Articles
•
Fans
pick
Kenseth-Reiser,
Jarrett-Parker
teams
as
people
of
the
year
•
Kenseth
already
thinking
about
2004
•
Cheers
for
a
Champion:
Thousands
of
fans
welcome
Matt
Kenseth
home
to
Cambridge
•
Cambridge
building
to
house
Kenseth
memorabilia
•
Kenseth’s
consistency
tops
2003
season
•
What
I
Like
About
You:
Matt
Kenseth
Cambridge
parade and celebration to honor Matt Kenseth
Local Officials,
Kenseth family and numerous friends will be present at a
parade and honors ceremony for hometown hero and 2003
NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Matt Kenseth on Saturday,
December 27, 2003 at 9:30 a.m. The parade will start in
downtown Cambridge on South Street and will follow Main
Street/Highway 12. It will end with an Honor ceremony at
the Cambridge Fire Station at the corner of Main Street
and Pleasant Streets.
Cambridge Main
Street property owners are asked to decorate store windows
in honor of Matt Kenseth “#17”/”Welcome Home Matt”
for the parade. Local groups are invited to participate in
the parade or enter a float. Only floats or participants
that will salute Matt Kenseth and/or racing, please.
Children to age 14 are invited to participate in a Matt
Kenseth look-alike contest.
Articles
•
Mike
Calinoff: #17 Team Dream Season Review
•
Ford
presents Matt with a Ford GT Coupe
•
A
Winter Wonderland For Matt Kenseth
•
Kenseth
shines at awards ceremony
•
Kenseth’s
victory lap Winston Cup champ takes some turns on the talk show
circuit
Killer Bees
named Pit Crew of the Year
The $75,000
Mechanix Wear Pit Crew of the Year Award went to the No. 17
Roush Racing team of series champion Matt Kenseth, while Kenseth
picked up $75,000 for the Waste Management Picking Up Places
Award that goes to the driver who improved on his starting
positions the most during the year. Matt also received the 76
Gasoline Champions Award
Champ
Week Schedule
•
Monday
• TV
Shows photo gallery • NYPD/FDNY
Photo Gallery
•
Championship
Week: Day One
•
Tuesday:
•
Remarks
by the President to the drivers •
‘Ask
the White House’ transcript
• White
House Photo Gallery
•
Wednesday:
A
Conversation with Matt Kenseth
• Thursday:
Photos
from Times Square
•
Champ
Kenseth visits Times Square
•
Friday, Winston Cup Awards
Banquet: •
Kenseth claims the Cup
Drivers
meet with President Bush

Nascar.com photo
Championship Photo
Galleries
•
Nascar.com
Monday Gallery
• Signature
Racing Photos - Champ Week
• Signature
Racing Photos - trophy pix
Articles
•
Look
what a dad can get rolling when he promises a son a car
•
A
fast look at Kenseth’s career in auto racing ... so far, at
least
•
New
king of the road: Kenseth’s rise to stardom began locally at
WIR
•
Kenseth
loves it on Broadway
•
Spotlight
still doesn’t focus easily on Kenseth
•
Winston
Cup’s best take bite out of the Big Apple
•
Winners
receive NMPA Myers Awards
•
Q&A
with Robbie Reiser
•
Kenseth’s
savvy came from starting from back
•
Kenseth
savoring victory lap
•
Kenseth
named Sporting News ‘Driver of the Year’; Reiser
named ‘Chief of the Year’
•
Kenseth
has full agenda for NASCAR’s short offseason
•
Kenseth
celebrating his way
•
Bush
offers NASCAR stars presidential treatment
•
President
salutes NASCAR stars, some of sport's top brass
•
Kenseth,
Reiser visit NYPD, FDNY
•
Kenseth
relives golden season
•
Kenseth,
Winston share spotlight in New York
•
NASCAR's
best busy during Champion’s Week
•
Land
of the Cheeseheads home to top gearheads, too
•
The
last Winston Cup
Champ
•
Kenseth
sets modern-era
NASCAR record
with 33
consecutive
weeks at #1
•
Two
of three new NASCAR champs bred in Wisconsin
•Who
is FoxSports’ person of the year?
