CONCORD, NC (June 30th, 2004) - Roush Racing driver Matt Kenseth will be featured in an upcoming public service announcement on behalf of major associate sponsor Smirnoff Ice. Set to film this weekend in Daytona, the spot will feature Kenseth in his Smirnoff Ice firesuit with his No. 17 Smirnoff Ice Ford in the background.

The commercial will be interspersed with shots from last year’s second Daytona race, where Kenseth earned his career best sixth place restrictor plate finish while driving the Smirnoff Ice Triple Black car. Matt then is captured up close extolling the virtues of drinking responsibly.

As Matt’s lines conclude, he states, “…this summer, whether you’re at a party or tailgating before a race, if you’re going to drink, I encourage you to ‘Be Smart, Drink Responsibly.’”

In each of Smirnoff Ice’s six races, the brand continuously hammers home their responsible drinking message. Earlier this year at the Charlotte race (where the Smirnoff Ice car debuted), Kenseth headed to downtown Charlotte, N.C., to offer bar patrons a safe ride home as part of one of the Smirnoff programs.

Later this year, Kenseth will once again team up with RADD, which stands for Recording Artists and Athletes Against Drunk Driving. During the Talladega race in October, Kenseth will receive money to be donated to the RADD cause for every lap he leads in the EA Sports 500.

Pepsi 400 • Saturday, July 3rd, 2004; 7:30 p.m. EDT
Daytona International Speedway • Daytona Beach, Fla.

Matt Kenseth performance summary at Daytona:

DATE	START	FINISH	LAPS	MONEY	STATUS
02/20/00	24	10	200/200	$198,196	Running
07/01/00	22	20	160/160	$55,480	Running
02/18/01	16	21	196/200	$136,584	Running
07/07/01	15	16	160/160	$61,875	Running
02/17/02	40	33	154/200	$147,662	Accident
07/06/02	38	30	154/160	$73,700	Running
02/16/03	35	20	109/109	$200,345	Running
7/5/03	37	6	160/160	$98,475	Running
2/15/04	12	9	200/200	$307,917	Running

SONOMA, CA (June 27th, 2004) — Admittedly, Roush Racing driver Matt Kenseth is on record as saying that road courses aren’t his favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon. However, Kenseth posted a respectable 20th place finish during the running of the Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway on Sunday.

The weekend wasn’t without its trials — even more so than a road course normally produces for Kenseth. During Saturday morning’s practice session, Kenseth lost control of his primary car and crashed heading into turn 10 on the tricky course. The culprit appeared to be a blown tire, which precipitated the accident. “I got a flat tire or something because the car just went straight. I really didn’t do anything funny,” Kenseth said. “It either had a flat tire or something broke in the front straight because the car never turned.” As a result, the team was forced to quickly thrash on the backup car in order to get some track time during Happy Hour. In addition, the team would have to start from the rear of the field, giving up a fifth place qualifying effort.

Rolling off the starting grid from the 39th position, the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford took to the 2.17–mile course, but barely had time to get going before the first of six caution flags waved for an incident involving Tony Stewart and Ward Burton. After another caution flag, Kenseth had worked his way up to 17th place when he had a minor tangle with the No. 15 car of Michael Waltrip. Kenseth took the opportunity to pit for fresh tires, but dropped to 36th in the running order.

Kenseth moved his way back up the track position ladder as the race neared the halfway point at lap 55. He was running in 17th once again when trouble once again found him. While attempting to execute a pass on the inside of Sterling Marlin, Kenseth entered turn seven with too much speed, sending him into a looping spin that collected both cars. The No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford sustained some heavy cosmetic damage to the left rear of the vehicle, but luckily, nothing vital broke in the melee.

By the time Kenseth got righted and headed onward, he had fallen back to 29th position. He took a much more cautious approach to the remainder of the day, and steadily began to creep back to the front of the running order, one carefully gained position at a time. After pitting on lap 67, crew chief Robbie Reiser knew the car could make it the rest of the way on fuel.

By staying out of trouble in the second half of the race, Kenseth picked up position after position as other cars either spun off the track, or worse yet — into each other. On a couple of the incidents, Kenseth was in the catbird seat and narrowly avoided disaster.

