California Busch & Cup Preview
August 22, 2007

California Speedway • Fontana, Calif.
Camping World 300 • Sat., Sept. 1 • 9:30pm/e ESPN2
Sharp Aquos 500 • Sun., Sept. 2 • 7pm/e ESPN

Nextel Cup Chassis — #17 R+L Carriers Ford Fusion
• Primary — RK-317 (Last outing, Pocono June ’07, finished ninth; also scored four top-fives in ’07 including a win in Fontana, Feb. ’07)
• Backup — RK-340 (Last outing, Pocono, August ’07, finished 14th; also served as backup in six races in 2007)

Busch Chassis — #17 Arby’s Ford Fusion
• Primary — RK-346 (Last ran Michigan, finished 2nd)
  

 
Matt’s Cup Series summary at California:

Date	S	F	Laps	Led	Reason
02/25/07	25	1	250/250	133	Running
09/03/06	11	7	250/250	0	Running
02/26/06	31	1	251/251	40	Running
09/04/05	23	7	254/254	14	Running
02/27/05	6	26	249/250	57	Running
09/05/04	30	22	250/250	0	Running
05/02/04	25	4	250/250	11	Running
04/27/03	23	9	250/250	2	Running
04/28/02	20	20	249/250	0	Running
04/29/01	23	17	250/250	2	Running
04/30/00	23	3	250/250	120	Running

 
Matt Kenseth Cup Series totals at California:

	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Laps Led
Spring	8	2	4	5	0	365
Fall	3	0	0	2	0	14
Cumulative	11	2	4	7	0	379

Matt Kenseth Busch series summary at California:

Date	S	F	Laps	Status
02/24/07	2	1	150/150	Running
09/02/06	18	7	150/150	Running
02/25/06	4	6	150/150	Running
02/26/05	17	9	150/150	Running
09/04/04	9	12	150/150	Running
05/01/04	20	4	150/150	Running
04/26/03	19	1	150/150	Running
04/28/01	22	20	149/150	Running
04/29/00	8	1	150/150	Running
05/01/99	2	1	150/150	Running
07/19/98	3	3	150/150	Running
10/19/97	5	3	150/150	Running

 
Matt Kenseth Busch Series totals at California:

	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles
Cumulative	12	4	7	10	0

   
Matt Kenseth on racing at California:

• Cup: “I’m looking forward to going back to California. We’ve usually been pretty strong on that type of track and we’ve had some success there before, so coming off of a disappointing weekend at Bristol, it’s definitely good to be going to a track you feel you can run well at.

“We’re locked into the Chase now and that feels good and all, but we’ve got to start running better and build some momentum. Of course, last year, we had all the momentum in the world heading into the Chase and couldn’t get it done once in the Chase, so momentum isn’t everything. But, we still want to score some good finishes in these next two races and get our cars running the best we can for those final 10 races.

“The fact we’ve now made the Chase for four straight years is a credit to Robbie (Reiser), Chip (Bolin, Engineer), and all of the guys on the team. I feel like year in and year out, we’ve got one of the best teams in the garage, our pit crew always does an awesome job, now it’s up to us to figure out how to make our cars a little bit better so that we can compete for the championship.”

• Busch: “California is definitely one of my favorite tracks. It’s a track we have been successful at in the past and most recently this year. It was pretty cool to be able to sweep the first California weekend and earn the first Busch and Cup wins for Roush Fenway Racing. Bristol didn’t go quite how we planned, but coming back to a track like California is a real confidence booster and I think we are in for a good weekend.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at California:

“We’re taking the same car that we won with at California earlier this year and hopefully we’ll have it good enough to compete for the win this time around.

“It’s good to be locked into the Chase, now we just need to go out and win one of these next two and pick up some bonus points before the Chase starts. I think this weekend is a great opportunity, but we have to do everything right because there’re a lot of cars running really good right now.

“I’m proud of this team and the job this group does every week. The fact that we’ve made the Chase now for every season is a testament to them. It’s a very close-knit group and they work hard to make sure this team is always a contender.”

Busch Series Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at California:

“The team did a good job last weekend getting the Arby’s Ford Fusion turned around during the race and handling well for Matt (Kenseth). California is a good track for Matt and they team is definitely excited to get back there and defend their win. If everything goes right on the track and on pit road we should hopefully have a similar result.”

California Fast Facts

n By starting at Bristol, Matt Kenseth clinched a spot in the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, becoming the first driver to make all four Chases.

n Kenseth is the all-time leader in NASCAR wins at California speedway, posting six wins total; four in the Busch Series and two in the Cup Series.

n Kenseth swept the February race weekend at the California Speedway by winning the Busch and Cup race. Kenseth has now won the past two February Cup races at the Fontana, Calif. two-mile oval.

n In his career, Kenseth has led eight of his 11 Cup races at Fontana for a total of 379 laps, second most all time.

n Kenseth’s average finish at the two, two-mile tracks, (California and Michigan) is 10.3; tops among all drivers that have competed in all 28 races at those tracks during that span.

n Kenseth will run the R+L Carriers paint scheme for the third time this season in Sunday’s Sharp Aquos 500. In his previous two he has scored finishes of 12th at Charlotte in May and eighth at Daytona in July. The R+L Carriers scheme will run once more at Martinsville in October.

Kenseth gets his first win at Milwaukee

KENSETH CAPTURES WIN AT THE MILWAUKEE MILE

Sunday, August 26, 2007 (West Allis, WI) — Matt Kenseth made his return visit to The Milwaukee Mile a successful one as he held off 36 other competitors to win the Wisconsin All-Star 50 with Matt Kenseth event. It was Kenseth’s first win at America’s Legendary Oval.

Earlier in the day, Kenseth qualified his Pathfinder Chassis–prepared Ford Fusion to a new track record of 29.241 seconds (123.114 mph) besting the mark set last year by Nate Haseleu at 29.260 seconds (123.035 mph). A total of 38 cars qualified for the main event.

The top eight in qualifying were inverted for the start. Chris Weinkauf and Dean Cornelius led the field to Tom Powell’s green flag. At the break, it was Cornelius pacing the field.

Kenseth, who started eighth, quickly worked his way to the front and was up to second place by lap 8. Cornelius jumped out to almost a half a straightaway lead over Kenseth.

Kenseth was slowly gaining on Cornelius, but lap traffic allowed Kenseth to catch him. The two raced side-by-side for the lead as the halfway signal was given at the start finish line. As the two went into turn one, Kenseth took the lead on the inside of Cornelius and began to pull away. A crowd of over 14,000 erupted in cheers as Kenseth cruised down the backstretch.

Kenseth would go on to a near five-second victory over Cornelius and take home his first ever win at The Milwaukee Mile. Dan Fredrickson made a late race pass to get around Jesse Saunders for third. Jeremy Lepak rounded out the top five.

Defending champion Nate Haseleu was sixth with Steve Carlson in seventh. Steve Holzhausen finished eighth and Josh Bauer was ninth. Brian Johnson Jr. rounded out the top ten.

“It was fun to come here and race with the guys I used to race a lot with like Steve Carlson and Steve Holzhausen,” Kenseth stated in victory lane after the race.