Matt Kenseth crowned champion
at Ford 400
Photo
by Evelyn Rapp •
More
photos by Evelyn
Kenseth sets modern-era NASCAR record with 33 consecutive
weeks at #1
Special
series from Motorsport.com
•
Part
1: Race
to the Championship
•
Part
2: Moving up the ladder
•
Part
3: The quest continues
•
Part
4: Taking Control
•
Part
5: Clinching the Cup
More
Championship articles
•
Kenseth
delivers first title to Roush
•
14
Years Later
•
Kenseth’s
Cup title a result of teamwork
•
Roush
finally has his claws in the Cup
•
Last-place
finish doesn't dim Kenseth's joy
• Kenseth
keeps low profile everywhere but on track
•
Roush,
Kenseth humbled by title
•
Kenseth
Ends Year With a Thud — and a Smile
•
Kenseth,
Riser and Roush: Guaranteed Tough
•
Kenseth
last in ‘free race’
•
The
idol and the champ
•
Engine
woes put damper on Kenseth’s celebration
•
Don’t
look for King Kenseth’s reign to be controversial
•
Kenseth
not alone winning title with lone win
•
Badger
State gives NASCAR cheese flavor
•
Victory
Lap
•
Kenseth
doesn’t have much to worry about this weekend
•
A
new Cup champion
•
Kenseth
relieved after championship run
Championship
articles
•
No.
17 pressure cooker no longer cooking
•
No
looking back for Kenseth’s crew
•
Roush
team can’t afford to party
•
Kenseth delivers
•
Matt
Kenseth Photo Gallery
•
Martin
guides Kenseth to top
•
Roush,
Kenseth made for each other
•
Consistency’s
reward
•
Where
has Matt been?
•
Father
sets tone for Kenseth's Cup crown
•
How
did Kenseth’s year compare?
•
Kenseth’s
key is consistency
•
Kenseth’s
title sparks local memories
•
Mr.
Kenseth, please meet Mr. Favre
•
What
a day!
•
Rough
stuff kept Kenseth on lookout
•
FAST
REISER: Chief makes Kenseth a star
•
After
winning title, Kenseth ready for some football
•
Driven
to tears
•
Roush,
Kenseth defined by overcoming obstacles
•
Kenseth
carries on Kulwicki’s Wisconsin racing tradition
•
Patient
Kenseth takes Winston Cup championship
•
Kenseth
proves Roush, Martin correct
•
Small
town celebrates driver’s championship
•
Kenseth
Surprised to Be Winston Cup Champ
•
King
of the road: Solid finish settles the issue
•
Kenseth
seals the deal
•
A
year after most wins, Kenseth wins bigger with Cup
•
Kenseth
lives dream
•
Kenseth
wins championship
•
Firsts
and Lasts
•
Kenseth’s
4th-place finish gives his owner long-awaited Cup title
•
Kenseth
clinches title
•
Kenseth:
‘The World Is Off My Shoulders’
•
Elliott
and Kenseth share the spotlight at The Rock
•
Kenseth
clinches Winston Cup title
•
Roush’s
long wait for Cup title finally over
•
Kenseth
clinches
•
Kenseth
clinches the Cup with one race to go
•
Roush
and Martin enjoy Kenseth’s championship
•
Kenseth
clinches the Cup
•
Kenseth
relieved to finally capture Cup title
•
Kenseth
claims Cup
•
Title
surpasses Kenseth’s dreams
•
Matt
Kenseth locks up Cup title with another strong run Sunday
•
Kenseth
clinches title as Elliott wins race
•
Kenseth
clinches title
•
Kenseth
clinches title; Elliott wins at Rockingham
•
Elliott
Winner, Kenseth Champion
•
Title
is a long-time coming for Roush
November
17, 2003
Quick Exit for DEWALT Cup Champions
Kenseth 43rd at Homestead-Miami
HOMESTEAD, FL. (November 16th, 2003) —
Perhaps it
was a great idea for the No. 17 DEWALT Tools team to lock up
the 2003 Winston Cup Championship one week ago today in
Rockingham. Matt Kenseth and Co. had an uncharacteristic
mechanical failure, which relegated them to a last place
finish in the final event of the year.
Rolling off the starting grid from 37th place, Kenseth
radioed that the car was very loose, but crew chief Robbie
Reiser assured him that the setup would come around in a few
laps. Dodging an early caution in front of him, Kenseth
pitted for the only time of the day on lap five.
