• 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

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. 

• 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

Kenseth crowned final Winston  Cup king Collects check of $5,138,640 from Winston as he is honored as the best in NASCAR

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

Nascar.com photo

• Nascar.com Monday Gallery
• Signature Racing Photos - Champ Week
• Signature Racing Photos - trophy pix

• 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?

Photo by Evelyn Rapp • More photos by Evelyn

Kenseth sets modern-era NASCAR record with 33 consecutive weeks at #1

• 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

• 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

• 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

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.

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.

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.

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.”

• 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”

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!

Pop 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.

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.”

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.

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