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Talladega post-qualifying quote
September 30, 2005

MATT KENSTEH: “I don’t know how I managed that. That was pretty surprising, I think, for all of us including Robbie. Those guys tuned the car up because the drivers don’t really have anything to do with qualifying here today. It’s all about the team and the car and getting it through the air and down the straightaway, so they did a good job tuning the motor up and getting the car to run a good lap.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO GET BACK ON TRACK THIS WEEKEND? “I think there are 10 races once you start the chase and, really, every race is equally as important. Obviously, you’d like to keep momentum and get as much back as you could this week, but every race is equally important. We just have to go out and do the best job we can every week.”


Talladega Race Preview
September 28, 2005

Talladega Superspeedway • Talladega, Alabama
UAW-Ford 500 • Sunday, October 2 • 1:30 pm/e NBC

 
Matt Kenseth Cup Record 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
05/01/05 23 11 194/194 Running

 
Matt Kenseth
Cup Series totals at Talladega:

  Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles
Cumulative 11 0 1 3 0

 
Matt Kenseth on racing at Talladega Superspeedway:

“The first thing that comes to mind when I think about returning to Talladega next weekend is that I hope I don’t hit anything! It’s the same as always when we think about Talladega, but I think we’ve got better cars than we’ve ever had for our speedway program. Our speedway program has been a lot better the last couple of years. I don’t want to lie and say that I look forward to going there, but I look forward to going there more than I have in the past. I think we can be competitive and hopefully we can be in the lead draft and stay out of trouble.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Talladega Superspeedway:

“I really hope we got our bad luck out of the way in Dover. We cut that first tire down and were able to battle back but when the second one went, our day was finished. Looking ahead to Talladega, the most important thing is to stay out of trouble. That’s not always within your control, however, with the field running so closely together, but we’ll avoid what we can and hopefully be around in the lead draft at the end.”

Talladega Fast Facts

n Matt Kenseth has one top-five and three top-ten finishes in his 11 starts at Talladega.

n Matt Kenseth has led at least one lap in eight of his 11 starts at Talladega.

n The No. 17 team will be bringing car number 40 to Talladega next weekend. This is the same car that Kenseth raced at Talladega earlier this year, finishing in the 11th position. Car number 40 made its debut at this race one year ago, racing to a 14th place finish.


NASCAR Teleconference with Matt Kenseth
September 27, 2005

DAN PASSE: Thank you and good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to a special time of the third week of the 2005 Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup teleconference. Thanks once again for just joining us one hour later. One housekeeping note, as we head into Talladega, the Nextel wake up call will take place at 8:00 a.m. on Friday with guest Ryan Newman, and then we also have another guest at 8:30 that will be Casey Mears. Again, that’s Friday morning 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m.

Today, we’re joined by Matt Kenseth driver of the No. 17 DeWALT Power Tools Roush Racing Ford and 2003 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Champion. Matt is part of the second chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup, currently in 9th place in the 10 race competition, a mere 124 points behind the leader. Matt has had a great year this year with a exciting pole and win at Bristol, seven top fives and 12 top tens.

Now, Matt, you are now heading into the only restricted play race in the 2005 Chase, and the longest track on the NASCAR Nextel Cup series circuit. You finished a respectable 11th at the track in the spring. How do you feel about yourself and the team as you head into this race?

MATT KENSETH: Well, I am feeling pretty good about it. I think in the spring we finished 11th, but I think the whole field was wrecked except for a few cars. Talladega is one of them tracks where anything can happen. Obviously, you think about going there and trying to miss a big wreck and hopefully being in the lead draft at the end and having some help around you.

So I look forward to going there. Like I said, it’s a track I think it’s happening and just go there and hope for the best.

DAN PASSE: All right. Thank you. Matt is currently testing in Kansas, so he has only got a little while to be with us today. So why don’t we just jump in with questions from the media.

Q. Matt, with five cars of Roush Racing in the chase, and everybody is so competitive against each other, how much real information sharing is there?

MATT KENSETH: I mean it is the same as it has always been. You know, we’re in Kansas testing today and Mark has got his a Busch cars here and I have got my DeWALT cars here and Kurt is here with his two cars. And all the crew chiefs have been talking back and forth and the drivers trying to figure out what we can learn.

So none of that really has changed. Obviously, each guy that is in wants to win it and run the best for themselves, but yet, if we can’t win it, we would certainly want a teammate to do it, keep it in the organization if possible. So we’re still working together same as we always do.

Q. When you look at a track like Talladega and everything is imported, there is only so many times that you can have a bad race and so much is out of your control at Talladega. Do you like that being in the chase?

MATT KENSETH: You know, it’s whether you like racing for super place or not, which most people don’t, it’s a part of what you NASCAR Nextel Cup racing is right now. And there is four of them a year it is and part of our schedule and part of what you have to do to run for a championship.

You know, if we were right up there in points and trying to run for a championship, do I like it in the Chase, not really, but I don’t like running them at all. So it doesn’t matter what time of year it is, you don’t really look forward to running in a specific place just because you are a passenger in your car and kind of at the mercy of everybody else and what happens out there and you are always looking for that wreck.

Q. You just said something that made me ask this next question. Do you feel like you still have a chance for the championship?

MATT KENSETH: Yeah, I think we have chance, but I think everybody in the top 10 has a chance. Right now, we’re only two weeks in, eight races, and there is a lot of racing to do and anything can happen. And you know, you saw Jimmie Johnson last year. I don’t remember how many points he was out, I am sure you guys know, but he was way, way out of it and won a whole bunch of races at the end and came real close, right down to the last lap at Homestead, and anything is still possible. Just because we had one bad week, performance has been good and we have been running pretty good and I think we can get back in it.

Q. Following up on that a little bit about multi cars, could you even imagine trying to compete at the very top level costs with a one car team?

MATT KENSETH: I don’t understand what you said. I don’t know if it was my connection or yours, but I don’t understand the question.

Q. Can you even imagine trying to be able to win a championship with a one car team? Is it even possible with how much you guys do share?

MATT KENSETH: I mean, it would be difficult because there is no one-car teams. You know, that’s a tough question to answer. I mean there is only, you know, I don’t know, two or three one car teams, so obviously your odds are two or three against, you know, 40 or 41, so I mean that’s pretty tough odds. I mean, obviously, there is just not very many of them. That’s really why. I mean, there is not a lot of them.

Q. If you look at where the Cup drivers come from, its basically all over the country. Is that surprising to you that drivers do come from all over and they are not more concentrated in just maybe a couple of areas in the country?

MATT KENSETH: No, not really. I mean think it has been not a regional sport for a long time. I think it has been national sport for a long, long time. I think the more the bigger business it is, the more popular it is, I think the more owners and sponsors and crew members and everything, you know, look outside of one area to find talent.

Obviously, you know, if you search a whole country for talent, whether it is a crew member or driver or what it is, you have a better chance of finding them than if you look in one small area. It doesn’t surprise me. There is a lot of great racing all over the country and I think there is a lot of really talented crew members and drivers everywhere. You have got to search everywhere for them.

Q. Actually, more specifically, Chad Knaus, you know the 48 car was looked at by some drivers out on track last weekend. I am just wondering, do drivers look at Chad and other crew chiefs look at Chad and kind of only sort of wonder what he is up to, he is one of these guys you have to keep an eye on because he is always pushing that envelope?

MATT KENSETH: Well, I can’t speak for other drivers and crew chiefs. I can just speak for myself. I know from my standpoint, you know, I think that he is one of the smartest crew chiefs in the garage. When you look at him, he was the first one to a lot of the rules in the rule book today is because of stuff he has done because of stuff he’s figured out to work around the rules to get advantage for his own car and his own team.