“We knew he was coming, we kind of were expecting him to come,” Cornelius stated after the race. “Once he caught me, I knew we were racing for second, we couldn’t hang on to what he had. We will take this home as a win.”

OFFICIAL FINISH

1. Matt Kenseth, Cambridge, WI; 2. Dean Cornelius, Chaska, MN; 3. Dan Fredrickson, Lakeville, MN; 4. Jesse Saunders, New Glarus, WI; 5. Jeremy Lepak, Wausau, WI; 6. Nathan Haseleu, Marshall, WI; 7. Steve Carlson, West Salem, WI; 8. Steve Holzhausen, Bangor, WI; 9. Josh Bauer, Random Lake, WI; 10. Brian Johnson Jr., Roscoe, IL

11. Dan Lensing, Rockton, IL; 12. Dennis Prunty; Lomira, WI; 13. Frank Kreyer, Pardeeville, WI; 14. Andy Hanson, Lilo Lakes, MN; 15. Mark Eswein, Wisconsin Rapids, WI; 16. Chris Weinkauf, Merrill, WI; 17. Kyle Calmes, Freedom, WI; 18. Brandon Hill, Lake Geneva, WI; 19. Todd Stapleman, Wautoma, WI; 20. Eugene Gregorich, Jr., Kewaunee, WI.

21. Jacob Humphrey, Lake Geneva, WI; 22. John Meidam, Appleton, WI; 23. Jeff Cannon, Kauts, IN; 24. Brad Keith, West Bend, WI; 25. Gregg Ruffalo, Plainfield, WI; 26. Dillon Kralovetz, Bonduel, WI; 27. Jay VanderGeest, Merrill, WI; 28. Ben Pettis, Eau Claire, WI; 29. Dale Prunty, Allenton, WI; 30. Len Nowasel, Greyslake, IL.

31. Brett Widdis, Manistique, MI; 32. Eddie Hoffman, Wheaton, IL; 33. Don Turner, LaCrosse, WI; 34. Kelly Bires, Mauston, WI; 35. Dexter Bean, Westby, WI; 36. Chris Wimmer, Wausau, WI; 37. Jeff Storm, East Troy, WI

DNS: Brett Piontek, Green Bay, WI

Bristol Nextel Cup recap

No. 17 DeWALT FORD FUSION RECAP
DESPITE ROUGH NIGHT AT BRISTOL, KENSETH CLINCHES SPOT IN FOURTH CONSECUTIVE CHASE FOR THE NEXTEL CUP

It was a forgettable night for Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 DEWALT Ford team at Bristol Motor Speedway. After starting 12th and briefly running up to the sixth position, Kenseth was unable to threaten throughout the evening. Despite struggling with the balance on the No. 17 machine, Kenseth did manage to hang on to the lead lap and run inside the top 15 for most of the night during an unusually fast-paced Bristol race. The disappointing night ended on lap 453 when Kenseth was caught up in a turn-one collision with the No. 88 and No. 48 car. With only 47 laps remaining, the radiator punctured, and little to gain by returning, the No. 17 team called it night. Despite the tough outing, Kenseth and company clinched a spot in their fourth-consecutive Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.

Over 160,000 fans were on hand for one of NASCAR’s most anticipated annual events, the night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Kasey Kahne led the field to the green flag of the Sharpie 500 at 8:16 PM Eastern.

Kenseth, the two-time defending champion of the event, rolled off 12th in an attempt to become the first driver since Darrell Waltrip to win three consecutive Bristol night races. It appeared early that Kenseth was going to be a factor as he immediately worked his way up to the sixth position by lap 35. Unfortunately, the No. 17 Ford would not get any higher throughout the evening.

By lap 68, Kenseth, running eighth at the time, began reporting his car as being way too loose upon entry into the turns and too tight in the center; a similar condition the No. 17 team has fought throughout the season when running NASCAR’s Car of Tomorrow.

Bristol, which is usually notorious for many wrecks and caution flags, was rather quiet Saturday night, running the first 125 laps under green. The first caution flag was displayed on lap 126 and Kenseth, who had slid back to the 13th position, was anxious to get to pit road for adjustments. Thanks to a solid stop by the “Killer Bees,” Kenseth gained three spots, returning to the track in the 10th position.

About 25 laps into the next run, Kenseth reported that his transmission was popping out of gear, which in turn, meant that once he got the car into fourth gear he needed to use a bungee cord to hold the shifter in place so that he could remain in fourth gear and still use both hands to drive. Despite the new challenge, Kenseth maintained his track position and was running ninth the next time he visited pit road under caution on lap 214.

But, during the next green-flag run, Kenseth began fading back through the field. Struggling with the handling of the racecar and now reporting the brakes as going soft, Kenseth slipped all the way back to the 16th position by the time the field began cycling through green-flag stops.

Robbie Reiser and the pit crew tried several different adjustments in an attempt to improve the handling, but to no avail. Kenseth was still losing ground to the leader and dangerously close to falling off the lead lap by the time the next caution was displayed on lap 369.

From lap 378 to lap 452, the field was slowed four times under caution. The No. 17 team, who at this point was at the tail end of the lead lap in the 15th position, used each opportunity to come to pit road and make adjustments on the car.

But, on lap 452, while running in the 15th position, the No. 88 car was sent spinning directly in front of Kenseth heading into turn one. Kenseth, caught up high with no where to go, tried desperately to slow his car to a stop but was unable to do so, nosing into the side of the No. 88 car. The biggest concern out of the heavy front-end damage was a punctured radiator which sent Kenseth behind the wall on lap 453. With time running out and points not much of a factor, considering the spot in the Chase clinched, Reiser made the call to load the car up and go home.

By just starting the race at Bristol on Saturday night Kenseth and the No. 17 team became to third team to clinch a spot in the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup and the first team to secure a spot in the Chase in all four seasons.

“I saw the wreck and slowed down as much as I could,” Kenseth said. “But I just couldn’t get it stopped. I was kind of in the wrong place at the wrong time, but we put ourselves there. We didn’t perform good enough to run up front tonight. We’ve got to get to work on it and hopefully we can get it better.”

HOW WAS THE TRACK? “The race track is great. I just wish NASCAR would give us more options to make these cars turn a little bit better. It’s pretty uneventful for a Bristol race because the cars are so easy to drive. Everybody is just out there pushing in the middle and whoever’s car turns best in the middle is the guy up front, so we’ve just got to try to get ours like that and see if we can get up there.”

SO IT’S NOT THE SAME OLD BRISTOL? “There are some things that are similar, but it was different than what it was. The track is great. It was an awesome race last night. These cars are just so easy to drive and so tight. You can’t do your little tricks and, in my opinion, the driver can’t really showcase their talent if they want a really loose car or something because you can’t get them like that. That’s the frustrating part. Obviously, Carl’s car is turning better than ours because he’s leading and we were running in the back, but whoever’s car turns the best runs up front. It’s real hard to pass and when you’re kind of stuck back there it gets kind of frustrating.”

