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Talladega Pre-Race Notes
April 29, 2005
Aaron’s 499 •
Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama
Sunday, May 1, 2005 • Sunday at 12:30 pm/e on Fox
Matt
Kenseth’s Cup Series performance summary at
Talladega
| Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
04/16/00 |
42 |
18 |
187/188 |
Running |
|
10/15/00 |
36 |
10 |
188/188 |
Running |
|
04/22/01 |
40 |
19 |
188/188 |
Running |
|
10/21/01 |
24 |
4 |
188/188 |
Running |
|
04/21/02 |
37 |
30 |
180/188 |
Running |
|
10/06/02 |
8 |
14 |
188/188 |
Running |
|
04/06/03 |
27 |
9 |
188/188 |
Running |
|
09/28/03 |
37 |
33 |
158/188 |
Engine |
|
04/25/04 |
31 |
42 |
59/188 |
Engine |
|
10/03/04
|
7 |
14 |
188/188 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth Cup Series totals at Phoenix
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles
|
|
Cumulative |
10 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
Matt Kenseth on racing at Talladega Superspeedway
“There’s nothing quite like racing at Talladega
and Daytona, where the draft is so important and the
racing is so close. I’ve yet to get a win in a
restrictor plate race and that’s definitely
something that I want to do. I’ve been lucky and
managed to stay out of the huge wrecks for the most
part at Talladega. If we can do that this weekend,
hopefully we can post a strong finish. I figure our
luck has to turn around sometime.”
Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Talladega
Superspeedway
“I’m confident in the engine we’ll be bringing to
Talladega. We had engine trouble at Daytona this
year, but I’m not concerned about it. The other
Roush teams didn’t have the trouble we did, and I
know the Roush-Yates motors are strong. A lot of
what happens at Talladega is out of your control.
You have to hope you don’t get caught up in any
trouble, and you must use pit strategy to put
yourself in a good position for the end of the
race.”
Roush Racing Fast Facts
n
Matt Kenseth has one top-five and three
top-ten finishes at Talladega.
n
Matt Kenseth has led at least one lap in
eight of his 10 starts at Talladega.
n
The No. 17 team will be bringing car number
40 to Talladega next weekend. This is the same car
that ran for the first time in the fall race at
Talladega last year, which Kenseth drove to a
14th-place finish.
Another cut tire results in
42nd-place finish for Kenseth
April 23, 2005
AVONDALE, AZ (April 23, 2005) — The string of bad
luck continued to haunt Matt Kenseth and the No. 17
DEWALT team as another cut tire sent Kenseth into the
wall, and home with a 42nd-place finish in the Subway
Fresh 500. The weekend looked promising for the No.
17, as both driver and team were pleased with the car’s
performance during practice sessions leading up to the
season’s first start under the lights at the Phoenix
International Raceway. Kenseth started the race in the
17th position after a decent qualifying run, and ran in
the top-ten for most of the laps Kenseth was able to
complete before “it” happened again. Rolling off 17th,
Kenseth moved into the top ten by lap 31. The car was
loose and Kenseth’s chief complaint with the car was the
brakes, yet he continued to move up through the field.
The second caution of the evening flew on lap 65, and
Kenseth brought the No. 17 DEWALT Ford in for service
and adjustments. The crew dropped the air pressure on
all four tires and put a half turn of wedge into the
left rear, in an attempt to improve the loose condition
of the racecar. Kenseth radioed to his crew on lap 83
that he didn’t sense much improvement after the pit
stop, and when the third caution slowed the field on lap
131, Kenseth brought the No. 17 down pit road again. During this stop, the crew made another air pressure
adjustment and also made a track bar adjustment. It
would be a while before Kenseth would be able to
determine if the adjustments were what he needed as a
red flag stopped the field on lap 142 because of a
computer problem with NASCAR timing and scoring. The
field took the green flag again on lap 142 with Kenseth
in the 5th position. Kenseth indicated that the car was
still loose, but was able to run in the top five. Then, at lap 165, running 6th and without warning, the
right front tire went out, sending Kenseth hard into the
wall in turn 3. “It’s bad, Robbie, it’s really bad,”
Kenseth radioed to crew chief Robbie Reiser, describing
the condition of the No. 17. Kenseth drove the heavily
damaged car into the garage and, after inspection by the
crew, had to retire the No. 17 for the night. “I took
a hard hit tonight,” said Kenseth after crawling from
the car, “but I’m OK. I can’t say the same for the car,
though. It’s done. It’s unfortunate. The car wasn’t
perfect but it was good, and we were working on it. I
really think we could have come out of here with at
least a top-five finish, but our string of bad luck this
season just continues to linger. It has to break
sometime. I just hope it’s soon.” The No. 17 DEWALT
Ford will be back in action next weekend at the
Talladega Superspeedway, the second restrictor plate
race of the 2005 season.
Kenseth runs construction industry
themed paint schemes in 2005
April 21, 2005
PHOENIX, AZ (April 21, 2005) — You won’t see the
familiar black and yellow “killer bee” paint scheme on
the No. 17 DEWALT Ford Taurus every weekend in 2005. In
addition to longtime sponsor DEWALT, Matt Kenseth and
the No. 17 will also sport the colors of Trex, Carhartt
and USG this season.