So I think certainly other crews and drivers look at his car and look at the things that they do, you know, because I think he is so smart and he has been able to figure this stuff out. I think that’s a big compliment to him. He is always working on it and he is always figuring out how to be ahead of the competition it feels like. So a lot of the stuff that we do is, you know, copied off stuff we have seen off his car before, so, you know, that’s a pretty good position to be in.

Q. We had a ton of calls yesterday, talking about the finish of the race and young Kyle Busch and the Chase ahead of him and what the Roush cars would have done or not have done if there was young guy in your camp like that towards the end of the race. How did you look at the racing at the end of the race with a young guy getting that close to the guy and pushing all the envelopes?

MATT KENSETH: Honestly, I didn’t see the end of the race. I was on my way walking through the parking lot, getting into my rental car. So I was out before then and honestly didn’t see it.

Q. How close do you believe you guys would race each other if somebody was out of the Chase? I mean all your guys are in. But if not, I mean should a guy press on to the finish of the race to win without doing anything negative?

MATT KENSETH: I know it’s a big story. Everybody wants to believe that everybody is treated different because they are in the Chase. It’s not the case. These races are very, very difficult to win as you can see. It took Ryan Newman a year to win a race and he won the most races a couple years ago. It took us a year to win a race. You know, we have won some races in the past.

So you are going to take every opportunity you can to win a race. It doesn’t matter if you are 35th in points or you are 5th in points, you are going to race as hard as you can to win. Yeah, you are not going to take out a teammate to do it, but it doesn’t matter if that teammate is in the chase or not. You are still going to try to beat him to win.

It’s too hard to win races. You are never going give races away. I mean, I think that’s silly. I remember when Mark won the 600 a couple of years ago and I ran second to him. They were all “Oh, yeah, you didn’t try to beat him.” That is absolutely silly. You are going to try to win every race that you can win.

Q. Looking at Hendrick Motorsports having one car in the Chase with Jimmie Johnson, they’re able to funnel all their resources toward that one effort compared to what you guys have with five guys going at it. Do you see that as an advantage that they have?

MATT KENSETH: No. No, I think it’s the same. I think it’s the same as if you know, if all five of our cars — or one car — was in, I do not see a big advantage here or there.

There maybe are things that could pop up in the next eight weeks that could be a little advantage because they have only one car in. For example, if Jeff is leading the race and lets Jimmy lead and get the points because he is not in, things like that. But I think as far as the testing and sharing information, I think it would be the same whether the cars are all in the chase or none of them are.

Q. I was looking at some of the statistics and of all the drivers in the Chase, Mark Martin is the only driver that won at Talladega. Can you comment a little bit about being at a track that you have won at before, and does it give you any sort of advantage or any sort of added confidence going into a race?

MATT KENSETH: Not with Talladega. Certainly not with Talladega. I think Mark would tell you that. He doesn’t have any extra confidence going there because he won. That’s a track where you are pretty much a passenger. There is things you can do during the race, you can get some help drafting, you can make different decisions during the race that certainly affect the outcome, but that place is, you know, 90 percent the race car at least or more.

So I think when you get there with a real good car that can, you know, run up front, is real strong like you seen from certain cars in the past, you have confidence going there. I am sure Dale Jr. has a lot of confidence going there. I am sure Jeff Gordon has lot of confidence going there because their play program has been so good. But I don’t think Mark or any of us have any extra confidence going to Talladega.

Q. With that kind of assessment going in, is that weekend’s race more about survival than winning?

MATT KENSETH: I think every race is about winning, if you have the opportunity. But I certainly think Talladega is about two things for me. It’s about survival and its about being in the lead draft. You don’t want to just survive and be in the back and get separated into two or three packs, and be in the second or third pack because it probably won’t but it has gone green flag the whole race, and it wasn’t really that long ago. I know I was in it, so it wasn’t that long ago.

So that race does have a possibility of running green flag all day long. So it’s important to survive, but it’s also important not to make a mistake, you know, on pit road, getting on pit road, getting off pit road, any of that kind of stuff under a green because if you lose that lead draft there might not be that opportunity to get back in it.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about what improvements have been made to Roush Racing over the last couple of years or at least since you have been there to have this kind of dramatic you know march of all five Roush drivers in the chase?

MATT KENSETH: I think there’s several things. I think Roush Racing has always been fairly strong. I think that one of the things that started helping the cars run better is probably in ‘01 when we all ran pretty bad and Jeff was kind of at the forefront of it of getting all the teams to work together, all the teams to share information, just to work together a lot more.

When I first got there, it was Jeff and Mark, 99 and the 6 working together, and then it was the 16 and 97 and they didn’t help them and didn’t share information with them. It’s sort of like a deal probably like you have at Penske right now. I think when we all started working together and they got five drivers that could all work together and five crew chiefs in there that could all work together, I think that was big advantage.

And another huge thing that has helped Roush Racing when they merged the engine deal with Yates, with Doug Yates and them guys, heading up an engine deal and working together with Roush, it’s just been a tremendous advantage. It has been great having all them motors. It’s just one thing we could take out of the equation, we didn’t have to think about engines anymore and concentrate more on the cars.

Q. When you do have a bad finish, how do you handle that? Do you just put it out of your mind going on to the next race?

MATT KENSETH: Well, I think it’s hard to put out of your mind. I think you want every race to be a good race, at least I do. I care where I am in points, but regardless of where I am in points, I hate having a bad day. If we are 30th in points and we finished 35th, I would still feel bad about that. So you don’t want to have any bad races, certainly when you are in the final 10, you don’t want to have a bad day, but you have got to take it week by week.

You have to put last week out of your mind and go out and do the best job you can next week.

Q. Going to Talladega this week, this is actually a question about a sister track. When it comes to the twins or now the dual 150 qualifying races, do you equate that race to all star race or how much fun is it racing for starting position there to start the year?

MATT KENSETH: It’s fun. It’s to kickoff of the season. We’re down there for a whole week. You know, Daytona and Talladega are a fair amount different. It’s always fun to run in those races because it’s kind of a test for the 500. You know, it used to be you get more cars showing up and the races probably had a little bit more importance than what they have the last couple of years, but they still have a lot of importance and you still want to get a good starting spot. More than anything, I like it because it’s a good test for 500.

Q. Last year they added 25 miles to it. Did that make a difference for you all? Do you think it may have brought the crews more into play or anything, was there that much difference?

MATT KENSETH: I don’t think it has been much different because the fuel cell changes. When we used to be able to run almost 125 miles on fuel, you know, you could do different things strategy wise. I think since we put the small fuel cells in, we all had to pit anyway. I don’t think the extra 25 miles made that much difference.

Q. How is Jack holding up so far in the Chase? Have you had interaction with him? Is he at all concerned yet or is still too early?

MATT KENSETH: I didn’t understand what you said.

Q. Is he concerned at all that you guys are down toward the bottom of the top 10, or is it still too early for him to get worried?

MATT KENSETH: I don’t know. That’s something you would have to ask him. I haven’t talked to him since Sunday. That actually reminds me, on the way to Kansas, I got a message and I need to call him back.

I haven’t talked to him this week. I am sure he’s always concerned, you know, when you have problems and you blew a tire and you have a problem like that. He is always concerned and trying to make sure we don’t have problems. I can’t really comment on how he is feeling, whether he’s got a positive outlook today or negative. I don’t know.

Q. Was there any commonality in the problems that you, Kurt, and Greg had at Dover?

MATT KENSETH: Can you repeat that?

Q. Is there anything common in the tire problems that you, Kurt and Greg had at Dover?

MATT KENSETH: Well, the first three there is. We all ran over a piece of debris. And the last one I blew a right front and that wasn’t related to running over debris. We had some other kind of problems, so I am not sure what we had there yet.