RACE SUMMARY
Matt Kenseth • Started 12th  • Finished 39th

POINTS SUMMARY
Race Total: 46 points
Season Total: 3163 points, Ranked 4th, 419 points behind first

NEXT UP:
Sharp AQUOS 500 • California Speedway • Fontana, Calif. • Sunday, Sep. 2

Bristol Busch recap

No. 17 Arby’s Ford Fusion RECAP
HANDLING PROBLEMS RESULT IN A 34TH-PLACE FINISH FOR DEFENDING RACE WINNER MATT KENSETH AT BRISTOL

BRISTOL, Tenn. (August 24, 2007) — Matt Kenseth headed to Bristol Motor Speedway looking to defend his win from last year, but handling problems would plague the team all night leaving them with a 34th-place finish. The newly resurfaced track sent everyone back to the drawing board and no ones notes from last year applied, but Kenseth took full advantage of the open practice session on Thursday and both practice sessions on Friday to try and get the No. 17 Arby’s Ford Fusion dialed in for the race. Kenseth qualified 15th and from there it was a down hill battle. Multiple pit stops got the No. 17 handling well and laying down lap times faster than the leader at the end of the 250-lap event, but by then Kenseth was 21 laps down to the leader and was left with a 34th-place finish.

Right from the start of the race Kenseth let crew chief Drew Blickensderfer know that the No. 17 was really tight, so tight that he could hardly control it. It seemed at first that the car was tight, but drivable as Kenseth moved from 15th to 11th in the first 30 laps. That was as close to the lead as he would come as he started to slip on the leader board.

The second caution of the evening came on lap 51 while Kenseth was running 21st. Kenseth knew there was something severely wrong with his car. The handling was tight, the car was bouncing through the turns and the steering wheel was off center. Kenseth came down pit road under caution for four tires, a track bar adjustment and an air pressure adjustment. He returned to the track 23rd for the green flag restart on lap 56, but a few laps later he knew his handling was still way off. He came back down pit road under green flag conditions so the team could take a look under the hood and try to find what was wrong with the No. 17. The team assessed the situation, made a few adjustments and Kenseth was back on the track a few laps later.

The car was handling better, but the next change the team needed to make was the right front spring. The current spring was causing the No. 17 to bounce through the corner and hit the pavement causing sparks. Kenseth came back down pit road on lap 102 under caution for the right-front spring change. He returned to the track on lap 107 multiple laps down to the leader.

The next caution came out on lap 119 and Kenseth reported back to his team that the No. 17 turned 100 percent better, but was still a little tight. With nothing to lose they came back down pit road under caution for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Kenseth was then 38th for the restart on lap 125 and was out to make laps and gain as many spots as he could.

The last 100 laps off the race were caution filled and the field was even red flagged to clean up debris from one of the cautions. Kenseth came back down pit road two more times in the last 100 laps with nothing to lose and everything to gain. He was able to get his car handling well, the team gained valuable over-the-wall in-race practice time and they learned information for racing on the new surface. Towards the end of the race Kenseth was just as fast, if not faster, than the leaders, but it was all a little too late and Kenseth was left with a 34th-place finish.

“Well this was definitely not how we wanted this night to turn out,” said Kenseth. “Practice didn’t go as well as I would have like, but I thought we would have started out better in the race. My team worked really hard and fixed the car and got me handling really well at the end. Too bad we couldn’t get it all straightened out a little sooner.”

RACE SUMMARY
Matt Kenseth • Started 15th • Finished 34th

NEXT UP:
Camping World 300 • California Speedway • Fontana, Calif. • Saturday, Sep. 1

Milwaukee Mile race information

Sunday Milwaukee Mile Schedule:

Hospitality: 8:30am - noon
On-track practice: 8:45am
Matt hospitality appearance: 10:15am
ARCA race: Noon
Matt in Late Model event: approx 3:00pm

WELCOME HOME MATT ON SUNDAY AT THE MILWAUKEE MILE

Final preparations are being made to welcome 2003 NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion, Matt Kenseth, back to The Milwaukee Mile, America’s Legendary Oval, on Sunday, August 26th. Kenseth will be competing in the Wisconsin All-Star 50 with Matt Kenseth event following the ARCA Re/Max 200 event. This will be Kenseth’s first appearance at The Mile since 2001.

RK Race Promotions is hosting a special VIP reception prior to the race on Sunday at the Wisconsin Products Pavilion, located right outside the tunnel near turn four of the racetrack. The VIP event will be going on from 8:30 a.m. until noon when the green flag drops for the ARCA Re/Max Governor’s Cup 200. Kenseth will join the guests in the pavilion after he qualifies his DeWalt Power Tools, Pathfinder Chassis prepared Ford Fusion.

Famed track announcer Todd Behling will preside over a question/answer session with Kenseth. Behling along with his LTN Hour/Todd & Eddie Show staff will also be doing their live weekly show from the Pavilion starting at 10:00 a.m.

Former Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Jim Gantner, along with former Green Bay Packers Gilbert Brown and Santana Dotson, will stop to welcome Matt back to Wisconsin. The Gilbert Brown Foundation will also be hosting a silent auction as well.

Tickets for this event will be available at the door for $75. This will also include a reserved seat in the special Kenseth Fans section on the frontstretch grandstand of The Mile to watch the ARCA Re/Max Series race and the Wisconsin All-Star 50 with Matt Kenseth. If you have already purchased your reserved grandstand seat, you can still purchase a Hospitality only ticket for $50 at the door, if you would like to be a part of this fun event.

Some of the schedule highlights include: Wisconsin All-Star 50 with Matt Kenseth practice from 8:45 am to 10:00 am; Wisconsin All-Star 50 with Matt Kenseth qualifying (1 lap) from 10:10 am to 11:30 am.; ARCA Re/Max Governor’s Cup 200 at Noon (200 laps); Wisconsin All-Star 50 with Matt Kenseth race at 3:15 pm.

A full schedule for the Governor’s Cup weekend can be found at www.milwaukeemile.com.

It’s not too late to be a part of this event, make your plans now to join us on Sunday, August 26th at The Milwaukee Mile.

Bristol Busch & Cup Preview
August 22, 2007

Bristol Motor Speedway • Bristol, Tenn.
Food City 250 • Fri., Aug. 24 • 8pm/e ESPN2
Sharpine 500 • Sat., Aug. 25 • 8pm/e ESPN

Nextel Cup Chassis — #17 DEWALT Ford Fusion
• Primary — COT RK-471 (Brand new)
• Backup — COT RK-457 (Only outing: Martinsville, April ’07, finished 10th)

Busch Chassis — #17 Arby’s Ford Fusion
• Primary — RK-295 (Last ran Bristol, finished 2nd)

 
Matt’s Cup Series summary at Bristol:

Date	S	F	Laps	Led	Reason
03/25/07	38	11	504/504	0	Running
08/26/06	4	1	500/500	117	Running
03/26/06	7	3	500/500	124	Running
08/27/05	1	1	500/500	415	Running
04/03/05	25	16	497/500	50	Running
08/28/04	23	9	499/500	0	Running
03/28/04	23	5	500/500	0	Running
08/23/03	10	4	500/500	0	Running
03/23/03	37	2	500/500	25	Running
08/24/02	10	5	500/500	10	Running
03/24/02	6	6	500/500	0	Running
08/25/01	38	33	394/500	0	Accident
03/25/01	24	14	500/500	1	Running
08/20/00	22	39	379/500	0	Overheating
03/26/00	22	12	500/500	0	Running