The No. 17 USG Sheetrock Brand Ford debuted its’ blue
and red colors early in the 2005 season in the Auto Club
500 at California Speedway. Sheetrock Brand is just one
of many wall, ceiling and floor products and systems
manufactured by USG. The No. 17 will carry the USG
primary paint scheme in two additional races this
season, the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis and the Bass
Pro Shops MBNA 500 in Atlanta.
In the Golden Corral 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway
last month, the No. 17 traded its’ characteristic yellow
in for silver for the single running in the 2005 season
of the No. 17 Trex Decking & Railing Ford. Trex is the
nation’s leading brand in composite decking and railing.
The spring Atlanta entry featured a silver and black
paint scheme.
Rounding out the construction industry based theme on
the No. 17 is Carhartt, manufacturer of premium workwear.
The burnt copper and black Ford Taurus will make its’
debut at Darlington in two weeks. Carhartt will be
featured as the primary paint scheme in two more races
this year, in Michigan in June and at Lowe’s Motor
Speedway in October.
Phoenix Pre-Race Notes
April 20, 2005
Subway Fresh 500 •
Phoenix International Raceway, Arizona
Saturday, April
23, 2005 • 7:30 pm (ET)
Matt
Kenseth’s Cup Series performance summary at
Phoenix
| Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
11/05/00 |
12 |
42 |
53/312 |
Crash |
|
10/28/01 |
38 |
4 |
312/312 |
Running |
|
11/10/02 |
28 |
1 |
312/312 |
Running |
|
11/02/03 |
37 |
6 |
312/312 |
Running |
|
11/07/04 |
16 |
36 |
280/315 |
Engine |
Matt Kenseth Cup Series totals at Phoenix
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles
|
|
Cumulative |
5 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
Matt Kenseth on racing at Phoenix International Raceway:
“We’ve had some success at Phoenix and I’m
looking forward to racing under the lights for the
first time there this weekend. We won the race in
2002 with this same car, so hopefully we can finish
up-front this weekend.”
Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Phoenix
International Raceway:
“We’re bringing car number 23 to Phoenix, which
is a famous car around the shop. We’ve won with this
car twice and it runs well each and every time we
take it out. I’m looking forward to Phoenix. We have
a good record there and I think we’ll have a good
weekend.”
Fast Facts
n
Matt Kenseth won the Cup event at Phoenix
International Raceway in 2002.
n
Kenseth will be running chassis number 23
this weekend in Phoenix. This car won at Richmond
and Phoenix in 2002.
n
Matt Kenseth has three top-ten finishes in
his five starts at Phoenix.
Matt Kenseth finishes 18th at Texas
April 17, 2005
FORT WORTH, TX (April 17, 2005) — Matt Kenseth posted
a disappointing 18th-place finish after running as high
as third in the Samsung/RadioShack 500 at the Texas
Motor Speedway on Sunday. A loose condition late in the
race gave Kenseth all he could handle out of the No. 17,
and Kenseth had to focus on keeping it on the track. After lackluster performances in the three practice
sessions held Friday and Saturday, Kenseth qualified in
the 39th starting position. The team, having little to
lose in starting positions, changed the transmission in
the No. 17 prior to the race. Kenseth moved quickly up
through the field after the green flag waved over the
pack. The No. 17 gained fifteen positions in the first
fifteen laps, rising to the 24th position by lap 15.
Kenseth radioed to his crew on lap 19 that the car was
“too tight on exit” and that it “pushed all the way out”
of the corners. The DEWALT crew addressed that
condition when the third caution of the day came on lap
22. The No. 17 came to pit road for service and
adjustments, receiving four fresh tires and air pressure
and track bar adjustments. The crew completed the stop
in just 13.2 seconds. When the fourth caution of the day
slowed the field on lap 31, Kenseth advised his crew
that the No. 17 was a lot freer on exit from the
corners, as a result of their first pit stop. The
DEWALT team pitted again during the caution period
brought out on lap 77 for debris. Kenseth had radioed to
his crew a few laps prior that the No. 17 was free in
and out of the corners and tight in the center. This
would be a condition Kenseth would fight most of the
day. To address it, the team made air pressure and wedge
adjustments in a stop completed in 13.6 seconds. The No.
17 gained two spots on pit road, coming in seventh, and
restarting the race in the fifth position. The DEWALT
crew continued to make adjustments to the car throughout
the day. Kenseth brought the No. 17 in for service
during the caution period brought out on lap 122, again
for debris on the racetrack. Again, the crew made wedge
and air pressure adjustments, completing the stop in
just 13.0 seconds and gaining three positions on pit
road. Having come down pit road in the seventh spot,
Kenseth restarted the race in the fourth position on lap
127. Kenseth took over third on lap 129, which would be
the highest the No. 17 would run all day. A long green
flag run took over the field for approximately fifty
laps before a round of green flag pit stops began.