Q. How different will this weekend be than all the other races in this chase for the Cup. I know all the tracks are different. This one is really different from the time you unload from the hauler, to the practices, to qualifying, to the race itself?

MATT KENSETH: Yeah, it’s different. I mean Talladega, as far as the driver goes, at least if you are in the top 35 in points, it is really stress free until you get the race or race practice for qualifying. You are just a passenger and holding it wide open any way. There is not much going on a Friday. Then we get into race practice on Saturday, there is not a lot of handling that’s involved at Talladega.

So we usually don’t practice a whole bunch. We make sure it drafts half way decent, and if it doesn’t draft half way decent, there is not much you can do to fix the racetrack. So you just go out and run a little bit and get ready for the race on Sunday. So that’s definitely a different type of race, but, you know, just part of it. I think you still have to approach it the same and still be smart there and have yourself in the right position at the end of the race.

Q. How much can you take from the spring race to use during this one?

MATT KENSETH: I don’t know, probably half a car, whatever wasn’t bent, we can use that. If I remember right anyway, I think pretty much everybody was wrecked, and I think we finished 11th because we weren’t wrecked as bad. I can’t remember if that was Daytona or Talladega to be honest with you.

Q. At the start of the year, you struggled, one top 10 in the first 12. Do you look back on that and say what happened? How fortunate do you feel after having those troubles to be where you are today?

MATT KENSETH: Well, I definitely feel fortunate that we were able to figure out some of the stuff had wrong and get running better and get in the Chase for sure. More than looking back, we’re trying to look forward and take it week by week and try to do the best we can every week to try to get ourselves back into it a little bit better.

DAN PASSE: Thank you very much. Thank you so much, Matt, for joining us and taking time out of your busy day. Thanks once again everybody and we will see you in Talladega.

MATT KENSETH: Thanks a lot.


Tire problems result in 35th place for Matt Kenseth;
Falls to 9th in championship standings

September 25, 2005

DOVER, DE (September 25, 2005) — Matt Kenseth’s five-race streak of finishes of seventh or better ended Sunday at the Dover International Speedway as he encountered tire problems which prematurely ended his day. A cut right front tire sent Kenseth into the wall on lap 367 of the 400-lap event, with the No. 17 DEWALT Ford Taurus sustaining significant damage to the right front of the racecar. With the laps dwindling down, there was not enough time to repair the car and return to the track. Kenseth retired the No. 17, resulting in a 35th-place finish.

As the race weekend unfolded, the DEWALT team felt positively about the strength of the No. 17 Ford. Kenseth improved throughout the three practice sessions and posted a strong qualifying run with the 11th-quickest lap. Rolling off 11th for the start of the MBNA RacePoints 400, Kenseth quickly identified a handling issue with the racecar: “tight in the middle and loose off — the car is a little too free to drive it in there very hard.” Under caution, brought out on lap 69, Kenseth brought the DEWALT Ford down pit road for the first time for service and adjustments. Having additionally radioed his crew that the “front end has zero stick and it just slides across the track,” the DEWALT crew elected to make wedge and air pressure adjustments, as well as provide Kenseth with four fresh tires and fuel. Kenseth restarted the event in the 12th position.

Kenseth quickly began to move up through the field, racing his way into the top-five by lap 135. Still running in the fifth spot forty laps later, Kenseth brought the No. 17 down pit road during the fourth caution period of the afternoon. Advising his crew that the “front end needs to work just a little better,” and that “the exit is loose at the beginning of a run, but then it comes in,” the DEWALT crew made another air pressure adjustment and gave Kenseth four sticker tires and fuel. Gaining a spot off of pit road, Kenseth restarted the event in fourth-place on lap 180. He continued to run in the top five, coming down pit road again on lap 202 for tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to the right rear. The DEWALT crew executed a blazing stop, completing their work in just 12.0 seconds. Kenseth returned to the track in fifth-spot and the DEWALT Ford was handling the best it had all day. Just eight laps after the restart, however, Kenseth radioed to his crew that he had a left rear tire going down. Kenseth limped down pit road and the DEWALT crew changed left side tires in just 5.0 seconds. Kenseth returned to the track a lap down, running in the 32nd position.

Although far back in the field, the DEWALT Ford was strong and Kenseth began to pick cars off, regaining positions. By lap 291 Kenseth was the first car one lap down and gained his lap back as the eighth caution flag slowed the field and Kenseth was the lucky dog recipient. With approximately 100 laps to go, Kenseth began his charge back to the front of the field. By lap 337, Kenseth had broken into the top-ten, but the charge would end there as, just as the leaders were beginning to pit some thirty laps later, Kenseth cut down a right front tire and slammed into the wall. Kenseth was running in the eighth position at the time. He drove the battered DEWALT Ford into the garage and the team quickly began to make repairs. As the remaining laps ticked off, however, it became apparent that there was too much work to be done to the racecar, and too little time. Kenseth retired his entry for the day, and ended up with a disappointing 35th-place finish.

“It just wasn’t meant to be for us today,” said Kenseth after the race. “We had a pretty good car that had gotten better as the day progressed. We battled back from that first tire deal, got our lap back and were moving forward. It’s disappointing, for sure. Everyone knows that there are only eight more races and each one is so important. But we still have time, and we’ll bounce back.”

With his disappointing finish at Dover, Kenseth fell four spots in the NASCAR Nextel Cup point standings, dropping to the ninth position.

The No. 17 DEWALT Ford Taurus will be back in competition next weekend at the Talladega Superspeedway for the third of ten races to determine the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion, and the only restrictor-plate race in the Chase for the Championship.


Hard crash ends Kenseth’s day early in Dover Busch race
September 24, 2005

DOVER, DE (September 24, 2005) — The No. 17 Waste Management Ford Taurus looked to be a threat coming into the Dover 200 Busch Series event at the Dover International Speedway on Saturday. Kenseth began the weekend by posting the quickest time in the first practice session held on Friday. He followed that with a strong showing in the second practice and by qualifying in the 14th position for the 200-lap event. It would be an early exit for Kenseth, however, as a hard crash on lap 2 ended his day.

Kenseth picked up a couple of positions on the first lap, moving up to 12th. On the next lap, however, the Waste Management Ford became a bit loose and when Kenseth let off to correct the racecar, he was tapped from behind by the No. 11 driven by Paul Menard. That tap got Kenseth sideways and he battled to hang on to the racecar. The No. 17 came around on him, though, and spun down the track into the inside wall. Several cars behind Kenseth were caught up in the wreck and Kenseth was hit again by the No. 1 entry driven by Johnny Sauter. The Waste Management Ford was destroyed in the crash and Kenseth was transported to the Infield Care Center to be checked out. Fortunately, he was not injured and spoke after being released.

“Yeah, I’m OK,” said Kenseth. “I’m sure I’ll be a little sore tomorrow, but nothing major. It was a hard hit, for sure. I just hate it for all the guys on the team — they worked so hard preparing this car. The car was good and I think we would have had a strong run today. I hate it, too, for all the folks at Waste Management. They’ve really supported me this year and I know they didn’t get to see their car out there for very long. It’s just one of those deals — not really anyone’s fault. We’ll focus on racing at Kansas in two weeks and giving them something more to watch.”

The NASCAR Busch Series will enjoy an off weekend next week. Kenseth will be back in action in the No. 17 Waste Management Ford Taurus the following weekend at the Kansas Speedway.