 
Matt Kenseth Cup Series totals at Bristol:

	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Laps Led
Spring	8	0	3	4	0	200
Fall	7	2	4	5	1	542
Cumulative	15	2	7	9	1	742

Matt Kenseth Busch series summary at Bristol:

Date	S	F	Laps	Status
03/24/07	11	2	300/300	Running
08/25/06	4	1	250/250	Running
03/25/06	22	3	300/300	Running
04/02/05	36	4	256/256	Running
08/27/04	25	2	256/256	Running
08/22/03	15	25	217/250	Accident
08/24/01	32	30	216/250	Accident
03/24/01	2	1	250/250	Running
03/25/00	7	27	227/250	Accident
08/27/99	3	1	250/250	Running
04/10/99	24	35	134/250	Accident
08/21/98	18	34	114/250	Running
03/28/98	13	3	250/250	Running
08/22/97	20	20	248/250	Running

 
Matt Kenseth Busch Series totals at Bristol:

	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles
Cumulative	14	3	8	8	0

   
Matt Kenseth on racing at Bristol:

• Cup: “Bristol has such a cool atmosphere. The place is full of people. You have 150,000 people around a half-mile racetrack, it’s a Saturday night and the crowd’s kind of rowdy. Usually there’s a lot of action going on and there’s always some accidents and there’s some people getting mad. It’s kind of a cool, crazy, party-type atmosphere and it’s a special place to be able to win at. There’s a lot of cool history there. Darrell Waltrip has won a ton of races there, Dale Earnhardt too, and there are a lot of cool races and cool highlights throughout the years that’s come from there.

“The track is definitely a lot different than what it was. I really enjoyed the old configuration. It had a lot of character and a lot of unique parts about the track that you had to negotiate and it’s a lot different now. We’re going to have to relearn that and hopefully we can get a handle on it like we did the old one.”

• Busch: “Bristol is one of my favorite tracks. You can’t beat racing under the lights there. It’s so tough to pass; you really have to have your car handling well. Things tend to happen quickly so you really have to be focused for 250 laps straight. Luckily we are bringing one of our favorite cars. This is the same car we won with last year at this race and finished second with in the spring. If everything goes smoothly on the track and on pit road we should have a good run.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Bristol:

“We really don’t know what to expect from the new track configuration. I’m sure Friday will be a busy day for everyone trying different things. The Busch cars tested up here but they had rain for most of the day which limited track time. I don’t really think it would’ve helped much anyway because the COT is so different.

“Bristol was a pretty easy place for us to set up for until this year. We had brought the same car for about 11 or 12 races and it was pretty good each time. So, when we use to show up at Bristol, we were pretty sure of what we had and that it was going to be pretty good. Now, we don’t really know how it’s going to play out. We struggled a little bit in the spring with the new car here and now the track is different, we won’t really know what we got. But, no one else knows what they have either.”

Busch Series Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at Bristol:

“We tested Bristol a few weeks ago with chassis 295. It is the same car Matt (Kenseth) won with in the fall last year and finished second with in the spring. It handled really well on the new track surface during our test session so hopefully we can pull off another top-five finish for Arby’s.”

Bristol Fast Facts

n Kenseth has an average finish of 5.7 in the past 11 races at Bristol, tops among all drivers during that span.

n Kenseth has seven top-fives and nine top-10 finishes in the past 11 races at Bristol, which leads all drivers during that span.

n Kenseth has led 532 of a possible 1,000 laps in the past two August night races at Bristol (53.2%).

n Kenseth has completed all but four laps in the past 11 races at Bristol (5,500 of 5,504); the second most during that span (Earnhardt Jr. 5,502).

n For his career, Kenseth has led 742 laps at Bristol, which is the highest number of laps led at any track during his career. Second on the list is Rockingham with 413 laps.

n Kenseth’s career average finish for Bristol is 10.7, the fifth highest among the 23 tracks he has competed on throughout his career.

Michigan Nextel Cup recap

No. 17 DeWALT FORD FUSION RECAP
KENSETH’S STRONG RUN NETS FOURTH-PLACE FINISH AT MICHIGAN

During the first half of the race, Matt Kenseth’s No. 17 DEWALT Ford Fusion appeared to be the car to beat. But, just past the halfway point, Kenseth made slight contact with the outside wall in an attempt to avoid running over the leader at the time, the No. 2 car. The slight contact knocked in the right front fender enough to affect the aerodynamics and change the handling on Kenseth’s machine. The ensuing adjustments and repair work on the fender put Kenseth behind on the racetrack, but he still manage to race his way back to a fourth-place finish; his eighth top five of the season and seventh top five of his career at Michigan.

Two days of rain delayed the start of the 3M Performance 400 until Tuesday morning at 10:10 AM Eastern, when pole-sitter Jeff Gordon led the field to the green flag underneath cool overcast skies. Kenseth qualified 21st, but after two cars dropped to the rear of the field, started 19th on Tuesday.

With the early start time, morning fog proved to be an issue. The field took the green flag along with the yellow flag and circuited the first 10 laps under caution before being brought to a halt on pit road. NASCAR red flagged the race until they felt it was safe for the race to begin which depended on the control tower and team spotters having enough visibility around the two-mile oval. Green-flag racing began in earnest at 11:00 AM.

It didn’t take long for Kenseth to make himself heard at Michigan. After starting 19th, Kenseth moved into the top 10 by lap 22, only 12 laps under green, and was in ninth when the field came to pit road under caution for the first time on lap 32. Kenseth reported the car as being a little tight through the center of the turns and the crew made adjustments accordingly and returned the No. 17 Ford to the track in the 10th position.

When the field took the restart, Kenseth went on the assault. Six laps after the restart, Kenseth had cracked the top five and steadily made his way to the front, taking the lead for the first time on lap 66.

Even though Kenseth was obviously among the fastest cars, he and the crew continued to make adjustments, attempting to make the car faster. After the field cycled through green-flag stops by lap 74, Kenseth was still out front and primed to set sail. For the next 26 laps, Kenseth paced the field and appeared ready to challenge for the win.

But, soon after eventual winner, Kurt Busch, passed Kenseth on lap 101, Kenseth accidentally scraped the wall with the right-front fender while trailing close behind Busch and unfortunately, despite several attempts to repair the fender, the No. 17 car was never the same.

Kenseth began to fade almost immediately and by the next time he was able to come to pit road, he had slid back to the fourth spot. On pit road, under green flag, the “Killer Bees” went to work repairing the right-front fender and only lost one spot on the track in the process. Kenseth eventually fell back to the sixth position, which is where he was running when he came to pit road again under green on lap 165. The crew again made some adjustments and continued to work on the fender and with a stellar stop got Kenseth out in the fourth position.

Pit strategy came into play when the field came to pit road on lap 177 for what many considered to be the last stop of the day. Kenseth called for two tires, no fuel, and no adjustments in order to keep the handling consistent and keep valuable track position.

It proved to be the right call. Kenseth restarted eighth after several cars elected not to pit. On the ensuing restart Kenseth immediately charged towards the front and was fighting hard for the fifth position with the No. 24 car when the No. 24 began to lose control coming out of turn four. Kenseth checked up but slightly touched the back of the No. 24 car sending him spinning in to the infield grass, bringing out the caution. Kenseth’s No. 17 machine sustained minimal damaged to the front of his Ford Fusion in the process, but was able to continue without pitting.