Kenseth, thinking of those valuable bonus points,
elected to stay out while the cars in front of him
pitted to gain five points for leading a lap. Telling
his crew that the No. 17 was “still loose in and tight
in the middle,” Kenseth made his green flag stop on lap
188, receiving four fresh tires. He restarted the race
in the 9th position. The seventh caution of the day
flew on lap 210 with Kenseth running eighth. The crew
made another wedge adjustment and gave Kenseth four
fresh tires during their stop on pit road, but the team
would make their first mistakes on pit road this time.
The No. 17 came into the pit box too far up and the team
had to push the car back, costing valuable seconds on
pit road. Then, and as a total surprise to Kenseth,
NASCAR officials determined that Kenseth was too fast
exiting pit road and the No. 17 was penalized to start
at the end of the longest line on the restart. Kenseth
took the green flag in the 19th position after the
penalty. More bad news was to follow for the No. 17 as
the car developed an extremely loose condition. On lap
251 Kenseth said the car was “so loose in the corners”
he could hardly hold onto it and, on lap 269, declared
that the car was “unbelievably, out of control, going to
wreck loose!” The crew continued to make adjustments to
the car but it was never as good as in the beginning of
the race and Kenseth finished the race in the 18th
position. “Frustrating,” said Kenseth after the race,
“In the first half of the race the car was tight in the
middle and I had trouble turning, especially in traffic.
Then, at the end, it was so loose I could barely hang
onto it. We made adjustments all day but we never quite
caught up. I’m disappointed in the finish, as we’ve had
some good runs here in Texas in the past. But we’ll put
this one behind us and try again next week.” Kenseth
maintained his position in the championship point
standings, remaining in the 21st spot, after his
18th-place finish today. The No. 17 DEWALT Ford will
be back in action at Phoenix International Raceway next
weekend under the lights.
Kenseth finishes seventh in
O’Reilly 300 at Texas
April 16, 2005
FORT WORTH, TX (April 16, 2005) — Continuing his
string of top-ten finishes in the 2005 Busch Series,
Matt Kenseth drove the No. 17 Waste Management Ford to a
seventh–place finish in the O’Reilly 300 at the Texas
Motor Speedway on Saturday. Starting from the 21st
position, Kenseth quickly radioed to his crew after the
green flag waved over the field that he was dealing with
a loose race car. The loose condition of the car made it
difficult to turn. When the first of nine cautions
slowed the field on lap 27, Kenseth brought the No. 17
down pit road for service. The crew made a half turn in
the left rear spring, added one pound of air to the left
side tires and changed tires, putting on four scuff
tires, in an effort to stabilize the car. Running in the
12th position when the caution flew, Kenseth restarted
the race in the 11th position on lap 32. Kenseth
continued to move up through the field and, by lap 94,
had moved into the 4th position. The team then made a
scheduled green flag pit stop and made another wedge
adjustment and gave Kenseth four fresh sticker tires. He
rejoined the field in the 11th position. Again, Kenseth
raced into the top-ten and by lap 134 reclaimed the 4th
position. Kenseth advised his crew, however, that “the
car is as loose as I can stand it – I can’t go any
faster, it won’t turn.” The No. 17 was pretty good in
clean air, but in its’ loose condition, did not run as
well in traffic. That became the problem in the end,
as a late caution slowed the field on lap 193.
Restarting on lap 198, there was little time to advance
to the front and with the loose condition of the No. 17,
the congestion of the restart was too much for Kenseth
to overcome. “You guys did an awesome job today. I’m
sorry I couldn’t get more out of it. The stops were
great, we just didn’t have the car to beat today. But
I’m proud of you guys. The team is really coming
together. We’ll get ‘em next time,” Kenseth said over
the radio to his crew, after the race. Kenseth will
again be behind the wheel of the No. 17 Waste Management
Ford in Darlington, South Carolina, on Friday, May 6,
under the lights.
Matt Kenseth finishes ninth in IROC
Race
April 15, 2005
FORT WORTH, TX (April 15, 2005) — Matt Kenseth, in
addition to competing in the NASCAR Busch and Cup races
this weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway, participated
in the second of four IROC events to be held in 2005 on
Friday night. Kenseth, the defending 2004 Crown Royal
IROC Champion, raced alongside eleven other champion
racers from various series, including the Champ Car
World Series, the IRL IndyCar Series and the World of
Outlaws. Kenseth finished in the 9th position after
falling back through the field after some early contact.
Kenseth’s ninth-place finish drops him two positions in
the IROC standings, from second to fourth. Roush Racing
teammate Mark Martin retains the points lead with his
second place finish at Texas. The leader of the points
standings at the end of the fourth race will receive
$1,000,000.
The Crown Royal IROC Series will hold its’ next event at
the Richmond International Raceway in September. The
final race will be held at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in
October.
Edwards joins Kenseth at Kaukauna
April 14, 2005
(Cambridge, WI) — Roy Kenseth, Promoter of RK Race
Promotions has announced that NASCAR Nextel Cup driver
Carl Edwards will be competing in the Factory Motor
Parts/AC Delco All-Star Challenge event. The event will
take place on Tuesday, June 21st at Wisconsin
International Raceway in Kaukauna. Edwards, along with
fellow Roush driver and 2003 NASCAR Champion Matt
Kenseth, will be competing in a 100-lap Wisconsin
Challenge Series event. In 2004, Edwards had three wins,
nine top-five and 10 top-10 finishes while finishing
fourth in the overall NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Later that year, he made his debut in the NASCAR Nextel
Cup Series where he racked up one top-five and 5 top-10
finishes. Recently, he won both the Nextel Cup and Busch
Series races at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He has become a
fan favorite by doing his famous back flips when he wins
a race. “This is exciting to have one the brightest
young talents to come and race for the fans in
Wisconsin”, stated Roy Kenseth, “This will be a fun
event for everyone involved.”