Kenseth restarted in 25th place and got as high as 24th
before the failure came without warning. The crew took the
car to the garage and silently pulled out the backup car for
the post-race celebrations. Speaking with reporters, Kenseth
managed to put a positive spin on a strange exit in the
final race of the year:
“Real disappointing for the DEWALT team. This is the
same way it ended last year. We blew an engine in the last
race last year, too. It didn’t really give us any
indication — something just broke. It’s real
disappointing. We had a pretty good car, you probably couldn’t
really see it, but I think in a long run we were going to be
real good, and hopefully be a factor at the end.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS ALREADY SECURED. AS FAR AS THE TEAM
IS CONCERNED, WHEN DOES NEXT YEAR START? “About two months
ago. We started building cars and started getting ready
already. So, we’ve got three or four 2004 cars done, and
been to the wind tunnel and have been working on them. So,
we’re already working on it. But, this is a disappointing
way to end the day.”
After the conclusion of the Ford 400 event at
Homestead-Miami Speedway, the entire Roush organization
gathered around the frontstretch for the trophy presentation
by Winston. After doing a burnout on the frontstretch to the
delight of the crowd, Kenseth drove the No. 17 DEWALT Tools
Ford onto the stage and, as he exited the car, planted the
final Winston Cup Championship driver flag atop the stage
risers.
Kenseth’s final point total was 5,022 points, 90 more
than second place finisher Jimmie Johnson.
November
12, 2003
Pre-Race Notes — Homestead
Ford 400 • Sunday, November 16
Homestead-Miami Speedway • 1.5 miles
Matt’s history at
Homestead:
|
DATE
|
START |
FINISH |
LAPS |
WINNINGS
|
STATUS
|
|
11/12/00
|
28
|
21
|
264/267
|
$50,500
|
Running
|
|
11/11/01
|
21
|
27
|
266/267
|
$49,450
|
Running
|
|
11/17/02
|
13
|
40
|
223/267
|
$54,550
|
Engine
|
Matt Kenseth’s
thoughts on racing at the new Homestead:
“I’m looking forward to going down there and racing on the
new configuration. After locking up the title last week, I feel
like we can really relax a little bit. I’m running the Busch car
this weekend and hoping those extra laps will also pay off for me
once the Cup cars get on the track. From what I hear, the track is
going to be a lot of fun to race on.”
Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Homestead:
“It’s a brand new track for everybody so we’re all
starting on equal ground. We’ve got two great chassis that we’re
bringing down there and whichever one performs the best for us and
adjusts to the changes will be the one we use come Sunday.”
Notes:
- Matt Kenseth clinched the Winston Cup Championship with a fourth
place finish at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham this past
Sunday. He becomes the 26th Champion in the last 53 years.
- Kenseth now has 25 top-10 finishes in 35 starts, a
league-leading statistic. He also has 11 top-five finishes.
- If Kenseth wins the Ford 400 event, his Winston leader bonus
payout would be a record $360,000.
- The No. 17 DEWALT Tools team will be bringing chassis #27 &
#29 to Homestead. Chassis 27 raced at both Poconos, and Chassis
29 raced at The Winston, Darlington, and Atlanta’s second
event. The team will make a final decision Wednesday evening.
November
11, 2003
Where has Matt been?
CONCORD, NC (November 11, 2003) —
When you lead the
Winston Cup point standings for over 30 straight weeks, one
good thing is that those around you have plenty of time to
plan for all the championship hoopla.
With Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 DEWALT Tools team-those
plans have hit overdrive in the last 168 hours. Here is what
has occurred in Matt Kenseth’s life since the checkered
flag flew at Phoenix International Raceway:
-
Matt traveled to Los Angeles, California on Monday,
November 3rd to complete a round table of interviews
culminating with an appearance on the Best Damn Sports
Show. While onstage, he beat co-host Tom Arnold in a
tricycle race on live television.
-
On Tuesday, November 4th, Matt traveled to Atlanta for
his final scheduled DEWALT appearance at the Specialty
Tool and Fastener Distributors Association (STAFDA)
Trade Show. There, he signed autographs for over 200
people on the convention floor of the DEWALT Booth.
-
On Wednesday, November 5th, Matt traveled to New York
City for a pre-championship mini-media tour involving
stops at the ESPN-Zone and LiveShots, Inc., a satellite
media tour provider. Following the appearances, Kenseth
caught the New York Knicks/Milwaukee Bucks NBA
basketball game from courtside seats. For the record,
the Bucks won.
-
On Thursday, November 6th, Matt traveled to
Rockingham, North Carolina to put the championship talk
to rest. That he accomplished on Sunday, November 9th at
4:43 p.m. EST.