Kenseth gained one more position over the final 10 laps and held of the No. 11 in a spirited battle for fourth during a green-white-checkered finish. Finishing fourth, Kenseth is now very near to clinching a spot in his fourth straight Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. The NEXTEL Cup Series will make a quick turnaround this week. With the unusual Tuesday race in Michigan, the teams will make a trip back to Concord to reload and transporters will park at the Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday night in preparation for Saturday night’s Sharpie 500.

“I hit the wall a little bit early,” Kenseth said. “I was chasing Kurt (Busch) around and he got sideways up there and I kind of lost track of where I was at and bumped the fender in. They’re just so aero-sensitive that we could never quite get that fixed and get that back. But, overall, we had a good car all day and I made that mistake and took us out of a chance to win.”

RACE SUMMARY
Matt Kenseth • Started 21st • Finished 4th

POINTS SUMMARY
Race Total: 165 points
Season Total: 3117 points, Ranked 3rd, 354 points behind first

NEXT UP:
Sharpie 500 • Bristol Motor Speedway • Bristol, Tenn. • Saturday, Aug. 25

Michigan Busch recap

No. 17 ARBY’S FORD FUSION RECAP
KENSETH FINISHES SECOND IN SATURDAY’S CARFAX 250

BROOKLYN, Mich. (August 18, 2007) – Matt Kenseth fell just short of winning free curly fries for America by finishing second in the Carfax 250. Kenseth qualified 12th, led three different times for a total of 29 laps in the 125-lap event and left Michigan with a second-place finish.

Kenseth had the fastest car in Friday’s final practice session and when it came to qualifying he made his way around the two-mile track in 39.143 seconds to take over the 12th starting position. Kenseth wouldn’t remain 12th for very long, by the second lap he had moved up to sixth and by the time the first caution came out on lap seven he was in the fourth position.

The car was handling well and Kenseth took over the lead for the first time on lap 16 and reported to crew chief Drew Blickensderfer that the car was a little free, but close to being just right. Kenseth held onto the top position until lap 23. Luckily the second caution came out one lap later, allowing Kenseth to pit for a track bar adjustment, an air pressure adjustment, four tires and fuel.

The field returned to green flag racing on lap 29 and the team hoped the changes would give Kenseth the grip he needed to get back to the lead. They got the results they were looking for just a few laps later as Kenseth regained the lead on lap 32. Kenseth dropped back to second on lap 45, but was back in first on lap 58. This time around the lead would be short lived as Kenseth fell back to second on lap 67. The long green-flag run left Kenseth needing the car to be freer. The team came in for a green-flag stop on lap 76 and wanted to go back to the way it was before the last set of changes.

Kenseth eventually wound up back in the second position on lap 86 after the field cycled through green-flag pit stops. The car was quite a bit looser and Kenseth held onto the second-place position while trying to track down the race leader Denny Hamlin. Kenseth had lap times just as fast as the leader, but couldn’t cover the ground the leader had on the rest of the field. Teams were running out of fuel at the end, but Kenseth powered his way across the finish line for a second-place finish.

“We had a good car and we made pretty good adjustments,” said Kenseth. “We were able to drive to the front right away and get up there and lead laps, and I thought we were going to have a shot at it. Denny and I were having a heck of race there in the middle of the race, going back and forth, and we just didn’t adjust on the car enough that last pit stop and got the car too tight, and didn’t get out of the pits quick enough, and that was the difference.”

RACE SUMMARY
Matt Kenseth • Started 12th • Finished 2nd

NEXT UP:
Food City 250 • Bristol Motor Speedway • Bristol, Tenn. • Friday, Aug. 24

Michigan Busch & Cup Preview
August 15, 2007

Michigan International Speedway • Brooklyn, Mich.
Carfax 250 • Sat., Aug. 18 • 3pm/e ESPN2
3M Performance 400 • Sun., Aug. 19 • 1pm/e ESPN

Nextel Cup Chassis — #17 DEWALT Ford Fusion
• Primary — RK-323 (Last outing: Chicago, Jul. ’07, finished second; also ran Michigan, Jun. ’07, finished 42nd after a lap-75 wreck; won Michigan, Aug. ’06; won Fontana, Feb. ’06)
• Backup — RK-317 (Last outing, Pocono, Jun. ’07, finished ninth; also scored four top-fives in ’07 including a win in Fontana, Feb. ’07)

Busch Chassis — #17 Arby’s Ford Fusion
• Primary — RK-346 (Last ran Darlington and finished 37th)

 
Matt’s Cup Series summary at MIS:

Date	S	F	Laps	Led	Reason
06/17/07	26	42	78/200	0	Accident
08/20/06	3	1	200/200	87	Running
06/18/06	20	13	129/129	0	Running
08/21/05	13	3	200/200	9	Running
06/19/05	21	4	200/200	0	Running
08/22/04	5	8	200/200	0	Running
06/20/04	18	7	200/200	1	Running
08/17/03	33	9	200/200	0	Running
06/15/03	21	4	200/200	0	Running
08/18/02	21	11	200/200	17	Running
06/16/02	20	1	200/200	26	Running
08/19/01	33	4	162/162	0	Running
06/10/01	31	15	200/200	10	Running
08/20/00	28	8	200/200	0	Running
06/11/00	23	17	193/194	0	Running
08/22/99	25	14	200/200	0	Running

 
Matt Kenseth Cup Series totals at MIS:

	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Laps Led
June race	8	1	3	4	0	27
Aug. race	8	1	3	6	0	113
Cumulative	16	2	6	10	0	150

Matt Kenseth Busch series summary at MIS:

Date	S	F	Laps	Status
08/19/06	4	4	128/128	Running
08/21/04	35	42	5/125	Accident
08/16/03	6	18	110/110	Running
08/18/01	13	12	125/125	Running
08/19/00	2	8	125/125	Running
08/21/99	30	22	99/100	Running
08/15/98	6	3	100/100	Running
08/16/97	27	8	100/100	Running

 
Matt Kenseth Busch Series totals at MIS:

	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles
Cumulative	8	0	2	4	0

   
Matt Kenseth on racing at Michigan:

• Cup: “I look forward to going to Michigan. That’s for sure one of my favorite tracks. It’s up in the Midwest and we’ve had good cars there in the past. That’s one that I definitely always look forward to.

“Like any track, success at Michigan is about having good cars. Michigan is not a super difficult track to drive if you have a car handling the way it needs to handle, so we’ve just been able to get the cars to drive like I need them to drive to be able to run good at that track. We’ve always had good engines, good aerodynamics and good handling cars there and that is what you need. You kind of need it all there. It’s just a big ole sweeping track and if you can get your car to handle the right way it’s a lot of fun.

“The last time we went there in June, we kind of ran into some bad luck. We had a good car and had raced up to about the eighth position when we got caught up in a wreck. You hate wrecking anytime, but especially when you feel like you’ve got a car that can compete at a place where you’ve enjoyed success. Hopefully we can avoid something like that this weekend and build some momentum with a good finish.”