OTHER NOTES…n
Factory Motor Parts/AC Delco has been named as the title
sponsor for All-Star Challenge event.
n
Budweiser will be sponsoring qualifying and the halfway
bonus for the 100-lap event.
n
The purse for the 100-lap event will range from $500 to
start to $5,000 to win TICKET
INFORMATION: Advance tickets are on sale
now. Advance ticket prices are: $17 (ages 16+), $8 (ages
6-15), 5 and under are free. A VIP package is also
available for $100. This includes: reserved seating and
parking, unlimited food and drinks, autographed item,
exclusive Q&A session, and other benefits. Tickets are
now on sale at the Matt Kenseth Fan Club Headquarters in
Cambridge, DJ’s Speedzone at Northland Mall in Appleton
or 1812 Plover Rd in Plover.
A mail order form is available at
http://www.mattkenseth.com/RKRP/WIRTickets.htm or
you can send your ticket request to: RK Race Promotions,
10 Water Street, Cambridge, WI 53523. Please make checks
payable to: RK Race Promotions. Please include a $2
postage/handling fee PER TICKET for mail requests.
Texas Pre-Race Notes
April 13, 2005
Nextel Cup Series: #17 DeWALT Tools Ford
Samsung/Radio Shack 500 •
Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas
Sunday, April 17, 2005 • 12:30 pm (ET)
Matt
Kenseth’s Cup Series performance summary at
Texas
| Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
04/02/00 |
13 |
31 |
288/334 |
Crash |
|
04/01/01 |
27 |
20 |
332/334 |
Running |
|
04/08/02 |
31 |
1 |
334/334 |
Running |
|
03/30/03 |
17 |
6 |
334/334 |
Running |
|
04/04/04 |
25 |
16 |
332/334 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth Cup Series totals at Texas
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles
|
|
Cumulative |
5 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
Busch Series: #17 Waste Management Ford
O’Reilly 300 •
Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas
Saturday, April 16,
2005 • 2:00 pm (ET)
Matt
Kenseth’s Busch Series performance summary at
Texas
| Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
04/04/98 |
24 |
8 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
03/27/99 |
5 |
18 |
162/163 |
Running |
|
04/01/00 |
26 |
2 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
03/31/01 |
1 |
5 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
04/06/02 |
5 |
9 |
116/116 |
Running |
|
03/29/03 |
11 |
7 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
04/03/04 |
15 |
1 |
200/200 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth Busch Series totals at
Texas
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles
|
|
Cumulative |
7 |
1 |
3 |
6 |
1 |
Matt Kenseth on racing at
Texas Motor Speedway:
“Texas is a track that I really
like. We’ve had some good finishes there, including
a win in both the Cup and Busch series. It’s always
nice to go back to a track where you’ve won in the
past because you feel that you have a better chance
of success there. I will certainly get a lot of seat
time this weekend, running all three races, so I
hope that when we combine our past success here with
the things I’ll learn early this weekend, we’ll be
strong and come away with some good finishes.”
Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing
at Texas Motor Speedway:
“We’re bringing car number 41 to
Texas, which is the same car we ran in Atlanta.
Despite suffering heavy damage in the first lap
crash there, the car ran well the rest of the day.
Our team is feeling positive after our 11th-place
finish at Martinsville. The team really had to work
on the car all day and the hard work paid off with a
good finish. We will carry that momentum with us to
Texas and hopefully continue to turn our luck around
this year.”
Fast Facts
n
Matt Kenseth will be pulling triple-duty this
weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway as he will
compete in the IROC, Busch and Cup races.
n
In his seven starts at Texas in the Busch series,
Matt Kenseth has finished in the top-ten six times,
including one win in 2004.
n
Matt Kenseth won the Cup event at Texas Motor
Speedway in 2002.
n
Kenseth will be running chassis number 41 this
weekend in Texas. This is the same car the No. 17
team ran under the Trex paint scheme in Atlanta.
n
Kenseth will be running chassis number 45 in the
Busch race on Saturday. This is the same car that
ran at Bristol two weeks ago, where Kenseth finished
in the 4th position.
n
Matt Kenseth gained the highest number of positions
in the Nextel Cup point standings after his
11th-place finish at Martinsville, improving seven
spots to 21st in the standings.