-
On Monday, November 10th, Matt traveled to Chicago for
a NASCAR Champion media day in the Windy City. After
speaking with several national outlets such as the USA
Today newspaper and the New York Times, he headed north
out of the city to Green Bay, Wisconsin.
-
That same evening, Matt showed up at Lambeau Field for
the Monday Night Football game between the Green Bay
Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles. Before kickoff,
Matt exchanged helmets with Green Bay quarterback, Brett
Favre, then took a tour of the Packers locker room.
-
After the game, Matt flew straight to Miami, Florida
to test his Busch Grand National car at Homestead-Miami
Speedway. Testing began at 9 a.m. and Kenseth was on
time.
Punctual? You bet. But now you know why he hasn’t
returned your congratulatory phone call yet.
November
9, 2003
Matt Kenseth wins Winston Cup title with a fourth place
finish at The Rock
ROCKINGHAM, NC (November 9th, 2003) —
Matt Kenseth
and the No. 17 DEWALT Tools team won the 2003 Winston Cup
Championship today with a fourth place finish at North
Carolina Speedway in Rockingham. Going into the event, there
were several scenarios which would have resulted in the
clinching of the title, but one fact was clear — Kenseth
needed to leave the track with a 186-point lead over the
second place points finisher in order to win it all. He left
with a 226-point lead. His fourth place finish was his 11th
top-five finish of 2003 and his 25th top-10 of the year —
still a league-leading statistic.
The weekend was full of anticipation and the team got
things kicked off with a third place finish in the Union
76/World Pit Crew Championship on Saturday. Though they had
won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, the team’s
17.456–second effort still got them a podium finish.
Earlier on Friday, Kenseth qualified in 23rd position at the
track where he had four straight top-10 finishes.
As the race got underway, Kenseth held a cautious line in
traffic and fell back to 30th by lap 24. He reported that
the car was tight off the corners and many cars found the
high line favorable when passing him. Just ten laps later,
the car had stabilized and Kenseth reported that the car was
coming around. He began to move forward in the field — all
the way back to 20th on lap 72 when the first caution flag
waved.
Kenseth came down pit road for four tires and an air
pressure adjustment. He restarted the race from 19th on lap
81. Two laps later, Ryan Newman got booted by Jeff Gordon,
causing Kenseth to check up. He was promptly plowed from
behind by Tony Stewart. “We just got hammered,” Kenseth
radioed to the crew. Luckily, the hit was directly square to
the rear bumper and didn’t cause any real or lasting
damage. It didn’t, however, keep the crew’s hearts from
skipping a beat.
Robbie Reiser brought the car down pit road on lap 85 to
check for damage and change four tires and Kenseth restarted
the race in 26th place. Within the next 20 laps, there were
three separate cautions for incidents involving multiple
drivers. “It’s like walking around in a minefield out
here,” radioed Kenseth.
The team was able to get a long green flag run on the
subsequent lap 117 restart. By the time the next caution
flag flew on lap 155, Kenseth had made up a couple of
positions and was running in 22nd place. After another
four-tire stop, Kenseth restarted 20th on lap 160. The
longest green flag run of the day paid off as Kenseth
rocketed all the way up into the top-10 for the first time
of the day on lap 223.
Things got interesting as the next pit cycle began. Many
of the lead lap cars had already ducked onto pit road,
including second place points car, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Kenseth was on his way to pit road on lap 242 when the
caution flag waved. Kenseth quickly and wisely shot back
onto the track before heading down pit road, but NASCAR
penalized Kenseth for passing the “commitment line” of
the pit entrance on his way in. Even still, Kenseth was now
one of six cars not a lap down in the running order.
Earnhardt Jr. was caught on pit road during the caution and
lost a lap that he never regained — all but handing the
day to Kenseth in the process.
With the laps winding down, Kenseth made the most of the
fortunately timed caution. Another long green flag run
ensued just when the DEWALT team needed it. Kenseth moved up
to fifth place with just 100 laps to go in the 393-lap
event. Though the light at the end of the tunnel was
becoming brighter, Kenseth continued to be all business on
the track. He implored the team to make the car turn better
in the center of the corner for the final run.
Kenseth never again fell out of the top-five running
order for the rest of the day. As lap after lap wound down,
the No. 17 DEWALT Tools pit stall became more and more
crowded with cameras and media personnel seeking to witness
Roush Racing’s first ever Winston Cup Championship in over
15 years of trying.