• Busch: “Michigan is one of my favorite tracks to race at. It’s nice to go to a track that has multiple grooves to pass on and where if you have your car handling well you can contend for the win. We haven’t been very successful there in the Busch car, but have gotten a couple of wins in the Cup car. We managed to finish fourth a year ago so hopefully we can improve on that.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at MIS:

“We’re bringing the same car that we raced there in the June race. It got wrecked pretty good in that race, but we’ve raced it since at Chicago and it finished second there. It’s probably our most dependable piece and we’ve ran it a good bit over the past two years. It’s been really good on two-mile tracks, winning at Michigan and Fontana last year, and it raced really good in June up until the point we were wrecked.

“These next four races are extremely important for us to build momentum heading into the Chase. We need to improve our car’s performance in order to give us a shot in the final 10 races. The guys at the shop have done a great job building these cars and out pit crew is probably the ‘glue’ that holds it all together on race day; so I’m happy with the job our guys are doing. But, we’ve got to get the car to perform better, and that falls on me, our engineer and our driver. We’ve got to figure it out and get it back to where we’re competing for top fives and wins.”

Busch Series Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at MIS:

“Michigan should be a good track for us. We are bringing the same car that we took to Darlington, which didn’t fare so well in Darlington, but this time around it has a new body and I think we can get it handling well. The team is really coming together and I think we can get a good finish for the No. 17 Arby’s Ford Fusion.”

Michigan Fast Facts

n Since the beginning of 2000, Matt Kenseth has collected more top-five finishes and top-10 finishes on the two, two-mile ovals (Fontana and Michigan) than any other Cup driver during that span. Kenseth has scored 10 top fives and 17 top 10s in a combined 27 starts a two-mile ovals.

n Matt Kenseth’s 11.4-average finish this season ranks third among Cup drivers who have competed in all 22 events.

n Matt Kenseth’s average finish of 10.1 at Michigan is tied for second best among the 23 tracks that he has raced at in his NEXTEL Cup career, trailing only Las Vegas (7.6) and tied with Chicago.

n Kenseth’s average finish at Michigan, 10.1, is third best all-time among drivers with two or more starts at Michigan.

n Until Kenseth’s uncharacteristic DNF in June’s race at Michigan, he had never finished worse than 17th in 15 starts at the two-mile oval. The DNF also broke a streak of 44 races where Kenseth was running at the finish.

n Also, until Kenseth’s wreck on lap 75 at Michigan in June, he was the last driver standing in terms of completing every lap in the NEXTEL Cup Series in 2007, completing the first 4,634 laps of the season.

Watkins Glen Nextel Cup recap

No. 17 DEWALT FORD FUSION RECAP
KENSETH FINISHES 12TH, MEETS A FAN DURING CENTURION BOATS AT THE GLEN

To say Matt Kenseth had an eventful day at Watkins Glen International would be a vast understatement. Starting third, Kenseth made a dramatic pass for the lead going into the first turn, but was unable to hold it and subsequently began a near free fall through the field, primarily due to an ill-handling machine. Running as low as 30th, Kenseth and the No. 17 DEWALT team clawed their way back towards the front, utilizing pit strategy to get back inside the top 10 with 22 laps remaining. After a couple of near misses left the No. 17 machine battered but still in the hunt, the field was halted under red-flag conditions in order for safety crews to clean the track. After a brief encounter with a daring autograph hound under the red flag, Kenseth restarted in the seventh position with just over 10 laps to go. Over the final 10 laps, the brakes on the No. 17 car weren’t what they needed to be and Kenseth slid back, but still managed to finish 12th.

An estimated crowd of 90,000 fans enjoyed a warm, sunny day at “New York’s Thunder Road,” Watkins Glen International, for the final road-course race of the season. Since qualifying was rained out on Friday, the starting lineup was set based on owner’s points which meant Jeff Gordon led the field to the green at 2:23 PM Eastern. Matt Kenseth started just behind Gordon in third.

It didn’t take long for Kenseth to make noise on Sunday afternoon. As soon as the field took the green, Kenseth dove to the inside of Gordon and used under-braking to gain the lead in the first turn. But before Kenseth was able to lead the field to the “inner loop” for the first time, he felt the effects of an ill-handling racecar that he described as “way loose.”

Kenseth immediately began fading and by the time the first caution flag waved on lap 11, Kenseth had fallen back to the 13th position. The No. 17 team used the opportunity to come to pit road for four tires, fuel and some major adjustments. In the process, they pitted out of sequence and because of this, returned to the track in the 30th position.

Fortunately, Kenseth was able to return to the same sequence as most of the field during the following caution on lap 23. Kenseth took fuel only, in order to gain the track position lost during the previous stop, and returned to the track in the 18th position.

Over the course of the next 26 laps, Kenseth was able to gain five spots on the track and was running in the 13th position when he, along with the majority of the field, came to pit road on lap 53 for what they hoped to be the last stop of the 90-lap race. As soon as Kenseth returned to the track Robbie Reiser said a phrase in which he would repeat often over the remainder of the race, “Save gas.”

Kenseth’s gas-saving efforts were aided by several cautions during the final 30 laps. The second during that stretch included the No. 17 machine. While running through the S-turns in the 11th position on lap 68, the No. 15 car lost control directly in front of Kenseth. Even though he quickly applied the brakes, Kenseth couldn’t slow down enough to avoid hitting the car that had abruptly blocked the racetrack. Luckily, Kenseth only lost one position in the wreck and the damage was minimal enough to where it didn’t have an affect on the racecar.

But, on the ensuing restart, Kenseth had to make some quick and skillful evasive maneuvers to avoid a four-car pileup that occurred directly in front of the No. 17 car as the field headed into the hard right-handed turn one. Kenseth avoided contact and was scored in the seventh position when the field was brought to a halt under the red flag on lap 76; just 14 laps shy of the finish.

As the field sat motionless on what could be considered the back stretch of the road course, a spectator scaled the fencing and ran onto the racetrack, directly up to the passenger window of the No. 17 Ford. The fan leaned inside the window, apparently to ask for an autograph. Before a startled Kenseth, who mentioned that he was “a little busy,” could oblige, the fan scurried away in an attempt to evade security.

Returning to action, Kenseth restarted in the seventh position, but wasn’t able to hold on over the final 10 laps. Kenseth explained after the race that he had “melted the brakes” by the end of the race, making his maneuvering of the 2.45-mile road course that much more difficult. Still, Kenseth managed to save enough fuel to make it to the end and notch his best finish in the past five road-course races by coming home in the 12th position.

“We were so far off at the first of the race,” said Kenseth. “Then at the end it just got tight and the brakes were melted. We didn’t have a 12th-place car, that’s for sure, but it’s a pretty good finish for us at a road course, so we’ll take it and move on.”

ABOUT THE FAN INCIDENT UNDER THE RED FLAG?
“That was pretty crazy. It really took me off guard. I was just sitting there talking to Robbie over the radio and suddenly this guy leans in the car with a hat and a Sharpie. Something you don’t really expect to happen during a race. I feel bad. I should’ve signed it because I’m sure he’s going to get in some trouble. I hope he doesn’t get in too much trouble though. But, that’s definitely a first for me.”