He was sitting in the 23rd position for much of the final third of the race, carefully picking his way around the tricky cornering of the 12-turn course. With just 10 laps remaining, Jeremy Mayfield spun his Dodge and nearly collected Ken Schrader. Kenseth coolly moved by both of them, picking up two spots.

With the laps winding down, Kenseth was stuck in 21st place and needed just one more spot for a top-20. Fortunately for the DEWALT team, Rusty Wallace’s No. 2 Dodge ran out of fuel on the final lap of the event, handing Kenseth 20th at the checkered flag.

“I’m really proud of my DEWALT team,” said Kenseth, following the event. “We got messed up there before final practice and the guys did a great job of getting the backup ready. The car was good all day, but those spins cost us a better finish. My hat is just off to these guys for how hard they worked all weekend long.”

After the Sonoma event, Kenseth still remains in the third spot in the NASCAR NEXTEL Chase for the Championship — now 232 out of first place Jimmie Johnson. Next week, the series heads to back to Daytona International Speedway for the Pepsi 400 night race at the superspeedway. The team will once again don the Smirnoff Ice colors for their second race of the year.

CONCORD, NC (June 22, 2004) — The long-awaiting new building for the Matt Kenseth Fan Club is set to open soon in Cambridge, Wisconsin. Construction is nearing completion on the new retail and memorabilia store set to become a new gateway to the town Kenseth grew up in.

“The doors will be open soon, but it’s not the official grand opening,” says Kelley Maruszewski, Matt’s sister and President of the Fan Club. “We’d like to do something probably later this fall when Matt can stop by and sign autographs and officially open the store,” says Maruszewski.

The building will serve as a retail store, the fan club headquarters, a home for www.mattkensethstore.com, and will showcase some of Matt Kenseth’s most memorable attributes of his career. His first ever race car will be there, a 1981 Chevrolet Camaro (No. 8, no less — how ironic). The car that he powered to his first ever Busch Grand National victory at Rockingham in 1998 will also be there. Finally, his Coca-Cola 600 winning car from 2000 will also sit in the museum section. It’s the car that took Kenseth to his first ever Cup victory in the spring event at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Maruszewski is excited about moving into the new digs soon. “For years, we’ve kept our base of operations at the family’s Village Video and Village Motel in Cambridge,” she says. “The new headquarters are going to be a great place to visit and stroll through Matt’s career accomplishments both on the Wisconsin short tracks all the way to his NEXTEL Cup successes.”

Dodge Save Mart 350 • Sunday, June 27, 2004; 2:00 p.m. EDT
Infineon Raceway • Sears Point, California

Matt Kenseth performance summary at Infineon:

DATE	START	FINISH	LAPS	MONEY	STATUS
06/25/00	38	32	110/112	$48,190	Running
06/24/01	20	21	112/112	$53,200	Running
06/23/02	6	39	90/110	$65,045	Running
6/22/03	4	14	110/110	$78,975	Running

“We’ve done a lot better as a team at road course races since I changed my mental approach to these type places. I used to hate going to them and I think it affected our results. When we buckled down and took a focused approach to them, I had my two best road course finishes last year, including a top-10 at Watkins Glen in August. I’m glad we tested a road course earlier this year — we usually save one test for them each time. I think we’ll be OK — we’ve got a brand new car and I’m anxious to find out what we have when we get there.”

“We’re bringing a new 2004 chassis [chassis 37]. We took our time building it right and we got a chance to test it at VIR, so I feel fairly confident that we have a plan for this weekend.”

BROOKLYN, MI (June 20th, 2004) — It took two weeks of frustrating finishes, but Matt Kenseth finally had a Matt Kenseth Style finish, coming home seventh in the No. 17 Carhartt Ford at Michigan International Speedway in the DHL 400. The car performed in the top-five for most of the day, but it was the over-the-wall pit crew that distinguished themselves, once again, as the best on pit road as they gained positions all day long.

Rolling off the starting grid in 18th place, Kenseth barely had time to size up his car before two simultaneous incidents slowed the race to a caution pace. Kenseth’s teammate Mark Martin’s car did not come up to speed as the green flag waved and Robbie Gordon spun on the backstretch, collecting two other cars in the process. After a quick restart on lap four, Kenseth went to work.

