Kenseth was ready to roll. Again, with temperatures in the high 90’s Kenseth knew the heat would be on and the pressure to win one of the biggest races of the year was on.

In races past, fuel strategy came into play throughout the 160-lap event on the 2.5 mile track. During early race caution laps, the DEWALT team only added fuel to the DEWALT car. Kenseth moved his was quickly into the top-10 as the handling of the car improved. He took four tires on lap 37.

“Today was tough because we just struggled getting track position. We made our way up through there early in the race. Later in the race, I got real tight and I couldn’t make up ground like I wanted to. We had a little bit of an off-day in the pits during the first couple of stops. I am used to my crew gaining positions for me and we lose a couple here or there it really shows. On that last pit stop we needed a good one, and the guys came through.”

On a track that is hard to race side by side and pass cars on, Kenseth exhibited patience, and picked off the field one by one.

The final caution came out within the ten to go window. The green flag flew with four laps to go, signaling to the drivers they would have ten miles to settle the score. The race winner, Bill Elliott, was too strong for Kenseth to catch in the remaining four laps.

Kenseth finished third and moved up to ninth in the points chase. The finish marked his best at Indy, and created some momentum to help the DEWALT team fight for the championship for the remainder of the season.

BELOW ARE THE FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES FROM MATT’S PRESS CONFERENCE THANKS TO DAN ZACHARIUS:

MATT KENSETH POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE

“It was a good day. We handled pretty good all day. We struggled a little bit in the pits compared to what we’re used to, but at the end when we needed it, we got a good pit stop and got some track position back. From where we were, we were anywhere from a second to fifth-place car depending on our track position, so it was a good day for us.”

DID YOU THINK YOU HAD SOMETHING FOR BILL AND RUSTY ON THE LAST RESTART? “No. I was hoping to get past Rusty because I knew he was on two, but I couldn’t get Bill. He was way stronger than we were all day. We weren’t even in the same league as him.”

WHAT ABOUT YOUR RACE? “It was pretty hot, but it was good day for us. Everybody works really hard to come to Indianapolis. Our DEWALT guys did a great job preparing the car. We had a real fast car. We weren’t in the same time zone as the 9, but everybody else I felt like we could run with, so that’s pretty good.”

MATT KENSETH-17-DeWalt Power Tools Taurus “It was a great day for us. The DeWalt Taurus was pretty fast all day, really. We just struggled getting track position. We made our way up through there early in the race. And, every run our car was real fast, except for the run before our last one. I got real tight and I couldn’t make up ground like I wanted to. And we had a little bit of an off-day in the pits, the first couple of stops, and for them guys I’m used to gaining spots, and we lose a couple here or there, and then the last pit stop, we needed it, we got a really good pit stop. We only came out one car behind Bill so we had the position, and we just didn’t have anything to run with that 9 car. We had a good top-five car all day, but we didn’t have one that good.”

AS A YOUNG DRIVER, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT BILL ELLIOTT’S VICTORY? “It’s pretty cool. My first Winston Cup race I ever drove, I drove for Bill when Bill’s father died, in ‘98, I guess it was. I got to know him a little bit through that. He’s a great guy and a great racecar driver so to me it’s cool. Not as much last year, but the few years before that he struggled a little bit, and being as competitive as he is used to being, so it’s cool for me to see him get in the ride and win races and be able to dominate like that. So that’s pretty cool. I’m real happy to see a guy like that win the race.”

WHAT’S THE BIG DIFFERENCE FOR YOU BETWEEN THIS YEAR AND LAST? “Our first year, we came here and didn’t run good, then we got wrecked on pit road. It actually wrecked it pretty bad on pit road, and we just rode around all day. And then last year, we had a really great car, we had a great test here we qualified 20th, but we didn’t have a really great draw, and in Happy Hour we had one the fastest cars on long runs, pretty much the same as I felt we were like today, we were pretty good, and I got in the lap two wreck when the 96 car spun out. Last year we had real high hopes coming here and didn’t get past lap one or two. I felt like we had a good car last year, and our test was real productive here. We found something that made our car go fast, and it was just a good car all day.”

THE CREW WAS PRETTY CALM YESTERDAY. WAS THE CAR THAT AWESOME ALL WEEKEND? “I guess it wasn’t awesome enough. I was pretty happy with it in practice yesterday. I didn’t want to put a lot of extra miles on the engine and the drivetrain. This place, there’s long straightaways, and I didn’t want break something in the engine either. We did a lot of testing. Everybody tested here, and we were happy with our test. All we did, we didn’t even take that car apart. We left everything on it and painted it and came back. So I was real pleased with my car. We didn’t have all the speed like Bill Elliott and some of them guys had, but we had a consistent car so we just put it away and waited and see what the race would do.”

WHERE WAS BILL ELLIOTT STRONGEST? “I couldn’t run close behind him for very long. If I left the pits behind him, I could run behind him. I didn’t get to run behind him enough to know. He was just fast everywhere, it seemed like. He was real fast on new tires.”

DID YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE HEAT? “It was hot, but I think we all expected it to be hot. When I get hot or tired in a car it’s the nights that I don’t expect it to be hot. Like Martinsville I expected it to be 60 and we woke up and it was 85, so those are the days when you’re kind of not ready for it, but you kind of prepare for it and drink a lot of fluids, and like Rusty says, get a good night’s sleep the night before. For me anyway, there’s just a consistent heat all day. It kept getting a little bit hotter and hotter and hotter all day, and I never really got to a point, you know, in the middle of the race where I was really thinking about, saying, ‘Man, it’s hot. I wish it would cool off.’ It just kind of got a little bit worse all day. I’m glad it was 400 instead of 500, though.”