RACE SUMMARY
Matt Kenseth • Started 3rd (points) • Finished 12th

POINTS SUMMARY
Race Total: 127 points
Season Total: 2952 points, Ranked 3rd, 432 points behind first

NEXT UP:
3M Performance 400 • Michigan Int’l Speedway • Brooklyn, Mich. • Sunday, Aug. 19

Watkins Glen Busch recap

No. 17 AFLAC FORD FUSION RECAP
KENSETH REBOUNDS FROM EIGHT YEARS OFF TO FINISH SIXTH AT WATKINS GLEN

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 11, 2007) — An addition to Matt Kenseth’s Busch Series schedule midseason had him back racing at Watkins Glen for the first time since 1999. In the past Kenseth hasn’t faired so well at the 2.45-mile road course, but this time he turned that around with a top-10 finish. The team built a brand new road course car and took it to Watkins Glen to see what they had only to get in half the allotted practice time on Friday due to some rainy weather in the area. Kenseth still managed a 16th-place starting position and gained 10 spots on his previous high finish of 16th at the Glen earning at sixth-place finish.

Kenseth steadily gained positions lap-by-lap. By the ninth lap he had moved into the top 10 when crew chief Drew Blickensderfer made the call to come down pit road for fuel only. Road course races have been proven to be won on pit strategy and fuel mileage. Fellow competitors took similar approaches to the 82-lap event. By the time the field cycled through stops, Kenseth was back in 10th by lap 22.

The No. 17 Aflac Ford Fusion was handling well and Blickensderfer reminded Kenseth to “save fuel.” Kenseth took his advice, but thanks to a great handling car continued to gain track position. The second caution of the day came out on lap 37 while Kenseth was in the eighth position. The team took advantage of the yellow flag conditions to perform its one tire-changing stop of the day. Kenseth came down pit road on lap 39 for four tires, fuel, and a slight air pressure adjustment on the left front. Watkins Glen is the only track in which the cars enter pit road from the opposite direction setting the team up for a backward pit stop. Kenseth’s over-the-wall crew took on the challenge of the backwards stop and pressure of only having one stop to get everything right and excelled. They gained him track position on pit road, which once again had Kenseth in the top 10 for the green flag restart.

The team did all they could to help him and from there it was up to Kenseth to finish out the race. Blickensderfer gave him one more reminder to “save gas” and he was on his way. Kenseth worked his way up to the third position, but eventually settled back to the sixth position on lap 60. The remaining 22 laps proved uneventful as the field spread out on the track. Kenseth maintained his track position, but just didn’t have the enough at the end to break into the top five and finished sixth.

“I thought that was a really good finish,” said Kenseth. “That was the first Busch race I ran here in, like, eight years, so I’m actually extremely happy with that. We ran pretty competitively, had a great strategy, had great pit stop, everything went right. If I was a little better at it, I’d have probably had a shot at the win, but with one hour of practice in a new car, and me not being here a lot, that’s the best we could do.”

RACE SUMMARY
Matt Kenseth • Started 16th • Finished 6th

NEXT UP:
Carfax 250 • Michigan Int’l Speedway • Brooklyn, Mich. • Saturday, Aug. 18

Watkins Glen Busch & Cup Preview
August 8, 2007

Watkins Glen International • Watkins Glen, N.Y.
Zippo 200 at The Glen • Sat., Aug. 11 • 3pm/e ESPN2
Centurion Boats at The Glen • Sun., Aug. 12 • 1pm/e ESPN

Nextel Cup Chassis — #17 DEWALT Ford Fusion
• Primary — COT RK-492 (Last and only outing: Sonoma, June ’07, finished 34th)
• Backup — COT RK-481 (Never raced, served as backup in Sonoma)

Busch Chassis — #17 Aflac Ford Fusion
• Primary — RK-510 (Brand new chassis)

 
Matt’s Cup Series summary at Watkins Glen:

Date	S	F	Laps	Led	Reason
08/13/06	30	21	90/90	0	Running
08/14/05	15	18	92/92	0	Running
08/15/04	5	9	90/90	0	Running
08/10/03	7	8	90/90	0	Running
08/11/02	8	33	89/90	0	Running
08/12/01	38	23	90/90	1	Running
08/13/00	12	10	90/90	0	Running

 
Matt Kenseth Cup Series totals at Watkins Glen:

	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Laps Led
Cumulative	7	0	0	3	0	1

Matt Kenseth Busch series summary at Watkins Glen:

Date	S	F	Laps	Status
06/27/99	5	16	82/82	Running
06/28/98	31	17	82/82	Running
06/29/97	18	36	51/82	Running

 
Matt Kenseth Busch Series totals at Watkins Glen:

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

   
Matt Kenseth on racing at Watkins Glen:

• Cup: “Road courses really aren’t my specialty by any stretch of the imagination, but of the two we race on, I like Watkins Glen a lot better than Sonoma. The Glen is a lot faster and there’s more room to pass. There are two or three good passing zones at The Glen where at Sonoma there’s really only one. You also don’t have the big elevation changes at Watkins Glen like you do at Sonoma which make it a little bit easier.

“We weren’t near as bad as where we finished at Sonoma. We had several problems that got us terrible track position and then we ended up running out of gas coming to the white flag. So, I think the car is capable of a good finish. Obviously Jamie (McMurray) and Greg (Biffle) had good runs in Sonoma, and hopefully we can join them this weekend and run inside the top 10.

“I think running the Busch car on Saturday will help me on Sunday. It’s the first time I’ve raced the Busch car at Watkins Glen in a long time so I’m hoping it will help me prepare for Sunday’s Cup race. Any time you can get more seat time at a track you struggle at, it can only make you better.”

• Busch: “Watkins Glen is a track I have struggled at in the past, plus it has been a long time since we have run a Busch car there. This race wasn’t even on my schedule at the beginning of the year, but I’m glad it was added. A little practice at a road course can’t hurt. My team built a brand new car so we’ll see how it does and hopefully get a good finish.”

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Watkins Glen:

“We’re taking the same car we took to Sonoma and I think the car was pretty good out there. We just had some terrible luck that day, getting caught up in a couple of wrecks and then running out of gas killed us at the end. I don’t believe Watkins Glen will turn into a fuel mileage race like Sonoma, which is good for everybody. I don’t think anyone wants to plan to win a race on fuel mileage, but it is what it is, and sometimes that’s the way you have to play it.

“Our number one concern right now is getting our cars to run better heading into the Chase. Watkins Glen hasn’t been one of our best tracks over the years, but hopefully we can go there, take care of business and get a top 10 out of it. Really, it’s all about the four races after this weekend, gaining some momentum at some tracks coming up that we’ve been pretty successful at over the years. We’d like to use those as a springboard into the Chase, but for this weekend, it’s all about survival for us.”

Busch Series Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer on racing at Watkins Glen:

“Watkins Glen was added to our schedule last minute and the team worked really hard building and getting this new chassis ready for this weekend. Matt (Kenseth) may not have the best record at Watkins Glen, but it has also been awhile since he has been in a Busch car there. If all our hard work pays off we should have a strong run in the No. 17 Aflac Ford Fusion.”