One final caution flag on lap 374 tightened up the field
again. NASCAR turned them all loose for the final time with
just 11 laps to go. Kenseth was running third, but gave up a
position in the final laps to a hard charging Jeremy
Mayfield. Crossing the line in 4th place as the checkered
flag flew, 31-year old Matt Kenseth of Cambridge, Wisconsin
became the final Winston Cup Champion.
Immediately two Winston- sponsored pickup trucks
descended upon the pit stall to pit up the DEWALT
crewmembers. From there they took a victory lap with Matt
Kenseth bringing up the rear in the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford
— having won the title in just his fourth full year on the
circuit.
Afterward, a subdued Matt Kenseth spoke to millions of
fans from the front stretch along the start-finish line:
“It’s unbelievable. This is beyond my wildest
dreams. I never thought I’d ever have the opportunity to
sit in one of these cars, much less be the champion. I’m
just so appreciative to my team, my owners, and my sponsors,
everybody that puts this thing together. I’m just real
lucky. There are thousands of race car drivers out there
that I’m sure could do a better job than I have and not
many people get this opportunity. I’m just thankful to be
in good equipment with good people working on it.”
DID YOU DREAM THIS WOULD EVER HAPPEN WHEN ROBBIE CALLED
YOU IN 1997?
“No. I actually had a big internal fight
with myself. I was racing ASA up in Wisconsin and I had
never pulled back on any of my promises before and I had to
quit the ride I was driving to go down and take that chance.
I felt like at the point I was in my career and my age that
I had to do it. I thought it was my last chance. Robbie
said, ‘Well, we can run four races or so and see how it
works out,’ and I just moved all my stuff down there and
went after it. I’ve just been fortunate that it’s worked
out since that day.”
YOU’RE COMPARED TO DAVID PEARSON ON AND OFF THE TRACK.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?
“That’s a cool comparison. I
never got to race with David or watch him race very much,
but I’ve learned a lot from Mark Martin. He’s taught me
a lot on when to race and when not to race. I don’t do a
good job at it all the time, but I sure try to be there at
the end. He’s taught me a lot about that and he’s been a
real big part of this.”
HOW WILL YOU CELEBRATE?
“I have no idea. I’ve had
all this stuff bottled up inside for the last couple of
months. I didn’t want to get too excited, so I don’t
even know what to do next.”
This week’s
articles
•
Kenseth
continuing Wisconsin racing legacy
•
Kenseth
coasts as Dale Jr., Johnson go for broke
•
Reiser
and Kenseth have Childress-Earnhardt relationship
•
Kenseth
doesn’t need to win ... does he?
•
Kenseth
vs. driving to win
•
Kenseth
in place to win, but can’t
•
The
Party's Almost Over: Solid sixth-place finish at Phoenix puts
Kenseth comfortably ahead in points race
•
Trophy
Quest: No. 17 comes closer
•
Kenseth
Biggest Winner
•
Kenseth
strong enough on Sunday
•
Cue
the Fat Lady
•
Kenseth
has firm grasp on driver title
•
Kenseth
closes in on Cup
•
Kenseth
races closer to Winston Cup title
•
Crew
chief has Kenseth covered for everything but kidnapping
•
Kenseth
looks forward to title
•
Kenseth
pulls up near title
•
Kenseth
closing on title
•
Kenseth
closes in on points crown
•
Kenseth
says he’s starting to feel it
•
Kenseth
closes in on title, but driver's focus remains on driving
•
Kenseth’s
crew has Wisconsin flavor
•
Kenseth
ready to finish strong
•
Kenseth
in driver’s seat, but Gordon is going strong
•
Don’t
put this storybook down yet
•
DEWALT donates to “Race for Relief”
November
5, 2003
Meet the Killer Bees!
CONCORD,
NC (November 5, 2003) —
With this weekend’s upcoming
Union 76/World Pit Crew Championship on the line, look for
the No. 17 DEWALT Team’s “Killer Bees” to defend their
back-to-back 2001–2002 titles. After setting a world
record in 2001, they bested their own once again last year
for a blistering 16.823-second stop.
Now it’s time to get to know them a little better…
Front
tire changer Justin Nottestad
was the front tire carrier
last year, but slid over to take over changing duties after
the departure of Dave Smith. He also happens to be married
to Katie Kenseth’s older sister, Julie. Nothing like
keeping it all in the family.
Front
tire carrier Chris Brook
is the only member of the No.
17 DEWALT Tools team that doesn’t work for Roush Racing.
In fact, he owns his own lawn care and maintenance service.