Matt Kenseth finishes 11th at
Martinsville
April 10, 2005
MARTINSVILLE, VA (April 10, 2005) — Matt Kenseth
fought an ill-handling racecar all day to post an 11th
place finish at a track where he has historically
struggled. The No. 17 DEWALT team worked on the car
throughout the race, Kenseth drove a smart race and
stayed out of trouble, and the team came home from
Martinsville with a solid 11th place finish that boosted
their position in the point standings. Kenseth began
the weekend at Martinsville by qualifying in the 18th
starting position after struggling during the first
practice session of the weekend on Friday. Qualifying
was delayed briefly for rain late Friday afternoon but
all 43 cars were able to get their qualifying runs in
before dark. The team continued to struggle with the
right set-up for the car during the two practice
sessions on Saturday, and was unsure how the car would
perform in the Advance Auto Parts 500 on Sunday.
Starting off 18th, Kenseth ran in the back of the field
for most of the race. He made the most of the sixteen
cautions that slowed the race to come into his pit for
the crew to continue to make adjustments on the car. The
first caution of the day came early, on lap 2, and
Kenseth felt that he might have a problem that warranted
his crew’s early attention. Kenseth brought the No. 17
down pit road during the early caution for the team to
check out the rear wheels for a possible brake problem.
Kenseth radioed to his crew that when he let off the gas
it felt as if the rear brake was hanging up. The crew
did not find a problem on pit road, and Kenseth radioed
to his crew by lap 63 that the “hanging up problem” was
gone, and Kenseth would not be bothered by that again
during the race. Kenseth went a lap down to the
leaders around lap 50 and was the recipient of the
“lucky dog” when the fourth caution of the day slowed
the field on lap 68, as he was the first car one lap
down. Kenseth restarted the race in the 32nd position on
the lead lap. Kenseth made a good call when the seventh
caution of the day flew on lap 180 by not coming down
pit road with the leaders and staying out to lead a lap
and gain five valuable points for doing so. Kenseth did
come to his pit for service and adjustments, advising
his crew that the car needed more bite. The DEWALT team
put on four fresh tires, made an air pressure adjustment
and unhooked the rear sway bar in an attempt to improve
the car. After pitting, Kenseth restarted the race on
lap 188 in the 23rd position. By lap 242, Kenseth again
had gone a lap down to the leaders. The crew continued
to make adjustments to the car, coming down pit road as
the cautions continued to fly, and Kenseth began to move
up through the field. When the 14th caution of the day
came on lap 431, Kenseth again was the recipient of the
“lucky dog” and was able to return to the lead lap of
cars. The crew serviced the car and Kenseth restarted
the race in the 15th position, on the lead lap. By lap
454, Kenseth was running in the 13th position but
radioed to his crew that he felt that his brakes were
fading. He was determined, however, to pick up as many
spots as possible in the waning laps of the race and
pulled out an 11th place finish to finish the day.
“Martinsville has never been a strong track for me,”
said Kenseth after the race, “and we struggled all day
trying to get our car somewhat competitive. I usually
don’t get excited about 11th place finishes but after
the luck we’ve had so far this season, and my history at
Martinsville, I feel pretty good about where we ended up
today. We gained some positions in the point standings
and hopefully this will be a turning point for our team
in terms of posting solid finishes.” Kenseth made the
largest gain in the point standings today, picking up
seven spots. He now sits in the 21st position in the
championship point standings and remains a contender for
the Chase for the Nextel Cup. The No. 17 DEWALT Ford
will be back in action at the Texas Motor Speedway next
weekend. In addition to running the Cup race on Sunday,
Kenseth will also be competing in the IROC and Busch
events in Texas.
Sponsor Katie and raise money to fight
MS
April 11, 2005
 On
June 3–5, 2005, Katie Kenseth will be joining other
walkers on a 50-mile walk from Pfeiffer University in
Misenheimer, N.C., to Victory Lane at Lowe’s Motor
Speedway in Charlotte to raise money for the National MS
Society and its mission to end the devastating effects
of MS. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic,
potentially disabling disease of the central nervous
system. Its symptoms come and go without any pattern or
warning and range from fatigue, difficulty walking and
double vision to paralysis and blindness. Katie’s good
friend, Diane Dorton, was recently diagnosed with MS.
Diane is the widow of Randy Dorton, who was the head
engine builder for Hendrick Motorsports. And Dana
Kenseth, the wife of Matt’s first cousin Steve (who is
also on the DeWALT crew), is afflicted with the disease
as well. Katie’s goal is to raise over $5000 in the MS
Walk to fight this awful disease. You can help by
contributing to Katie’s effort and sponsoring her in the
MS Walk. To make a pledge, visit
www.nationalmssociety.org/pledge and enter her name
— Katie Kenseth in NC. You can also call the MS
Society at 1-800-477-2955 to make a pledge. Katie
says, “I know that with all the fans working together,
you can help me surpass my personal goal for the MS
Walk. Thank you for any pledge you can contribute.”
Donations are tax deductible and you will receive an
official acknowledgment from the National MS Society if
your gift is $75 or more. The National MS
Society is the largest private supporter of MS research
in the world. For more information on MS or the MS Walks
nationwide, please visit
www.nationalmssociety.org.