Dover Race Preview: Busch, and Cup
September 21, 2005

Dover International Speedway • Dover, Del.
Dover 200 • Saturday, September 24 • 1:00 pm/e TNT
MBNA RacePoints 400 • Sunday, September 25 • 12:30 pm/e TNT

 
Matt Kenseth Busch Series Record at Dover:

Date S F Laps Reason
05/31/97 32 11 199/200 Running
09/20/97 15 3 200/200 Running
05/30/98 2 40 136/200 Crash
09/19/98 4 1 200/200 Running
06/05/99 14 32 154/200 Crash
09/25/99 1 38 120/200 Crash
06/03/00 16 3 200/200 Running
09/23/00 14 1 200/200 Running
06/02/01 9 2 200/200 Running
09/22/01 20 10 199/200 Running
05/31/03 3 4 200/200 Running
06/05/04 22 35 62/200 Crash

 
Matt Kenseth
Busch Series totals at Dover:

  Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles
Cumulative 12 2 6 7 1

 
Matt Kenseth Cup Record at Dover:

Date S F Laps Reason
09/20/98 16 6 400/400 Running
09/26/99 13 4 400/400 Running
06/04/00 26 2 400/400 Running
09/24/00 31 12 399/400 Running
06/03/01 13 16 399/400 Running
09/23/01 40 29 390/400 Running
06/02/02 1 40 297/400 Running
09/22/02 17 4 400/400 Running
06/01/03 4 7 400/400 Running
09/21/03 1 9 400/400 Running
06/06/04 39 22 381/400 Crash
09/26/04 8 32 319/400 Crash
06/05/05 23 7 400/400 Running

 
Matt Kenseth
Cup Series totals at Dover:

  Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles
Cumulative 13 0 3 7 2*
*One pole; One set by points

 
Matt Kenseth on racing at Dover:

“I’ve always said that Dover is one of my favorite tracks. It’s particularly special to me because I got my first Cup Series start there back in 1998, subbing for Bill Elliott. We had a good run there in June, and I think we’ll be in good shape for this weekend. We kept our positive momentum going at Loudon by finishing in the top-five and the DEWALT crew is on top of their game.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Dover:

“I think we’ll be in good shape for Dover. Matt really likes racing there and although our finishes haven’t been consistent due to some crashes we’ve been involved in over the past couple of years, we generally do run well there. Car number 39 has been good to us this season, especially lately, and we’re bringing it to Dover. It should be a good weekend.”

Busch Crew Chief Chad Norris on racing at Dover:

“We started our end of the season stretch with a good finish at Richmond, finishing third. I think we’ll be competitive this weekend. We tested at Dover back in May in preparation for the June race and felt really good about our car. We’re bringing car number 50, the same one we tested, so we should be strong.”

Dover Fast Facts

n In the Busch Series at Dover, Matt Kenseth has two wins and one pole, in addition to six top-five and seven top-ten finishes.

n In his 13 Cup starts at Dover, Matt Kenseth has finished in the top-ten seven times, and has sat on the pole twice.

n Matt Kenseth will be running car number 50 in the Dover 200 Busch Series event on Saturday. This car was tested at Dover in May, and finished eighth in Chicago in July.

n Kenseth will be running car number 39 in the MBNA NASCAR RacePoints 400 on Sunday at Dover. This car has seen a lot of laps this season, running in the All-Star Challenge and the first race at Dover in June, as well as Chicago, Pocono II, Michigan, and Fontana II. Car number 39 has finished in the top-ten in four of its’ five points race runs this season.

n Matt Kenseth got his first Cup Series start at Dover International Speedway in September, 1998, substitute driving for Bill Elliott.


Reiser Wins WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race Award for N.H.
September 18, 2005

Kenseth Shines in Sylvania 300
Reiser Wins WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race Award

LOUDON, NH (September 18, 2005) — Matt Kenseth caught a bad break in this weekend’s Sylvania 300, literally. Following a routine stop for service, Kenseth’s front brake locked up as he was exiting the pits and the driver of the # 17 DeWalt Ford was forced to plow around the track until he could reenter his stall. With crew chief Robbie Reiser calling the shots, the crew fixed the problem and put Kenseth back in the hunt for a win. The team’s rebound brought Kenseth a third-place finish and moved him ninth to fifth in the championship standings. For orchestrating his team’s comeback, Reiser was awarded the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award.

“We got a lug nut caught between the hat and the rotor,” said Reiser. “The guys do an awesome job each week and today was no different. They never gave up. They fixed the problem and got him (Kenseth) back in it. We followed that up with a two tire pit stop to get back the track position we lost and everything fell into place from there. The crew had stellar stops all day. Hopefully we can keep this string going over the next nine weeks.”

“The DeWalt guys did a great job,” said Reiser. “We had great pit stops. Came back from that problem and didn’t really tear anything up and were able to work our way back through there through pit strategy and having a good car. It feels good to come here and get a good finish and I look forward to going to Dover.”

The panel of voters; including Chuck Givler of the Easton Express-Times, a WYPALL® Wipers representative and Tony Eury Sr.; voted for Reiser as the crew chief who did the most outstanding job. “There was a lot of pressure on Robbie (Reiser) this week,” said Eury Sr. “Even when he ran into problems, he stayed cool and made sure that everything was taken care of. He got his car fixedand got it in the top-five before the race ended. That’s a pretty good day.”

Doug Richert leads the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Year standings with five wins. Alan Gustafson is in second place with three wins. Bob Osborne, Jimmy Fennig, Greg Zipadelli, Robbie Reiser and Robbie Loomis are tied for third place with two wins. Tommy Baldwin, Scott Miller, Fatback McSwain, Steve Hmiel, Greg Erwin, Slugger Labbe and Pete Rondeau are in a tie for fourth place, each with one win. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000.


Matt Kenseth finishes 3rd in Loudon; Advances to 5th in championship standings
September 18, 2005

LOUDON, NH (September 18, 2005) — New Hampshire International Speedway played host to the first of the final ten races of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season on Sunday, and the first of ten races to determine the 2005 Champion. Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 DEWALT team got off to a great start in this final stretch by scoring a third place finish and advancing to fifth in the point standings.

Having qualified in the fourth position, Kenseth took the green flag in the top-five and would remain there for the first third of the event. An early caution flag on lap 2 took teammate Kurt Busch, also a championship contender, out of contention for this event, having sustained heavy damage to his racecar. Kenseth gave the DEWALT crew its’ first indication of the handling of the No. 17 when he radioed in on lap 17: “It’s a little tight in the center, the exit is good — we need to be turning a little better.” Kenseth made his first pit stop of the afternoon during the caution period brought out on lap 72. Running second, Kenseth brought the DEWALT down pit road and received air pressure and wedge adjustments, along with four fresh tires and fuel. He restarted the event in the second spot on lap 77.

Kenseth continued to run in the top-five until his next stop under caution on lap 104. Kenseth brought the No. 17 down pit road and received additional air pressure adjustments, tires and fuel. Upon leaving his pit box however, Kenseth and the team immediately noticed that something was wrong. A stray lugnut was stuck in the wheel — it locked up the wheel and flattened the right front tire. Kenseth eased around the racetrack and brought the DEWALT Ford back down pit road. The DEWALT crew took care of the problem and Kenseth returned to the field for the restart in the 27th position on lap 108.

After the restart the racecar became “treacherous loose,” according to Kenseth. He managed to race his way up to the 21st position before coming down pit road during the caution period on lap 136. The crew went back on one of their previous air pressure adjustments, made a track bar adjustment and, in an effort to regain track position, took right side tires only. Kenseth restarted in the sixth spot on lap 141. Kenseth ran in the top-five for approximately fifteen laps before he started to slide back several positions. Radioing his crew that “I don’t have any grip — it’s spinning off sometimes, chattering the nose some,” Kenseth pitted during the seventh caution period of the day brought on lap 164. He received an air pressure adjustment, four tires and fuel in a stop executed by the DEWALT crew in just 12.2 seconds. As the laps clicked off, Kenseth began to see that the No. 17 was loose at the beginning of a run but then started to come in. Running 13th on lap 179 under caution, Kenseth advised his crew, “If it stays green, I think I can get back up into the pack.” Many pitted during this eighth caution period — Kenseth, having pitted just 15 laps prior, stayed out on the racetrack. When the race restarted on lap 183, Kenseth found himself in the third position.