He has been affectionately nicknamed the “Dancing Bear”
by his teammates for his body English antics as Matt Kenseth
leaves the pits.
Jackman
Russ Strupp
came south from Wisconsin at Robbie Reiser’s
side and hasn’t left it since. He worked for Reiser
Enterprises when Matt Kenseth was just a Busch Grand
National driver and moved up to the Cup Series in 2000 as
part of the Rookie of the Year team.
Rear
tire carrier Bryan Dunaway
is also a longtime member of
the Killer Bees. He also used to do a little dirt track
racing back in his early days. Did we say just a little? In
fact, he was a multiple track champion in and around his
hometown of Momence, Illinois.
Rear
tire changer Jeremy West
stepped up this year to replace
Phil Drye, who left the team in the off-season. A veteran
tire changer from the Ultra Motorsports camp, he fit right
in and right away. He is also a hot rod fanatic. He and his
wife just had their first child this year, a boy named
Deegan.
Gasman
Benjy Grubbs
hails from the capital of the Old South,
Richmond, Virginia. He was a part of the 2002 championship
pit crew team. According to crew chief Robbie Reiser, “…nobody
does a gas and go stop on pit road better than Benjy…”
Catchcan
man Dave Paronto
has been with the team multiple years
as well. He calculates the fuel mileage on the No. 17 DEWALT
Tools Ford on race day as well as building all of the shocks
used on the car. He is an avid motorcycle enthusiast and
enjoys Metallica music almost as much as Matt Kenseth.
GOOD LUCK IN THE WORLD
PIT CREW COMPETITION ON SATURDAY, BEES!
November
4, 2003
Pre-Race Notes — RockinghamPop
Secret 400 • Sunday, November 9
North Carolina Speedway
Matt at North Carolina:
|
DATE
|
START |
FINISH |
LAPS |
WINNINGS
|
STATUS
|
|
02/27/00 |
6 |
37 |
383/393 |
$31,200 |
Running |
|
10/22/00 |
28 |
25 |
391/393 |
$36,775 |
Running |
|
02/25/01 |
38 |
28 |
389/393 |
$45,200 |
Running |
|
11/04/01 |
40 |
10 |
392/393 |
$57,375 |
Running |
|
02/24/02 |
25 |
1 |
393/393 |
$157,400 |
Running |
|
11/03/02 |
19 |
8 |
393/393 |
$64,175 |
Running |
|
02/23/03 |
18 |
3 |
393/393 |
$94,350 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth’s
thoughts on racing at North Carolina:
“We’ve run pretty good here the
last few times and I really like the track. I think it’s still
going to take a really competitive effort by this DEWALT team to
lock things up, but it makes it easier to imagine after our strong
run last week. I feel pretty good about everything heading into
this weekend.”
Crew Chief Robbie
Reiser’s thoughts on racing at North Carolina:
“We’ve got a good car and
some great notes to fall back on this week. But, I couldn’t
be prouder of my guys to have put themselves in the position
they have coming into this race. I think it’s going to be a
weekend to remember for us.”
Notes:
8 The No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford will be bringing chassis #31 to
Rockingham. This is the same chassis the team used previously at
Rockingham.
8 Matt Kenseth now has 24 top-10 finishes in 34 starts, a
league-leading statistic. Kenseth’s 2003 Winston Cup point
lead is now 228 points over second place Dale Earnhardt Jr.
with just two events remaining.
8 The DEWALT pit crew brings their back-to-back Pit Crew
Championship titles into this weekend’s Unocal 76/World Pit
Crew Competition. They won in 2001 and 2002.
8 If Matt Kenseth finishes 30th or better in the remaining two
events, he will win the 2003 Winston Cup Championship. If he
finishes 18th or better at Rockingham, he will clinch right here
at North Carolina Speedway.
November
2, 2003
Valley of the Run: Kenseth 6th at Phoenix International
Raceway
PHOENIX, AZ. (November 2, 2003) —
Matt Kenseth
finished in 6th place during the running of the Checker Auto
Parts 500K at Phoenix International Raceway, notching his
24th top-10 finish in 34 starts. With just two events
remaining in 2003, Kenseth is looking good for Roush Racing’s
first title in history.