He moved the No. 17 Carhartt Ford up through the field to ninth place by lap 29, but complained that the car was a little bit loose entering the corners and massively tight off of them. Kenseth advanced one more spot to ninth before the second caution flag of the day flew on lap 33 of the 200-lap event. In just 14.05 seconds the crew got Kenseth off pit road — gaining him three spots in the process as he restarted from the sixth position on lap 38.

The No. 17 Carhartt Ford continued to come alive throughout the second run as Kenseth steadily but surely advanced on his competitors. By lap 47, he had taken over fifth. On lap 77, as a round of green flag pit stops began, Kenseth moved up to third, then second on lap 79. Crew Chief Robbie Reiser was determined to keep the No. 17 car out on the track to lead a lap before a regularly scheduled pit stop on lap 84. It worked to perfection as Kenseth took the point on lap 83.

On lap later, Kenseth pitted for four tires, gas and a track bar adjustment to loosen the car up. Kenseth had previously reported the car and the track had both become tighter as the day wore on.

After a lap 88 caution for a rare engine failure for Jeff Gordon, Kenseth took over third place, but gave that up when he pitted for four tires on lap 90. Returning to the track, Kenseth restarted in 12th place on lap 93 — but he was one of two cars that changed all four tires.

On the subsequent run, Kenseth moved back up the ladder to eighth place before the third caution period of the day flew on lap 115 -- this time for another blown motor. On lap 117, Kenseth roared down pit road and slid perfectly in the pit box. The over the wall pit crew ripped off a 12.87-second four tire stop that advanced Kenseth five positions from eighth to third on the track. “Awesome job, guys…we just picked up five spots,” radioed Kenseth to his crew.

On the lap 120 restart, it was Elliott Sadler, rookie Brendan Gaughan and Kenseth running 1-2-3. Four laps later, and Kenseth reported that the car was tight. “The right front is just plowing through the corner,” he radioed to Robbie Reiser. Kenseth fell back to sixth, then gained back fifth place before a lap 150 caution for debris on the backstretch. Reiser and Kenseth again elected for a four-tire stop — this time occurring in just 13.89-seconds with adjustments to the car.

Kenseth restarted in fourth on lap 155 and stayed out after the caution flag waved just three laps later. Kenseth fell back to fifth before the second to last caution flag on the day waved on lap 174 after the engine expired on Joe Nemechek’s car. Once again, Reiser and Kenseth agreed to pit for tires. The crew knocked off a 13.20-second four-tire stop, but not everyone on pit road elected to change all four tires. Kenseth restarted in 11th place on lap 177.

With the laps winding down, Kenseth put the car in overdrive, taking over the sixth position with just fourteen laps to go. While knocking on the door of a top-five finish, an accident occurred between Tony Stewart and teammate Greg Biffle on lap 193. NASCAR did manage to get the race going again this week, however, and Kenseth fell back one spot before crossing the line in seventh place.

“Overall we had a good day,” said Kenseth. “We had a top-five car but didn’t make the right adjustments on that last pit stop that would have helped us down the stretch. It feels good, though, we’ll take this finish,” he added.

After the top-ten finish to the day, Kenseth remained in the third spot in the NASCAR NEXTEL Chase for the Championship — but made up some points on new leader Jimmie Johnson. Kenseth now only trails first place by 180. Next week, the series heads to Infineon Raceway, for the circuit’s first road course race of the 2004 season.

CONCORD, NC (June 15, 2004) — Roush Racing driver Matt Kenseth will be driving a different looking car this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. This week, primary sponsorship of the No. 17 car goes to Carhartt. Carhartt is a 110-year old company specializing in the work wear industry. Many of the same customers who use DEWALT-based products are also wearing Carhartt work clothing.

Carhartt’s involvement in the sponsorship arena didn’t start in auto racing. In fact, it was far from it. Carhartt began some of their event marketing initiatives in the rodeo arena -- some of which still carries over today. However, their logo can be found prominently each week on the lower rear quarter panel of the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford on Sundays.