Only six laps later, the ninth caution of the afternoon slowed the field for an incident with the No. 7 entry. Because of the amount of debris on the track, NASCAR officials brought the field down pit road and parked them under a red flag to clean up the track. Kenseth was in the second spot at the time. When the field returned to the track and took the green, Kenseth stayed in the top-five until coming in under green for his final stop of the day. The DEWALT team made a track bar adjustment for the short run to the finish and gave Kenseth four fresh tires and fuel, all in just 12.3 seconds. Kenseth was shuffled back in the field as the cycle of green flag stops made its’ way through the field. He raced his way back into the third position by lap 284, and would remain there to take the checkered flag for his seventh top-five finish of the 2005 season.

“We had a good car here today,” said Kenseth after the race. “The crew did a great job of making adjustments all day to make it better. We had that one mishap on pit road with the lug nut, but things like that happen sometimes. The crew noticed it immediately, didn’t panic, and took care of the problem. We made a good call after that, taking on right side tires only, to regain some track position. We didn’t have the fastest car today, for sure, but we took what we had and got the best finish out of it that we could. That’s what we’ll need to do for the last nine races to stay in contention.”

With his third-place finish at Loudon, Kenseth moved up to the fifth position in the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings, 50 points out of first place.

The No. 17 DEWALT Ford Taurus will be back in competition next weekend at the Dover International Speedway, for the second of ten races to determine the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion.


Loudon Race Preview
September 14, 2005

New Hampshire International Raceway  • Loudon, N.H.
Sylvania 300 • Sunday, September 18 • 12:30 pm/e TNT

 
Matt Kenseth Cup Record at NHIS:

Date S F Laps Reason
07/09/00 22 19 272/273 Running
09/17/00 38 17 298/300 Running
07/22/01 21 16 300/300 Running
11/23/01 16 4 300/300 Running
07/21/02 6 33 299/300 Running
09/15/02 17 10 207/207 Running
07/20/03 1 3 300/300 Running
09/14/03 19 7 300/300 Running
07/25/04 31 4 300/300 Running
09/19/04 5 2 300/300 Running
07/17/05 16 10 300/300 Running

 
Matt Kenseth
Cup Series totals at NHIS:

  Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles
Cumulative 11 0 4 7 1*
*Field set by points

 
Matt Kenseth on racing at New Hampshire:

“This team really has a tremendous amount of momentum right now. We reached our goal of making it into the Chase and now our focus will be working towards another championship. I feel like the way our cars are running right now and the way this team is working together, we have a legitimate shot at the championship.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at New Hampshire:

“I’m really proud of Matt and the entire team for staying focused when things weren’t going well, and working ourselves back into this thing. Loudon is a good track for us — we’ve consistently finished in the top-ten the last several years — and that is what this team will be looking for — consistency.”

New Hampshire Fast Facts

n In his eleven Cup Series starts at Loudon, Matt Kenseth has finished in the top-five four times, and in the top-ten seven times. He also has one pole position.

n Kenseth has finished in the top-ten in his last six races at Loudon.

n Kenseth will be running car number 23 on Sunday in Loudon. This is the same car that ran in Phoenix earlier this year, as well as in the previous race in Loudon and last weekend in Richmond.

n Matt Kenseth is tied for eighth place in the Chase for the Championship going into the final ten races of the season. He is currently 35 points behind the leader.


Matt Kenseth Post-Richmond quotes
September 10, 2005

MATT KENSETH — No. 17 DeWalt Taurus (Finished 2nd) — “I’m relieved, but more than relieved I’m excited. I’m excited for this whole DeWalt team. They did such a great job on pit road. They’re the reason why we’re here. We were way behind here a few months ago and they just kept digging and giving me better race cars. They were just killing everybody on pit road. It was awesome on pit road and they put us in position. I’m real excited because I feel like we’ve got some momentum. We’re running really well. We didn’t just sneak in. We still ran second tonight and had a good run. I really think that we can be a threat down the stretch. There are a couple of tracks that probably aren’t great tracks for us, but I think we can be a legitimate threat for it.”

ON ROUSH’S 1-2-3 FINISH: “It’s pretty neat. I mean, you’ve got to enjoy it when it’s our time at Roush. It really works in cycles. You have up and down days and up and down years. It goes like that for awhile and right now I’m really enjoying this. It’s fun to drive these cars. I’ve got great teammates. They’re all running good and they’re all working really good together right now. It’s sad to see Kurt go when he eventually goes because right now we’ve got a really good group that works good together and we’ve got good information and everybody is running well.”

WOULD IT HAVE BEEN TOUGH TO TAKE IF YOU DIDN’T MAKE IT AFTER SUCH A GOOD COMEBACK? “Yes and no. It’s easy to say afterwards, but coming into today I didn’t have a lot of pressure. I was good however it went. I thought we had a good car if we raced really well and didn’t have any problems we were gonna make it. I thought we could make it on performance. If we had some problems and didn’t make it, well, that’s just the way it goes. No matter what, I was gonna walk away today happy and proud of my guys because we made up three hundred and some odd points on 10th place in the last couple months and that’s awesome, even if we wouldn’t have made it, so either way I was gonna be real proud of the effort they put forth.”

MATT KENSETH — “We had a good night tonight and had a good race. My guys had great pit stops and had a good car. We pretty much stayed in the top 10 all night after the start and just had a real consistent run. It feels good to get a second-place finish out of here. At the beginning we didn’t have any top fives and we’ve had a few of them lately and been running much better. I’m excited to have dug our way back out of that hole and made the chase. That’s a great job by all my guys and everybody at Roush Racing. I’m excited to be in the chase and looking forward to go to Loudon next week. We’ve got a lot of momentum right now. We’re running really well. All of the Roush cars are running well and it’s fun to be part of that organization right now because we’ve got good stuff.”

WILL WE SEE TEAMWORK THE FINAL 10 RACES LIKE WHEN YOUR TEAMMATES LET YOU LEAD A LAP? “Well, first of all, that didn’t happen tonight exactly. I came out of the pits first and Kasey Kahne was up there on two tires and Kurt came up behind me, so I just passed Kasey first and then Kurt caught and passed me. He had a better car, but I was in front of him so that didn’t happen tonight. That’s not to say it couldn’t happen, although I don’t think it will because all five of us are trying to race for a championship right now and it would be silly to help anybody when you’re trying to win yourself. So that didn’t happen tonight. I’m sure that if I would have been close to him, not to say that it couldn’t have happened, but we were better at the time when Kasey had two tires. We took the lead for a few laps and Kurt had the better car. We didn’t play it conservative. We ran second. We were gaining on him a little bit at the end, but he just had the better car all night — just like last year. He had the best car, too, but ran out of fuel and had some other problems.”