Rolling off the starting grid in 37th place as the first
provisional, Kenseth cautiously moved up through the field
at the 1-mile oval. He was running in 29th place when the
first of the record-tying 10 caution periods occurred on lap
33 of the 312-lap event. Crew Chief Robbie Reiser elected to
go for some early track position and only changed two tires
on the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford. After a 5.99-second pit
stop, Kenseth returned to the track for the lap 43 restart
in 14th place.
Kenseth fell back a few spots while radioing that the car
was, “loose and getting looser…” The second caution
flag waved on lap 119 and the team used the stop for four
fresh tires and the subtraction of wedge from the left rear
of the car to improve the handling characteristics.
The over-the-wall pit crew performed some of their
fastest stops of the year, just one week before the annual
pit crew championships at Rockingham. On the third caution
period on lap 173, the crew performed a four-tire stop in
just under 13 seconds. However in a scary moment, Front tire
carrier Chris Brook narrowly avoided being mowed down as
Kenseth left the pit stall. Kenseth restarted in 14th place
on lap 178.
Another caution flag waved on lap 208 as Steve Park
pounded the turn four wall. The No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford
used the opportunity to pit for four new tires and no
adjustments in just over 13 seconds. Several teams in front
of Kenseth tried for the two-tire stop and that put him in
18th for the lap 217 restart.
Kenseth radioed that the car was really good, especially
on long green flag runs-as his lap times did not drop off as
much as the other cars on the track. “If I could get up
front, I think we could do something,” he relayed to
Reiser under caution.
On lap 237, he restarted in 12th place, but quickly
cracked the top-ten running order for the first time on lap
250 of the 312-lap event. Matt Kenseth stayed out on a
subsequent yellow flag and picked up 8th place on the lap
275 restart.
On lap 296, Kenseth moved up to sixth past teammate Mark
Martin and began a spirited duel with Michael Waltrip. Lap
after lap, Kenseth would pull to the inside, but fall back
as the cars came off the corner. He was unable to make up
the crucial spot to gain a top-five, but brought home yet
another top-10 for the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford.
As for the points, Kenseth now leads second-place Dale
Earnhardt, Jr. by 228 points. He only needs to finish 30th
or better in the final two races of 2003 to clinch the
title.
Afterward, Kenseth shared his thoughts about the race and
the final two races with reporters:
“I couldn’t be happier. We ran competitively all day.
We had a car that maybe couldn’t have won, but if we would
have been up front, I think we would have been tough to
beat. We haven’t run as good the last few weeks and it
feels good to come out and run competitively and at least
have a car that if it was in the right position would have a
shot to win. It was real competitive all day, so it feels
real good.”
THERE WERE A LOT OF CAUTIONS.
“That was good. The
car was good on restarts. We were lucky there at the end
because we didn’t pit. That was a good call by Robbie. We
needed short runs because of having old tires and we got
what we needed at the end.”
HOW FRUSTRATING HAVE THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS BEEN?
“It
really hasn’t been that frustrating. Atlanta could have
been much worse. We had problems and still got a good finish
out of it, so it really hasn’t been that frustrating.
Yeah, you want to run up front every week, but this is a
very competitive sport and that’s tough to do each and
every week, so I was happy to come back here and be
competitive again. I feel great going to Rockingham. We’ve
had great cars there in the past and I look forward to going
there next week and hopefully have a shot to win.”
WITH TWO RACES LEFT DO YOU GET A SENSE OF WHAT MIGHT BE
AHEAD?
“Yeah, I’m pretty excited now that we’re
out of here. We’ve got two races to go. I don’t know
where we need to finish to be able to win the thing really.
Obviously, the 8 gained a few points on us, but where we
need to finish is probably a pretty reasonable number.
Unless we break stuff or crash, I think it’s real
attainable, so I feel good about that. Obviously, it’s not
over till it’s over, but I feel great about where we’re
at with two races to go.”
WILL YOU THINK ABOUT THE TITLE MORE?
“Kind of. I
mean, I’ll probably think about it a little bit more this
week just because we did get out of here with a good finish
and there are only two races to go and we have a real
healthy lead. I feel great about it right now. It can never
be enough, but I feel good about it. I had a real
competitive car today and I owe it all to my team.”
DOES THIS TAKE MORE PRESSURE OFF?
“I think it takes
a lot of pressure off. If we would have gotten out of here
with a 25th or 30th-place finish and they would have gained
a bunch of points on us, that would have put a lot more
pressure on us. So this was real good. There is still
pressure. There are still two races to go, but it will be a
lot easier going to Rockingham and Homestead knowing we don’t
have to finish quite as high.”