This marks the second time that Carhartt has taken over the primary sponsorship of the No. 17 Roush Racing entry. Previously, they owned the car during the running of the UAW-GM Teamwork 500 last fall at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Matt Kenseth finished that race in eighth place overall, stopping a two-race skid of 33rd or worse en route to his eventual championship.

“I think the car looks really cool,” said Kenseth. “They got some great corporate colors and the barbed wire decals are a big hit with everyone else,” he added. Kenseth recently finished a studio session for Carhartt’s 2004 promotional photography. And not a moment too soon with the June 20th race right around the corner.

“I hope we put up a really good finish for them,” said Kenseth. “Like Roush Industries, Carhartt is a Michigan-based company, right up the road in Dearborn. They’re going to have a lot of guests there and I want to give them something to cheer about,” he added.

Michigan Pre-Race Notes

Michigan 400 • Sunday, June 20th, 2004; 1:30 p.m. EDT
Michigan International Speedway • Brooklyn, Michigan

Matt Kenseth performance summary at Michigan

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
08/18/02	21	11	200/200	$65,340	Running
6/15/03	21	4	200/200	$93,275	Running
8/17/03	33	9	200/200	$76,540	Running

Matt Kenseth on Pocono Raceway:

“I think Michigan is about as good an example of multi-groove racetracks that we go to on the circuit. The turns are pretty sweeping and you have different lines you can choose throughout the day depending on how the handling affects the car. I have always liked Michigan and I’m anxious to see how this new tire package will affect the times falling off during our runs. Chassis handling will be the key here, unlike last year, when it seemed like fuel mileage was all that counted. It is important, but hopefully it won’t come down to that.”

“We’re bringing [chassis] 34. It’s been a great car for us. We used it at California and got us a top-five out of the deal and that’s the least we’re expecting here this weekend. These guys are pretty pumped up right now about getting another win.”

• Kenseth remains third in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings after a 21st place finish at Pocono Raceway one week ago. He is now 224 points out of first place. Kenseth has spent 49 straight weeks inside the “NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top 10” — the longest active streak.

• The No. 17 DEWALT Tools team will be bringing chassis #34 to Michigan. This is the same car that the team used previously this year in California, where Matt placed fourth.

• This weekend, the No. 17 Ford will sport a Carhartt paint scheme, as one of the team’s largest associate sponsors takes over the primary role. Headquartered in nearby Dearborn, Mich., Carhartt (established 110 years ago) manufactures the most rugged, high quality workwear on the market.

• In past events at Michigan, Kenseth has one victory (2002), three top-fives and five top-10’s in nine starts at the two-mile track. He has led in three events here.

POCONO, PA (June 13, 2004) — For the second week in a row, the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford seemed headed for a great finish, this time at Pocono Raceway for the Pocono 500. And, for the second week in a row, that finish evaporated just as the laps counted the most. After trading spinouts with fellow competitor Kevin Harvick, Kenseth ended up 21st in the final rundown — the last car on the lead lap. Harvick was scored 20th, just ahead of Kenseth and both drivers and crew chiefs were called to the NASCAR trailer following the event.

Rolling off the starting grid from the 15th place, Kenseth battled a loose race car. It was a theme that would continue throughout the day — the car just refused to tighten up to Kenseth’s liking. By lap seven, Kenseth reported that the car was handling very differently from the previous day’s Happy Hour session. Before he could settle into a run, Kenseth radioed on lap 19 that he felt as if he had a loose wheel on the rear of the car.

The No. 17 car dove onto pit road solo on lap 20. Crew chief Robbie Reiser used the opportunity to adjust on the car with changes to the track bar and the addition of wedge to help the car turn in the corners. Three laps later, running in 39th position, Kenseth radioed, “I’ve got good news — the car is better, it’s just loose off now.”

Having pitted sooner than the field, Reiser used the run to set up a short pit strategy on the day. As the leaders ducked onto pit road for their service, Kenseth actually worked his way all the way to sixth place by lap 40 of the event. The team caught another caution just as they were going to have to make another off-sequence pit stop to the field. It was just the break the team needed at the time.