Kenseth and the No. 17 DEWALT Ford test
at Martinsville
April 6, 2005CONCORD, NC (April 6, 2005) — Matt Kenseth and the
No. 17 DEWALT Ford have not had a lot of success at
Martinsville Speedway. In his ten starts there, Kenseth
has posted one top-five and three top-ten finishes. In
an effort to improve his finishes at the paper
clip–shaped track, the team took a day last week to test
at Martinsville. “Every time we seem to get a handle
on the track and the set-up, the track changes and we
have to start from scratch all over again,” said Robbie
Reiser, crew chief for the No. 17. “We came close to
figuring out our set-up, then they ground the track
down, which changed things considerably. Just when we
finally felt that we had caught up with that, the track
was torn up last spring and was then repaved. After a
substantial change like that, we have a two to three
race learning curve to figure out the set-up again,” he
explained. The DEWALT team is bringing a brand new car
to Martinsville this weekend. During testing the team
worked on the brakes and the handling of the car.
According to Reiser, Martinsville is one of the tracks
where a driver uses brakes the most. The team focused in
part on achieving a balance between the front and rear
brakes which felt most comfortable for Kenseth. Because
track conditions will change between testing and the
actual race day, Reiser concentrated on reaching a
balance that his driver liked that will be somewhat
adjustable when the team returns for race day. Kenseth
has had a season of disappointing finishes thus far. The
cars have been fast enough to win races and the pit
stops have been incredible. However, luck, or the lack
thereof, has come into play in the early going of the
2005 season as the No. 17 has been plagued by cut tires,
broken parts and being caught up in crashes. “Most
seasons when there are problems, you can pinpoint
weaknesses and focus on improving them. This year,
team-wise, we are right where we want to be. The pit
stops have been the best since I’ve been working here
and we’ve been qualifying better than in the past. We
just need the luck factor to come our way. I think we
have a top-five team, we just need the finishes to go
along with our performance,” commented Reiser. Reiser
says that his team is still searching for a good set-up
for Martinsville and is unsure of how the car will
perform this Sunday. Perhaps this will be the weekend
that breaks the string of bad luck for the No. 17.
Martinsville Cup Pre-Race Notes
April 5, 2005#17 DeWALT Ford
Advance Auto Parts 500 •
Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Va.
Sunday, April 10, 2005 • 1:20 pm (ET)
Matt
Kenseth’s performance summary at Martinsville
| Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
04/09/00 |
31 |
21 |
498/500 |
Running |
|
10/01/00 |
37 |
34 |
447/500 |
Running |
|
04/08/01 |
25 |
6 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
10/15/01 |
22 |
36 |
459/500 |
Rear End |
|
04/14/02 |
26 |
2 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
10/20/02 |
17 |
19 |
499/500 |
Running |
|
04/13/03
|
34 |
22 |
499/500 |
Running |
|
10/19/03 |
14 |
13 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
04/18/04 |
29 |
8 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
10/24/04 |
25 |
16 |
500/500 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth Totals at
Martinsville
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles
|
|
Spring |
5 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
|
Fall |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Cumulative |
10 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
Matt Kenseth on racing at
Martinsville:
“We’ve been inconsistent in our
finishes at Martinsville. We’ve done a lot of
testing here in the past, including last week, and
we’re still trying to get the set-up right. We’re
bringing a new car this weekend that I hope will run
well. Like Bristol last week, we have to concentrate
on staying out of trouble and preserving the car.”
Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing
at Martinsville:
“Our team has really struggled at
Martinsville. Brakes are always a concern, and we’ve
had to adjust to the changes in the track surface
over the years. We tested in Martinsville last week
with mixed results. I’m not sure how the car will be
when we unload this weekend. We need to break our
string of bad luck and come out with a solid finish,
so I hope this weekend will be a turning point for
us at Martinsville.”
Fast Facts
n
Matt Kenseth will be running chassis number 47 this
weekend in Martinsville. This is a brand new car
that has not been run before.
n
The No. 17 team tested in Martinsville last week in
an attempt to improve the team’s performance at this
track, which historically has not been kind to
Kenseth.
Kenseth finishes fourth in
Monday Busch race
April 4, 2005BRISTOL, TN (April 4, 2005) — It was two days late,
but Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 Waste Management Ford
had another solid run in the Busch Series as the Sharpie
Professional 250, postponed because of rain on Saturday,
got underway this morning at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Everyone hoped the weather would blow over but it
continued to rain all day on Saturday in Bristol,
Tennessee. NASCAR officials announced around 6:30 p.m.
Saturday evening that the Sharpie Professional 250 would
be postponed until Monday morning at 10:30. It turned
out to be a beautiful, sunny day in Bristol, and the sun
was shining on the No. 17 as Kenseth posted a solid
fourth place finish for the second time this season in
the Busch Series. Kenseth started the race in the 36th
position as qualifying, too, was rained out on Saturday,
and the drivers lined up by their position in the points
standings. Kenseth, not running a full Busch season,
started the race far back in the field. The team was
confident that he could drive to the front, however, as
the team posted strong laps during each of the practice
sessions held on Friday. Like the Cup race on Sunday,
an early caution slowed the field shortly after the pack
took the green flag, this time on lap 1. The No. 17
sustained some slight damage to the nose of the car, but
nothing serious enough to warrant attention on pit road.