WOULD IT BE FUNNY IF YOU WON ONE RACE AND WON THE TITLE? “I guess so? I’m laughing now. I don’t know. Everybody was asking a couple weeks ago — there are some people in the chase and probably still is — I don’t know. There are a few guys in there that haven’t won a race this year. I don’t think Rusty has and Mark hasn’t won a points race. There are still a few guys in there and I’ll say the same thing I’ve always said, it still has to reward consistency somehow. It’s not like football. It’s not one team against one team. It’s one team against 42. If you run seventh, that’s not saying you lost, that’s saying you ran seventh and there are six guys that beat you. So you still have to be rewarded for that and for running good week in and week out. It’s hard to win these races. If I needed that extra 10 points to win tonight to get in the chase, I still couldn’t have won. I was running as hard as I could to try to catch Kurt, so everybody is trying to win and there can only be one winner every Sunday. It still rewards consistency. Do I think it would be funny? Yeah, it would be kind of funny I guess for a shorter answer.”

DO YOU FEEL OPTIMISTIC NOW? “Yeah, I feel good about it. There are some tracks coming up that we’re not probably the best at and there are some tracks coming up where I think we’ll be pretty strong at. I feel like if you are gonna get running better we’re definitely doing it at the right time. Last year we started off pretty strong and won a couple of races and by this time we were in the chase, but, honestly, I wasn’t that excited about it because we weren’t performing very well. I knew in my heart that when we got in the chase we weren’t going to win the championship most likely anyway, whereas this year sliding in and making up all those points and running well the way we’ve been running the last couple of months, I’m optimistic about our chances. I think that we can perform pretty well and have a shot at it.”

HOW DOES JACK KEEP THESE TEAMS EQUAL? “Jack gives us all the same stuff. We all have the opportunity to build the same thing, you know what I mean. I can build the same kind of car Greg can, or he can build the same kind Kurt builds or whatever, so we all have access to the same stuff. Doug Yates and those guys do an awesome job on engines and they’re all very, very close also, so the opportunity is there. It’s up to us how we put that together and how we use that stuff. Right now we all have it really, really good as drivers and Jack has it pretty good too because all five teams are working really, really well together. All five drivers get along pretty well and share information and work together and try to work together for the whole team, not necessarily just the single car. So that’s hard to find, it’s hard to find guys to work that well together and it’s hard to find teams that will always work that well together because we still have to compete every Sunday or Saturday night in this case. Ryan’s feeling pretty bad because he can’t get along with his teammate (laughter). One quick thing, Kurt is going next year or the year after — whatever — and I’m sad to see that happen — and Mark’s going too — right now the whole group works really good together so you’ve got to enjoy it while it’s here.”

HOW WAS THE TRACK AS FAR AS DEBRIS? “I think it was awesome. It was about five lanes wide and if you needed that sixth one, you were probably up too high. I thought it was pretty good. Yeah, there were some marbles, but they were way, way up there. Whenever you have a tire that wears out and rubber comes off of it you’re gonna have some marbles, and it’s hard to blow it when the groove is that high, so I didn’t think it was that bad, but some of those guys were running higher than what I was, too. I don’t know, Biff was up there on the cushion. What did you think?”

MATT KENSETH — “Just to add one more thing to that. I think the big thing is we’re still gonna work the same during the week and the teams are still gonna work the same during the week. They’re gonna work together. All the guys in the shop, the same people put the bodies on the car the same whether it’s a 16 or a 99 or a 17 or whatever it is. Everybody is still gonna talk. They’re still gonna share information. They’re still gonna work together. Everybody is gonna do that, but when you get on the track, yeah, you’re not gonna do nothing to hurt each other, but if you’re gonna do something that might help Greg, but it’s gonna cost me, I’m not gonna do that and he’s not gonna do that either, unless it gets way stretched out at the end and one of us is out of it or something like that — you’ll try to help the guy. But it’s mostly in the shop and it’s during practice and after practice sharing notes and talking and finding out things about their cars and trying to apply that to make the whole thing better.”

n Read more post-race from the Ford Drivers and Jack Roush


Matt Kenseth finishes 2nd in Richmond; Secures spot in Chase for Championship
September 10, 2005

RICHMOND, VA (September 10, 2005) — It all came down to Saturday night — Matt Kenseth sitting in the ninth spot in the championship standings and determined to bring home the finish to stay there — and that is exactly what he did. In the final race of the NASCAR Nextel Cup “regular season,” Kenseth delivered a second-place finish to secure his spot among the top ten championship contenders.

Kenseth qualified in a respectable 13th position and quickly moved into the top ten when the green flag flew over the field. Kenseth radioed to his crew that the car was “good in [turns] one and two, a little tight off [turns] three and four — it needs to be a little freer.” When the first caution flag of the evening slowed the field on lap 31, Kenseth brought the No. 17 DEWALT Ford down pit road for service and adjustments. The crew made air pressure and wedge adjustments, in addition to giving Kenseth four fresh tires and fuel. He restarted the race on lap 37 in the tenth position.

By the next caution period on lap 88, Kenseth had made his way into the fifth spot. Needing a little more grip, the crew made another air pressure adjustment when Kenseth brought the No. 17 down pit road for service, and gained him one spot off of pit road, putting him into the fourth position for the restart. That adjustment turned out to be the wrong one as Kenseth radioed to his crew about five laps later, “That killed it — it’s so loose I can’t step on the gas!” Kenseth was able to stay in the top ten with the loose racecar until his next pit stop on lap 142. Again telling his crew that the car was “just too loose,” the DEWALT crew went back on their previous air pressure adjustment and gave Kenseth four new tires and fuel.

Still running in the top ten, Kenseth advised his crew about thirty laps later that the No. 17 was “a totally different car — tight.” He came down pit road again for service and adjustments during the fifth caution period of the night and the DEWALT crew executed a fast stop — 12.7 seconds — and gained Kenseth two positions off of pit road. He restarted in the sixth spot on lap 199. When the sixth caution slowed the field just thirteen laps later, Kenseth radioed his crew with good news: “This is about the best we’ve been so far.” Running in the fifth position at the time, Kenseth would remain in the top five for the remaining 180 laps.

Running fourth, Kenseth brought the No. 17 down pit road for its final stop of the evening on lap 312. The crew made no adjustments but gave Kenseth four fresh tires and fuel. The DEWALT team completed the stop in just 12.3 seconds and gained Kenseth two spots off of pit road. Restarting second, Kenseth was able to grab the lead for a few laps and earn those five valuable bonus points for leading. Unable to catch his teammate and ultimate race winner, Kurt Busch, Kenseth took the checkered flag in the second spot and secured his inclusion in the top ten in the point standings.

“We accomplished exactly what we came here to do tonight,” said Kenseth after the race. “I can’t say enough about this DEWALT team. Not long ago, everyone had pretty much written us off as championship contenders, but these guys never gave up or lost focus and continued to work hard on our cars and our pit stops. We were awesome on pit road tonight. This team has a lot of momentum right now and I’m looking forward to getting this Chase started.”

The No. 17 DEWALT Ford Taurus will be back in competition next weekend in New Hampshire for the first of ten races to determine the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion.


Kenseth finishes 3rd in Richmond Busch race
September 9, 2005

RICHMOND, VA (September 9, 2005) — In what promises to be a pivotal weekend for him, Matt Kenseth got off to a great start as he posted a fourth-place qualifying run followed by a third-place finish in the Emerson Radio 250 Busch Series event at the Richmond International Raceway Friday night. The No. 17 Waste Management Ford Taurus continued its season-long streak of top-ten finishes for 2005.

Rolling off the grid in the fourth position, Kenseth ran in the top-five for approximately thirty laps but the tight condition of the racecar he experienced early on began to worsen. By lap 36, Kenseth radioed to his crew that the car was “terrible, terrible, terrible tight — it feels like there is 900 pounds of air in the right front tire!” When the first caution flag of the evening slowed the field on lap 41, Kenseth brought the No. 17 Waste Management ride down pit road for service and adjustments. The crew made air pressure and wedge adjustments and gave Kenseth four fresh tires and fuel. Kenseth restarted the event in seventh spot on lap 46.