Kenseth restarted in 12th position, but couldn’t make much headway as the run went on. Having packed the car with fuel, however, Robbie Reiser and Matt Kenseth conspired to stay out on the track the longest in order to lead a lap when the others began a round of green flag pit stops on lap 89. It worked as Kenseth went to the front and led lap 98. After finally pitting and when the sequence finished, Kenseth was back in 17th place on lap 105, just past the halfway point.

Kenseth continued to report that the car was loose in both corners one and two, but that his handling in the tunnel turn was near perfect. Following a lap 120 caution, Robbie Reiser began to plot a pit strategy to have Kenseth end the race with just one more green flag stop. He had Kenseth pit in succession to top off the fuel tank all the way to lap 126, following their regular pit stop under caution. As the final car on the lead lap, they had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Between laps 136 and 153, Kenseth climbed from 19th to 12th and he reported that the car was the best it had been all day. As the field slowed for the sixth caution of the day, Reiser kept Kenseth out on the track. He was listed in third, then the two cars ahead of him pitted the next time around, handing Kenseth the lead on lap 157 for the second time on the day. Kenseth and Reiser wanted to be certain about their ability to finish the race without running out of gas, so he came down pit road on lap 161 for four tires and fuel. The calculations said it would be close. What the team didn’t count on were another four caution periods in the final 40 laps.

By lap 166, Kenseth was running in 12th and unable to make up positions due to the relatively short runs between caution flags. It was under the final caution of the day on lap 195 that things got very weird for the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford. Kenseth and Harvick were battling hard for 10th place out on the track just before the caution flag waved. They were both in the tunnel turn as Harvick and Kenseth went back and forth for position with each other.

As the cars slowed to take the caution flag for the 196th lap, Harvick spun Kenseth’s car coming out of turn four. Kenseth quickly got the car under control and took off to get his position back — seeing that this supposedly occurred under the caution lights. When it looked as if NASCAR wasn’t going to red flag the race, or give the position back for that matter, Kenseth returned the favor on Harvick as the teams were heading to the flag stand to cross under lap 197.

The race would never go green again, much to the fans utter dismay. A loud chorus of boos and some debris rained down from the stands, however NASCAR was past the point of finishing the race under green when they completed the 195th lap.

Despite the finish to the day, Kenseth remained in the third spot in the NASCAR NEXTEL Chase for the Championship — trailing leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 224 points. Next week the series heads to Michigan International Speedway, where Kenseth finished 4th in last year’s event.

CONCORD, NC (June 8th, 2004) — This past weekend, Matt Kenseth pulled double duty at Dover International Speedway -- running in both the NEXTEL Cup and Busch Grand National Series. This week before Pocono, Matt plans on pulling another kind of double duty…for sponsor appearances.

Earlier this year, DEWALT planned its Employee Appreciation Day for Wednesday, June 9th and that has been on the schedule ever since. But, Kenseth also had a standing agreement to do an appearance for associate sponsor, GE LEXAN on Monday. Because the Busch Grand National race was rained out Saturday and ran on Monday, Kenseth had to postpone. He is now set to handle that appearance immediately following the DEWALT Day.

“The Employee Day for DEWALT is kind of a special deal for their employees at the headquarters,” says Kenseth. “I remember last year, it got cancelled at the last minute due to some severe weather in the Baltimore area, so I know these folks are going to be even more excited to attend this year,” he added. DEWALT plans to haul out their replica of the 2003 Winston Cup trophy and have employees pose with it and Kenseth. An autograph session and a lunch are also on the agenda.

As soon as the Employee Day ends around 1 p.m. EDT, Kenseth will continue on to the westernmost edge of Massachusetts -- Pittsfield to be exact to complete the makeup appearance on behalf of GE LEXAN. It’s scheduled to be an autograph session and a meet and greet.

Two appearances in one day is actually all in a day’s work for Kenseth -- who is becoming accustomed to a jammed calendar following his championship last year.