YOU RACED MICHAEL HARD THERE AT THE END.
“I started
racing him and ended up getting us farther behind, so I just
let him go and I followed him until there were two laps to
go. I tried to make a real hard charge at him, but he got
such a good run off the corner that I needed all that room
to get off the corner. We were going to wreck if I tried any
harder and that was just all I could do.”
November
2, 2003
Kenseth to take part in Pennzoil ‘Super Team’ in 2004
BGN Racing
Pennzoil and Roush Racing Announce
Partnership: Program Involves all Roush NASCAR Teams,
features Busch Grand National Series Return of Mark Martin
(Phoenix — 2 November 2003)
Acting to position Pennzoil
motor oil squarely at the forefront of NASCAR competition,
Roush Racing and Pennzoil have announced a lubrication
sponsorship and technology partnership across all Roush
Racing teams in all NASCAR series.
The program will include Pennzoil participation and
associate identification on all Roush Racing NASCAR Nextel
Cup (NNC) teams, beginning with the Daytona 500 in 2004.
Additionally, Roush Racing will feature a special Pennzoil
design and paint scheme on the #16 Greg Biffle NNC entry at
Pocono Raceway next June.
Capping the sponsorship announcement was the news that
Mark Martin, the winningest driver in the history of the
NASCAR Busch Grand National (BGN) Series will ‘unretire’
to race the Pennzoil colors as part of a three driver Busch
Series ‘Pennzoil Super Team’ consisting of Martin, Matt
Kenseth and Jeff Burton. The three drivers will combine to
race different Pennzoil entries in nine BGN events during
2004, beginning with Mark Martin at Daytona in February.
“To say that we are thrilled at the prospects this
relationship provides for Pennzoil would be a tremendous
understatement,” said Andy Coccari, VP North American
Marketing, Shell Lubricants, in making the announcement. “We
are proud of Pennzoil’s heritage in all forms of auto
racing, and this partnership with Roush Racing promises to
add some more hardware to our trophy collection. Our
customers and trade partners have already given us a big ‘thumbs
up’, and we look forward to kicking things off at
Speedweeks in Daytona next February.”
The Pennzoil-Roush partnership draws on Pennzoil’s
advanced lubrication technologies, and will provide Roush
Racing with not just lubrication products but also with the
expertise to maximize the performance side of the
engineering equation.
“You know I’m still an engineer at heart,”
commented Jack Roush, “and I am really excited about
working hand-in-hand with a lubricant partner across all our
teams to maximize our performance on the racetrack each and
every weekend. Coincidentally, my first sponsor all the way
back in my drag racing days was Pennzoil, so you might say
this is a ‘homecoming’ for all of us!”
Mark Martin was on hand to represent the Roush drivers at
the announcement, and was similarly enthused about the new
relationship. “Well, I can tell you that for me to come
back into the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series means that
I am confident that we can pick up where we left off … as
a highly competitive team that is capable of running up
front and winning races,” said Martin at the announcement.
“Pennzoil is part of that equation, Roush Racing is part
of that equation, and I can assure you that I will do
everything I can to hold up my end of that equation next
year. I’ve been looking to come back to the Busch series
and I’m excited to make that return with a great company
like Pennzoil... I can’t wait to get started.”
An announcement regarding the entire nine race ‘Pennzoil’
Busch Grand National Series schedule for Mark Martin, Matt
Kenseth and Jeff Burton will be made at a later time. Mark
Martin will kick off the 2004 BGN season at Daytona in a
Pennzoil Roush Ford.
This week’s
articles
•
Points
leader making all right moves
•
Kenseth
dances into Phoenix
•
Stewart
shares Kenseth's title-run pain
•
Kenseth
nears a clincher at Phoenix visit
•
Kenseth’s
rainy days and Mondays
•
Kenseth
has it all but wrapped up
•
Kenseth
should win points title
•
Kenseth
may finally top Dale Jr.
•
Kenseth
races for Cup, not Bobblehead
•
Rain
won’t stop Kenseth’s parade
•
Not
pretty, but Kenseth gets job done
•
Kenseth
exits with commanding lead
•
Kenseth
builds lead
•
Kenseth
adds to lead
•
Kenseth
does enough to stretch Winston Cup lead
•
Despite
issues, Kenseth adds to points lead
•
Despite
miserable day, Kenseth pads lead
•
Kenseth’s
crew chief cool as can be
•
Is
Kenseth’s title in doubt?
|