Kenseth continued to experience handling problems as the car started off loose and then became extremely tight during the next run. The crew executed the pivotal adjustment of the race during the next pit stop during the second caution period. The Waste Management crew pulled a rubber out of the left front in addition to the regular service and it made a drastic improvement in the handling of the car. After the stop, Kenseth returned to the field for the restart on lap 103 in the fifth position.

Kenseth continued to run alternately in the fifth and sixth spots until he came down pit road for his third stop on lap 143. The racecar was a bit loose and the crew continued to make adjustments to improve the handling. Kenseth restarted the race in the 14th position, as many cars elected to stay out during this caution period. The Waste Management Ford then began its’ charge to the front, with Kenseth radioing to his crew on lap 188 that “this is the best we’ve been so far.” Kenseth gradually moved up through the top fifteen, and eventually broke into the top-five by lap 201. Kenseth stayed up front for the remaining laps and took the checkered flag in the third position.

“We had a pretty good car tonight,” said Kenseth, after the race. “It was loose in and loose off through the corners, yet tight in the middle. We made several adjustments as the night unfolded and the car greatly improved. I was hoping we’d be able to get around the No. 11 there at the end, but we just couldn’t make the pass. My crew did a great job tonight on our stops and improving the car. We were able to continue our string of top-ten finishes in the Waste Management Ford.”

The NASCAR Busch Series will enjoy an off weekend next week. Kenseth will be back in action in the No. 17 Waste Management Ford Taurus the following weekend in Dover, Delaware.


Kenseth Third in IROC race
September 8, 2005

RICHMOND, VA (September 8, 2005) — Matt Kenseth, in addition to competing in the NASCAR Busch and Cup races this weekend at the Richmond International Raceway, participated in the third of four IROC events to be held in 2005 Thursday 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 third position following a late rally after a spin early in the event.

The starting line-up was determined by inverting the field based upon the IROC point standings. As Kenseth was seated in the fourth position in the standings, he took the green flag for the 90-lap event in eighth spot. The No. 17 spun on lap three of the event in an attempt to avoid a spinning car in front of him and was then hit from behind. The car suffered minor damage, but after a quick trip onto pit road resumed the race. The field ran 60 laps before taking a mandatory caution flag for routine pit stops. The final 30-lap shootout was slowed by four cautions with Roush Racing teammate Mark Martin inching out teammate Kurt Busch to take the checkered flag.

The Roush Racing trio of Martin, Busch and Kenseth took the top three positions in Thursday night’s event. Kenseth’s third-place finish gained him a spot in the IROC standings, from fourth to third. Roush Racing teammate Mark Martin retained the points lead with his win at Richmond. The leader of the point standings at the end of the fourth race will receive $1,000,000.

The Crown Royal IROC Series will hold its fourth and final event at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in October.


Richmond Race Preview: IROC, Busch, and Cup
September 7, 2005

Richmond International Raceway  • Richmond, Va.
IROC #3 • Thursday, September 8 • 7:00 pm/e Speed Channel
Emerson Radio 250 • Friday, September 9 • 7:30 pm/e TNT
Chevy Rock & Roll 400 • Saturday, September 10 • 7:00 pm/e TNT

 
Matt Kenseth Cup Record at RIR:

Date S F Laps Reason
05/06/00 37 15 400/400 Running
09/09/00 20 32 376/400 Engine
05/05/01 19 8 400/400 Running
09/08/01 38 35 301/400 Running
05/05/02 7 6 400/400 Running
09/07/02 25 1 400/400 Running
05/03/03 18 7 393/393 Running
09/06/03 18 7 400/400 Running
05/15/04 29 5 400/400 Running
09/11/04 16 28 397/400 Running
05/14/05 26 12 400/400 Running

 
Matt Kenseth
Cup Series totals at RIR:

  Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles
Cumulative 11 1 2 6 0

 
Matt Kenseth Busch Series Record at RIR:

Date S F Laps Reason
09/05/97 32 22 248/250 Running
06/05/98 14 3 250/250 Running
09/11/98 23 4 250/250 Running
05/14/99 18 3 250/250 Running
09/10/99 30 20 249/250 Running
03/05/00 4 2 250/250 Running
09/08/00 8 8 250/250 Running
05/04/01 1 4 250/250 Running
09/07/01 16 2 250/250 Running
09/05/03 28 6 250/250 Running
05/13/05 11 8 253/253 Running

 
Matt Kenseth
Busch Series totals at RIR:

  Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles
Cumulative 11 0 6 9 1

 
Matt Kenseth on racing at Richmond:

“I am excited about going to Richmond this weekend. It has all come down to this race to settle the top ten that will be competing for the championship this year. We’ve had a good run over the last several months and have put ourselves in contention for this thing. We have to have no mistakes this weekend — not by the driver and not on pit road. It’s going to be exciting, I know that.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Richmond:

“It all comes down to this weekend. We tested at Richmond last week and learned about a lot of things that didn’t work. Hopefully, we can take what we know and get the right set up on our car. Matt and the team have stayed committed and focused and have gotten us this far, somewhere that at times we didn’t think we’d be. So this is it — it should be a wild night!”

Busch Crew Chief Chad Norris on racing at Richmond:

“It’s been a while since we raced — not since Loudon in July. We have a long stretch ahead of us, running seven out of the last eleven races. We hope to start that stretch on a good note this weekend. We’ve finished in the top ten all year, but we’d really like to get some more wins before the season is over.”

Richmond Fast Facts

n Matt Kenseth will be pulling triple duty this weekend in Richmond, as he competes in the IROC, Busch and Cup events.

n With his seventh-place finish in Fontana, Kenseth broke into the top-ten in points for the first time this season, moving up two spots to the ninth position.

n In his eleven starts at Richmond in the Cup series, Kenseth has six top-ten finishes, including one win in 2002.

n Kenseth has finished in the top ten at Richmond in five of his last seven Cup starts.

n Kenseth will be running car number 23 this weekend. This is the same car that Kenseth ran in Phoenix and Loudon earlier this year.

n Matt Kenseth will be competing in the Emerson Radio 250 in the No. 17 Waste Management Ford Friday night in the Busch Series. In his eleven Busch starts at Richmond, Kenseth has six top-five finishes, nine top-ten’s and one pole.

n Kenseth will be running car number 41 this weekend in the Busch Series. This car won at Loudon last year and, in the 2005 season, has run at California, Richmond and Loudon.

n Matt Kenseth tested at Richmond last week in preparation for this weekend’s races.


Matt Kenseth Post-California quotes
September 4, 2005

MATT KENSETH - No. 17 DeWalt Taurus (Finished 7th)

DID YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE IN THIS POSITION SIX RACES AGO? “No, not probably since the last Pocono. I didn’t think we had a chance to, but we’ve run much better and you know the guys that have been around us in points have had some trouble and maybe haven’t run as well the second half of the year and had some things happen to them, too. No, not really. I didn’t really expect it. We’re not in it yet. We still have another week to go.”

GOOD PIT STOPS PUT YOU IN FRONT. “Yeah, we had great pit stops and kept us in front all night, but you knew all of those guys were gonna get two at the end and I was just real scared to put two tires on it for some reason. My car wasn’t very fast for the first five laps of a run. It would be real loose and we just put four tires on it and got in the middle of the bees nest and got passed by a bunch of cars at the end. I don’t know what to tell you. I took a second-place car and finished seventh with it, so it’s a little disappointing.”