Matt Kenseth performance summary at Pocono Raceway

DATE	START	FINISH	LAPS	MONEY	STATUS
06/19/00	29	14	200/200	$48,665	Running
07/23/00	24	5	200/200	$71,590	Running
06/17/01	31	6	200/200	$59,715	Running
07/29/01	24	14	200/200	$46,840	Running
06/09/02	4	35	161/200	$53,865	Running
07/28/02	22	8	175/175	$64,765	Running
06/15/03	25	3	200/200	$109,870	Running
7/27/03	9	13	200/200	$68,590	Running

Matt Kenseth on Pocono Raceway:

“Pocono has been a pretty good track for us lately -- we should have had both races in the top-five last year but we got caught up in a fuel mileage game at the end of the second race. We’ve got some great notes at this place and I think we’ll be able to bring home a decent finish for this DEWALT team. Last week was a tough break for us, but we have to move on and concentrate on doing the best job we can this week.”

Robbie Reiser on Pocono Raceway:

“We’re bringing probably our most familiar car here this weekend. Ol’ 20 has quite a story behind it. It’s won both Vegas races [2003 & 2004] and it’s our best flat track car. It’s also the same car that got destroyed at Kansas in practice last year, but Matt had us rebuild it for him. It’s already paid off for us and I hope it does again this weekend.”

Notable Notes

• Kenseth remained third in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup standings despite a bitterly disappointing 22nd place finish at Dover one week ago. He is now 179 points out of first place. Kenseth has spent 48 straight weeks inside the “NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Top 10” -- the longest active streak.

• The No. 17 DEWALT Tools team will be bringing chassis #20 to Pocono Raceway. This is the same car that won both Las Vegas races (2003 & 2004).

• In past events at Pocono, Matt Kenseth has two top-fives and four top-tens in 8 starts at the triangular 2.5-mile track. He has led in four events here.

DOVER, DE (June 6, 2004) — What was looking like a certain top-five finish for the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford was dashed just 18 laps from the finish line as Matt Kenseth was running in the third position. In a confusing and devastating turn of events for two of the front runners at that point, both Kenseth and then leader Kasey Kahne slid in oil left over from another car’s blown engine and both ended up into the outside retaining wall with cars too damaged to continue. Kenseth climbed from the car and watched as his crew tried valiantly to get his damaged car back out onto the track in the final laps. The crew ran out of time and the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford had to settle for a 22nd place finish.

The day was going to be a challenge to begin with, as Kenseth rolled off the starting grid from the 38th spot, his first provisional start of the 2004 season. Under cloudy skies, the MBNA “Salute to Heroes” 400, got underway. Kenseth cautiously crept up a few positions, but it wasn’t until the second caution period of the day that pit strategy vaulted the team into the top-10 running order. After topping off the gas tank on a lap 17 pit stop, crew chief Robbie Reiser kept the No. 17 DEWALT Tools car on the racetrack instead of pitting under the third caution of the day -- a mandatory NASCAR stop--on lap 30.

Kenseth restarted the race from seventh position on lap 37 of the 400-lap event. Complaining that the car was tight all the way throughout the corners, he fell slightly back in the running order until moving up to sixth place overall on lap 100. Just seven laps later, another caution flag allowed the team to adjust on the car and following a 14.80-second stop, Kenseth restarted the race on the subsequent lap 114 restart from the eighth position.

The handle on the car immediately went away as Kenseth reported that they went too low on the tire air pressures. The car backslid all the way to 18th by lap 27. By then, the tire pressure rose as the tires built up pressure during their heat cycle. Kenseth began to rebound on lap 132. By the halfway point of the race, Kenseth was running just outside the top-10 running order in 12th place.

Following a lap 223 pit stop, it was Kenseth’s pit crew that would vault him back into the top-10 running order following a 13.80-second stop for four tires. At the time, four of the five Roush cars were lined up nose-to-tail on the track from seventh place all the way back to 11th. Mark Martin led the way (he would eventually win the event for his 34th overall victory), Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton and Kenseth. Biffle was running 19th on the same lap 237 restart.

Kenseth quickly reported that the car was still too tight off the corner, but that he had started out loose on the run. On lap 312 of the 400-lap event, the crew got a chance to adjust on the car again as Kenseth dove down pit road for service. On the lap 319 restart -- the 12 car of Ryan Newman spun at the pit road entrance, leaving a confusing lineup situation for NASCAR to sort out. Several lead lap cars had not pitted (neither had Newman), so only four cars were shown on the lead lap -- and one of them was Kenseth. Things were beginning to look bright.