Despite the fourteen cautions that plagued the field
throughout the day, Kenseth would only come down pit
road twice for service, the first stop being during the
third caution of the day on lap 36. During the stop,
the Waste Management crew gave Kenseth four fresh tires
and pulled out the grill that had sustained damage
earlier in the race. Kenseth had worked his way up to
the 23rd position when he came in for service but
returned to the field in the 34th position, as many
elected to stay out on the track. Kenseth wasted no time
getting to the front, though, landing in the second
position by lap 84. When the seventh caution of the
day slowed the field on lap 123, Kenseth made his final
stop of the day, receiving four fresh tires. Again,
Kenseth came onto pit road in the second position but
returned to the track in the 14th position, as not all
leaders pitted. No worries, though, as Kenseth quickly
moved up to fifth place by lap 179. The pace of the
race was about to change, however, as continual cautions
resulted in not one, but two red flag delays. The first
occurred on lap 194 after an incident involving several
cars. The field was stopped for about eight minutes as
the track was cleaned. Restarting on lap 197, the field
would only get in four green flag laps before caution
again slowed the field on lap 201, with the red flag
stopping the race entirely for approximately 17 minutes
while the track was cleared. The competition finally
resumed and Kenseth kept the Waste Management Ford up
front, swapping fifth and sixth positions. The final
caution of the day, the 14th, flew on lap 247 of the
250-lap race, resulting in an exciting
green-white-checkers finish. The field took the green on
lap 254 and Kenseth was able to nab another spot during
the remaining laps to finish in the 4th position. “I
underestimated how good this car was in practice,” said
Kenseth after the race. “It was actually better today
than I expected. In a race with so many cautions, I’m
glad that we were able to avoid trouble, for the most
part, and have another solid run in the Waste Management
Ford. It’s only a matter of time before we win one of
these things. Our team just keeps getting better.” The
Busch Series will be off next weekend and will resume
competition in Texas on April 16, where Matt Kenseth
will again be behind the wheel of the Waste Management
Ford.
Bad luck continues for Kenseth at
Bristol;
Late tire problem results in 16th
place finish
April 3, 2005
BRISTOL, TN (April 3, 2005) — Matt Kenseth had a good
car. Again. The DEWALT team executed great pit stops.
Again. The No. 17 ran up front all day. Again. Bad luck
late in the race spoiled a good finish for Kenseth.
Again. The string of bad luck for Kenseth and the Killer
Bees continued today at Bristol Motor Speedway, as the
No. 17, running third with 25 laps to go in the Food
City 500, cut a tire down, was forced to make a green
flag stop to change tires, and ended up with a
disappointing 16th place finish.
The weekend at Bristol began on a positive note for the
No. 17 DEWALT Ford Taurus as the team posted the 10th
quickest lap in practice on Friday. Kenseth posted a
fast lap in qualifying, 15.27 seconds, but the lap
didn’t hold up as the remaining cars took their
qualifying runs. The speeds increased as the sun went
down and the No. 17 ended up with the 25th starting
position.
Rolling off 25th, Kenseth didn’t get far before the
first caution of what would be a caution filled day
slowed the field on lap 2. When the second yellow flag
of the day flew on lap 21, Kenseth radioed to his crew
that the No. 17 was tight in the middle of the turns and
he was having trouble turning underneath the pack. The
team discussed possible adjustments for future pit
stops, but stayed out on the track so early in the race.
The DEWALT crew got its opportunity to work on the car
when the third caution of the day came on lap 48. The
team changed four tires, making an air pressure
adjustment, in 13.1 seconds. Kenseth was able to move up
through the field, landing in the second position by lap
91. The tight condition of the car continued and the
team made another air pressure adjustment when Kenseth
came down pit road during the fifth caution of the day
on lap 134.
Kenseth continued to run up front, making track bar and
air pressure adjustments in a 13.0 second stop during
the seventh caution on lap 184. The No. 17 restarted in
the third position and on lap 236 radioed to the crew
that the car was the best it had been all day. Kenseth
took the lead on lap 313 and let his crew know the motor
was awesome.
Running up front, the No. 17 sustained some fender
damage while racing with the No. 16 and the team went to
work on the fender during the caution on lap 322.
Kenseth came down pit road and the crew changed left
side tires and worked on the fender damage. Kenseth went
back out the track and came down pit road for a second
time to get right side tires, knowing that at Bristol,
you risk being lapped by spending too much time in the
pits.
Kenseth restarted the race in the 17th position and had
worked his way up to 10th when a multi-car crash
resulted in a red flag over the field for approximately
ten minutes. The racing resumed, the crew continued to
make adjustments to the car and Kenseth again charged to
the front. With 25 laps to go and Kenseth running in the
third position, it looked as though the No. 17 team
might have some luck go their way and pull off a good
finish. But on lap 493 the crew heard the dreaded words
over the radio that the No. 17 had a tire going down.
The team was forced to pit to change right side tires
and with the remaining laps in the single digits, there
was no time to make up lost ground. Kenseth finished in
a disappointing 16th place.
“I can’t believe this happened again. Our car wasn’t the
greatest today, but we worked on it throughout the race
and managed to run up front for most of the day. To cut
a tire down again late in the race is so frustrating,”
said Kenseth, after the race. “We’re doing what we’re
supposed to do. Roush is producing great engines, the
team is pulling off good pit stops and we’re working
hard. We just really need to catch a break and have a
good finish.”