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE IN YOUR TEAM FROM THE START OF THE YEAR TO NOW? MARK SAYS YOU’RE THE FAVORITE TO WIN? “I don’t know about that. The team is the same. They did a good job at the beginning of the year and they’re doing a good job now. We had a lot of things happen to us at the beginning of the year — a lot of flat tires, some broken parts and I wrecked some stuff. We had a lot of things happen and we didn’t perform well, which wasn’t really necessarily a team thing. We just weren’t building our cars right and doing the right thing. They were doing what they were supposed to do, but we just weren’t telling them to do the right stuff. I’d say it’s about the same. They do a great job on pit road. They’re probably better than any other team up and down pit road and they’re doing a great job right now. I’m still having a hard time getting over finishing seventh, but they do a great job. They did a good job all night and they deserved to run second or third - third at the worst tonight, I thought.”

WERE YOU SURPRISED THE GUYS WITH TWO HELD ON LIKE THEY DID? “No, I wasn’t surprised. There were only seven laps to go. Every car in front of me took two. Almost every car behind me, except for Tony took two. It’s just the way it was. If it would have gone green to the end, I was making some progress and I probably would have finished third. I don’t think I would have gotten Greg or the 5, but I was getting ready to try to pass the 25, but my car just wasn’t very good on restarts. It would just be really loose on restarts and I couldn’t do the things that Carl and Tony and the 5 and those guys could do. They could just run around there and fly around the corner. I just couldn’t do that without wrecking. I just got cars all around me and they got the air off of me and lost those spots. Hindsight is always 20/20, but we never, ever, ever gamble and take two and we should have took two. We would have come out of the pits first or second and I think we would have finished there.”


Matt Kenseth finishes 7th at Fontana; Breaks into Top Ten in standings
September 4, 2005

n Cup race photos by ASP

FONTANA, CA (September 4, 2005) — Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 DEWALT team knew what they had to do coming into Fontana — be consistent and post a strong finish — and that’s exactly what they did. Matt Kenseth finished seventh at the California Speedway Sunday night and found himself in the top ten in the standings for the Chase for the Nextel Cup for the first time in the 2005 season.

Having moved up to the 11th position in the point standings following his win at Bristol last weekend, Kenseth became a real contender in the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship. To break into that top ten and remain in contention, the DEWALT team needed a top-ten finish at the California Speedway. The team was not deterred by their 23rd-place qualifying position. Crew chief Robbie Reiser felt confident about the car the team brought to Fontana — the same car that dominated at Chicago and Michigan earlier this season. The team was pumped and focused coming off the win at Bristol, and was determined to have no mistakes on pit road. Although the DEWALT Ford Taurus got off to a slow start, it wasn’t long before the Matt Kenseth who has been on such a streak the second half of this season emerged.

Rolling off 23rd, Kenseth immediately encountered a handling issue and made little progress in the early stages of the event. Kenseth even brushed the wall on lap 10 wrestling with the DEWALT Ford. Another issue for Kenseth was the sunlight in his eyes down the backstretch and into turn three. Kenseth radioed to his spotter to be vigilant and vocal in that area because essentially he could not see anything. Kenseth began to fall back and lost several spots as he fought with the car. When the first caution flag of the evening slowed the field on lap 23, Kenseth elected not to pit with the leaders but rather to stay out and lead a lap and gain five bonus points. Kenseth eventually pitted and restarted the race on lap 27 in the 38th position. He wouldn’t stay in the back long, however, as the race began to turn around for Kenseth.

By lap 56, Kenseth had worked his way halfway through the field and into the 18th spot. Kenseth radioed to his crew that the car was “really loose and wanted to spin out.” Fearing that he might have a tire going down, he advised his crew to be ready. Fortunately, that problem never materialized and Kenseth continued to move up through the field, landing in the top ten by lap 92. When the fifth caution flag of the night flew for debris on lap 115, Kenseth was running in the seventh position. Citing that the DEWALT Ford was tight in the middle and pushing towards the wall, Kenseth came down pit road and received an air pressure adjustment to the left front tire to address the problem. The DEWALT crew gained Kenseth two positions off of pit road and he restarted the race in the 5th spot on lap 119.

A spin by teammate Kurt Busch brought out the sixth caution of the night on lap 145, and Kenseth, running in the 3rd position, again brought the DEWALT Ford down pit road for service. The DEWALT crew continued to be on top of their game and gained Kenseth another two spots off of pit road. Kenseth restarted the event on lap 149 in the top spot. He would fall back to third within a few laps and, via radio communication, thanked his crew for their hard work but admitted that he didn’t have the fastest car of the night and was doing all he could. Kenseth would continue to run in the top three until lap 240 when a late caution for debris slowed the field with just ten laps to go. Kenseth, along with most of the rest of field, came down pit road for a final stop. Many competitors opted for two tires while Kenseth took on four. He restarted the race in the ninth position on lap 244.

Kenseth raced his way into the fourth position and looked to take the checkered flag in that spot. However, a late caution slowed the field on lap 246. Restarting the race on lap 253 for a green/white/checkered finish, Kenseth did not get a good start and fell three spots to take the checkered flag in the seventh position.

“We accomplished what we needed to tonight,” said Kenseth after the race. “I’m a little disappointed at how we lost a few spots there at the end, but we’ve put ourselves in contention. That was the goal coming in. I am so proud of my team for being so focused and executing our pit stops. We consistently gained positions off of pit road tonight and that is so important to our overall success. We have one race to go to solidify our spot in the Chase. We tested at Richmond last week and discovered a lot of things that didn’t work. Hopefully, we can figure out what will work, and come out of next weekend with a strong finish, too.”

With his seventh-place finish at Fontana, Matt Kenseth gained two spots in the Nextel Cup standings, moved into the ninth position, and broke into that all-important top ten for the first time this season.

The No. 17 DEWALT Ford Taurus will be back in competition next Saturday night under the lights at the Richmond International Raceway. Next week’s race at Richmond will be the final race of the “regular season,” with the top ten in the point standings at its conclusion going on to compete for the Nextel Cup Championship over the final ten races of the season.


California Race Preview
September 1, 2005

California Speedway • Fontana, Calif.
Sony HD 500 • Sunday, September 4 • 8:00 pm/e NBC

 
Matt Kenseth Cup Record at California Speedway

Date S F Laps Reason
04/30/00 23 3 250/250 Running
04/29/01 23 17 250/250 Running
04/28/02 20 20 249/250 Running
04/27/03 23 9 250/250 Running
05/02/04 25 4 250/250 Running
09/05/04 30 22 250/250 Running
02/27/05 6 26 249/250 Running

 
Matt Kenseth
Cup Series totals at California Speedway

  Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles
Cumulative 7 0 2 3 0

 
Matt Kenseth on racing at California Speedway

“I’m looking forward to heading back out to California this weekend. We had a good run there early in the year. We ran in the top ten for much of the day until we cut a tire down late in the race. This team really has a lot of momentum right now. We’ve been running well, posting some good finishes and, of course, are coming off of our first win of the season.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at California Speedway

“Our team is really pumped right now. With our win last weekend, we gained several spots in the points and are still a contender for the Chase. The guys will be really focused this weekend on executing their pit stops. We’re bringing our Chicago and Michigan car to California and it’s done well for us, so we’re looking forward to being competitive again this weekend.”

Fast Facts

n In his seven Cup starts at the California Speedway, Matt Kenseth has two top-five finishes and three top-ten’s.

n Kenseth will be running chassis number 39 this weekend in Fontana. This is the same car that was dominant in Chicago in July, ultimately finishing in the second position. Most recently, number 39 raced in Michigan to a third-place finish.

n Kenseth is going to Fontana fresh off his first win of the 2005 season at the Bristol Motor Speedway. With his win at Bristol, Kenseth gained an impressive four positions in the Nextel Cup point standings, moving up to 11th-place. He is currently 11 points out of the tenth spot.


 

  
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