It took NASCAR 25 caution laps to sort out the lineup disputes and when they finally dropped the green flag, everything broke loose in turn three as two cars running up front tangled in front of the entire field. Kenseth masterfully drove high, then low to avoid a spinning Dave Blaney. Behind him, car after car plowed into each other as they all piled into one another, completely blocking the track in turns three and four. Kenseth was scored the fourth place car when the event was shown the first of two red flags in the final 53 laps.

When the cars got rolling again, Kenseth used the occasion to pick up four new tires without losing any position. Only five cars were now on the lead lap with under 50 laps to go -- and Kenseth had enough fuel to make it the rest of the way.

There was one more caution period as Rusty Wallace slapped the wall in turn two. Kenseth again pitted for four tires to give him the best chance to run down the leaders. It should have worked if given the entire race to work itself out. At the time, the first and second place cars stayed out on the track. Both Kenseth (running fourth) and Tony Stewart (running third) pitted for four tires.

On lap 380 of 400, NASCAR dropped the green flag again. One lap later, the engine seemed to be expiring on the No. 41 car of Casey Mears. No yellow flag was thrown for a lap and then leader Kasey Kahne slid in turn one and slammed hard into the turn two wall. Kenseth followed just a few car lengths behind and his day was all too suddenly over -- just 18 laps from the finish.

The race was red flagged for the second time and Kenseth was understandably upset with the circumstances, voicing his displeasure with the outcome. He prefaced his comments with the following: “…this probably isn’t the best time for me to be speaking with the media…”

He then offered the following: “…a car blew up half a lap before we got to the turn and they never threw a caution. They just let it go green until we all rode down in there and wrecked.”

Despite the stinging finish to the day, Kenseth remained in the third spot in the NASCAR NEXTEL Chase for the Championship -- trailing leader Dale Earnhardt, Jr. by 179 points. Next week, the series heads to Pocono Raceway, where Kenseth finished 3rd in last year’s Pennsylvania 500 event.

CONCORD, NC (June 2, 2004) — This weekend the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series returns to Dover International Speedway — otherwise known as Matt Kenseth’s favorite track on the entire circuit. “I don’t know why, I’ve just always liked Dover,” said Kenseth recently. “I like the speed you carry into the corners and how your car hooks up on the straightaway when it’s handling right.” His record at the track known as the “Monster Mile” isn’t too shabby, either. In ten starts, he has three top-fives and six top-10 finishes.

For those supreme Kenseth trivia buffs, he has one career pole position in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Where did it happen? It was none other than Dover, in June of 2002. Knowing Kenseth’s qualifying struggles, this was a monumental occasion.

Continuing with the trivia, Dover International Speedway was also the site of Matt Kenseth’s first ever Cup series start, in September of 1998. When NASCAR legend Bill Elliott’s father passed away and Elliott had to attend the funeral, he tapped Kenseth to replace him in the race. Driving the No. 94 “Big Mac” Ford for sponsor McDonalds, Kenseth strapped in on his way into the history books.

“That was a great day for me, career-wise and personally,” says Kenseth. “I remember that Mike Beam was the crew chief on the car and he told me before the race began not to worry about anything — that we were just going to go out there and have some fun. It’s exactly what happened. I don’t know what I expected out of the day when it began, but as the laps were winding down, I was running second behind my mentor, Mark Martin. That was a really special moment for me.”

As most Kenseth fans know, he shocked the NASCAR world that day, finishing sixth in his first official start. It added another reason in Matt’s mind to take such a liking to the one-mile track. The only thing that has eluded him so far is a victory in the Cup Series.

“We’ve won a couple of Busch races there and I always seem to run good, but for whatever reason, we haven’t closed the deal there in the Cup side,” offers Kenseth.

Perhaps this weekend will change that. Kenseth is coming off four straight top-five finishes and a victory in the All-Star race.

Visit our photos page for more images of his Cup debut.

Matt Kenseth performance summary at Dover

DATE	START	FINISH	LAPS	MONEY	STATUS
09/20/98*	16	6	400/400	$42,340	Running
09/26/99	13	4	400/400	$51,160	Running
06/04/00	26	2	400/400	$119,755	Running
09/23/00	31	12	399/400	$64,440	Running
06/03/01