The DEWALT Tools Ford Taurus will be competing in
Martinsville next weekend.
Kenseth goes Busch testing at Bristol
April 1, 2005CONCORD, NC (March 30, 2005) — The No. 17 Waste
Management team managed to hold out against the rain to
conduct Busch testing at Bristol Motor Speedway last
week. Pleased with what they saw, Kenseth and the team
are optimistic about this Saturday’s Sharpie
Professional 250. It was originally scheduled for
Tuesday. Then it was postponed to Wednesday. Wednesday
being a washout, it was rescheduled for Thursday. And,
finally, they went. The No. 17 team kept their eyes to
the skies and the weather forecasters as they tried to
get to Bristol to test last week. Finally, the skies
cleared and the team made the trip to Tennessee on
Thursday.
Having finally arrived at Bristol Motor Speedway, the
team unloaded a brand new car, built specifically for
Bristol, Dover and Darlington. Not that there was a
whole lot wrong with the old one. Kenseth finished
second last fall in the “Bristol, Dover and Darlington”
car, but it was the oldest one in the lineup, so the
team built a new one. And according to Crew Chief Cully
Barraclough, it’s even better than the old one. “We
were pleased with our test at Bristol. Very pleased. The
car was fast. I really feel like it is a top-five car
and if we can avoid trouble all day, we should be
successful,” said Barraclough. “We started the car off
just as it came off the track last fall. We made some
adjustments throughout the day and are happy with the
result,” he added.
Asked about racing at Bristol, the crew chief
responded enthusiastically, “I love coming to Bristol.
It is definitely my favorite track. It reminds me of a
college football game, with the crowd and all. It is so
loud, you don’t know which is louder, the crowd or the
cars! It’s the kind of track that most of us grew up
with – half mile, high-banked and fast. At Bristol,
you’ll either have your best day ever or your worst
nightmare.” Cully says Bristol is like a college
football game. So what’s his favorite team? The
University of Oregon. “The Ducks?” you might ask. But
Cully would quickly correct you: “That’s the Mighty
Ducks!”
Bristol Busch and Cup Pre-Race Notes
April 1, 2005
#17 Trex Ford
Golden Corral 500 • Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton GA
2.5-mile quad-oval; 500 miles/325 laps
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Matt
Kenseth’s performance summary at Bristol
| Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
03/26/00 |
22 |
12 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
08/26/00 |
22 |
39 |
376/500 |
Overheating |
|
03/25/01 |
24 |
14 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
08/25/01 |
38 |
33 |
394/500 |
Accident |
|
03/24/02 |
6 |
6 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
08/24/02 |
10 |
5 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
03/23/03 |
37 |
2 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
08/23/03 |
10 |
4 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
03/28/04 |
23 |
5 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
10/31/04 |
23 |
9 |
499/500 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth Totals at
Bristol
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles |
| Cumulative |
10 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
0 |
Matt Kenseth on racing at
Bristol
Motor
Speedway:
“We’ve posted a string of
top-ten finishes at Bristol
over
the
last
couple
of
years,
so
I’m
looking
forward
to
racing
there
this
weekend.
Bristol
is
so
unique
and
comes
with
its’
own
set
of
challenges.
There’s
a
lot
of
beatin’
and
bangin’
and
it
is
intense
racing.
It’s
about
time
we
had
some
luck
go
our
way
this
year,
so
if
we
can
avoid
trouble
I
think
we
can
bring
home
a
strong
finish.”
Robbie
Reiser on racing at
Bristol
Motor
Speedway:
“We’re
bringing
the
same
car
we
brought
here
the
last
two
years
and
have
had
good
results.
We’ve
run
well
at
Bristol
for
the
last
few
years
so,
like
always,
it’s
a
matter
of
survival
and
coming
out
at
the
end
with
the
least
amount
of
damage
to
the
car.
If
we
can
do
that,
we
have
a
chance
to
finish
up
front.”
Matt
Kenseth’s Busch Series performance summary at
Bristol
|
Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
08/22/97 |
20 |
20 |
248/250 |
Running |
|
03/28/98 |
13 |
3 |
250/250 |
Running |
|
08/21/98 |
18 |
34 |
114/250 |
Running |
|
04/10/99 |
24 |
35 |
134/250 |
Accident |
|
08/27/99 |
3 |
1 |
250/250 |
Running |
|
03/25/00 |
7 |
27 |
227/250 |
Accident |
|
03/24/01 |
2 |
1 |
250/250 |
Running |
|
08/24/01 |
32 |
30 |
216/250 |
Accident |
|
08/23/03 |
15 |
25 |
217/250 |
Accident |
|
08/27/04 |
25 |
2 |
250/250 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth
Busch
Series Totals at
Bristol
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles |
| Cumulative |
10 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
Busch Crew Chief Cully Barraclaugh on racing at
Bristol Motor Speedway:
“We
tested
here
last
Thursday
and
really
figured
a
few
things
out.
We
were
fast
and
I
was
pleased
with
how
the
car
ran.
Matt
always
runs
well
here
so
if
we
can
just
sta | |