Watkins Glen Fast Facts

n Matt Kenseth’s 11.4-average finish this season ranks second among Cup drivers who have competed in all 21 events.

n Watkins Glen International is one of only two tracks that Kenseth has yet to record a top-five finish; the other is Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

n While Kenseth has yet to record a top-10 finish in eight starts at Sonoma (his only track without a top 10), he has managed to score three top 10s in seven starts at The Glen.

n Kenseth’s average start at Watkins Glen is 16.4; career best among 23 Cup tracks (including North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham) and 4.5 spots better than his career average for all tracks of 20.9.

n Kenseth has led only one lap in six races at Watkins Glen; third worst among tracks ahead of only Homestead and Sonoma.

n When the series stopped at Watkins Glen in 2005, Kenseth, who ended up in the Chase, was in 15th in the standings, 168 points out of 10th, (the cutoff at the time for the Chase).

n Kenseth will be driving the No. 17 Aflac Ford Fusion in Saturday’s NASCAR Busch Series race at Watkins Glen. It will be the first time since 1999 that Kenseth has competed in the NBS at The Glen.

Pocono race recap

No. 17 DEWALT FORD FUSION RECAP
BAD TIMING FOR LOW “GRIP” COSTS KENSETH A TOP-10 FINISH

Whatever happened to adversely affect the handling of Matt Kenseth’s No. 17 DEWALT Ford Fusion could not have come at a worse time than at the end of Sunday’s Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway. Kenseth started 37th but methodically worked his way up through the field and inside the top 10. Just when it appeared that a solid top-10 finish was a certain thing, and maybe even a top five, Kenseth began fading back through the field in the final 50 laps, reporting that his car didn’t have enough grip in the tires to keep up. Though the handling never improved, Kenseth held on for a 14th-place finish, his 18th top-15 finish in 21 races and his fourth straight at Pocono.

The capacity crowd on hand enjoyed a picture-perfect day as Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the field to the green flag of the Pennsylvania 500 at 2:22 p.m. Eastern. Kenseth qualified 37th for Sunday’s event but was consistently among the 10 fastest in the two practice sessions on Saturday.

The first caution of the race occurred on lap four and that gave Kenseth a chance to duck onto pit road for a quick adjustment without losing any track position. Kenseth reported early that the car was little tight, but the overall balance was pretty good. In fact, for ¾ of the race, Kenseth was pleased with the handling of the No. 17 machine.

By lap 48, Kenseth had cracked the top 20 in earnest; he had stayed out earlier in an attempt to lead a lap during green-flag stops and climbed as high as fourth on lap 32 before coming to pit road. Kenseth reported the car as pretty good, but a little loose on exit. After a pit stop under caution on lap 55, Kenseth restarted 17th and continued his march through the field, finally cracking the top 10 on lap 79.

From lap 69 to lap 123, the field enjoyed uninterrupted green-flag racing which included two rounds of green-flag pit stops. Since Kenseth was on a slightly different pit schedule, he utilized that along with good track position to lead lap 90, his only lap led on the day.

By this point in the race, Kenseth was consistently running inside the top 10 and threatening to crack the top five. Reporting the car as being “balanced, but a little short on grip,” Kenseth came to pit road on lap 139, under caution, in the 10th position. Feeling that he needed a little better track position, Kenseth asked for a two-tire stop and got what he needed, returning to the track in the fourth spot.

But, when the field took to green on lap 143, Kenseth began slipping back. By lap 162 Kenseth had dropped out of the top 10 and began reporting the car as having “zero grip.” Lamenting not taking four tires, Kenseth and company had another chance to come to pit road under green on lap 169, which was their final stop of the day. This time, the “Killer Bees” turned a 12.47-second stop which briefly placed Kenseth back inside the top 10.

Still, Kenseth reported the car as having good balance but zero grip. Kenseth was still happy with the balance of the car, but couldn’t get his tires to grip the track upon exit of the corners. As a result, Kenseth was literally and figuratively spinning his wheels.

Soldiering on over the final 20 laps, Kenseth was able to salvage a 14th-place finish and remain third in the Championship point standings. Kenseth now has a 433-point cushion over 13th place, the first car left out of the Chase, with only five races remaining before the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.

“Well, for awhile, this was the best car we ever had a Pocono,” said Kenseth. “Then something happened towards the end with the tires, and I just had zero grip. Even if the handling was there, we still couldn’t have run up front and contended for the win. We’ve got 15th-place equipment right now, but our team is good enough to get us in the top 10 most of time. Some how we’ve got to figure out how to run better.”

RACE SUMMARY
Matt Kenseth • Started 37th • Finished 14th

POINTS SUMMARY
Race Total: 126 points
Season Total: 2825 points, Ranked 3rd, 411 points behind first

NEXT UP:
Centurion Boats at The Glen • Watkins Glen International • Watkins Glen, N.Y. • Sunday, Aug. 12

Pocono Nextel Cup Preview
August 1, 2007

Pocono Raceway • Long Pond, Pa.
Pennsylvania 500 • Sun., Aug. 5 • 1pm/e ESPN

Nextel Cup Chassis — #17 DEWALT Ford Fusion
• RK-340 (Last outing: Pocono, Jun. ’06, led three laps and finished fifth; has also served as “backup” in eight races since last outing)
• RK-317 (Last outing: Pocono, Jun. ’07, finished ninth; also scored four top-fives in ’07, including a win in Fontana, Feb. ’07)

 
Matt’s Cup Series summary at Pocono:

Date	S	F	Laps	Led	Reason
06/10/07	24	9	106/106	0	Running
07/23/06	11	14	200/200	0	Running
06/11/06	25	5	200/200	3	Running
07/24/05	30	36	195/203	0	Running
06/12/05	10	32	197/201	0	Running
08/01/04	15	8	200/200	0	Running
06/13/04	15	21	200/200	5	Running
07/27/03	9	13	200/200	2	Running
06/08/03	25	3	200/200	10	Running
07/28/02	22	8	175/175	0	Running
06/09/02	4	35	161/200	3	Running
07/29/01	24	14	200/200	3	Running
06/17/01	31	6	200/200	0	Running
07/23/00	24	5	200/200	0	Running
06/19/00	29	14	200/200	0	Running

   
Matt Kenseth Cup Series totals at Pocono:

	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Laps Led
June Race	8	0	2	4	0	21
July Race	7	0	1	3	0	5
Cumulative	15	0	3	9	0	26

   
Matt Kenseth on racing at Pocono:

“Pocono is a very challenging track for a number of reasons. Primarily because there are three distinctly different turns, and that’s the only track we go to like that. The only other tracks with more than two distinctly different turns are road courses. You need a lot of horse power to get down the long straight-a-ways and you’ll need a good handling car to carry that momentum through the turns. At least that part is the same as everywhere else. The principal is the same at Pocono as anywhere, you have to get through the center of turn better than the other guys.

“We’ll be looking to bounce back this weekend at Pocono. Yeah, we got a top-10 finish at Indy, but we sure didn’t run like a top-10 car. It was pretty frustrating all weekend. We unloaded pretty good, but it just went downhill from there. We had high hopes going into the weekend, and struggling to finish 10th wasn’t anywhere near what we had in mind. So, bouncing back at a place like Pocono, which has really been one of our tougher tracks, would go a long ways towards gaining some momentum in this stretch run leading up to the Chase.

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Pocono:

“We’re bringing a car that hasn’t seen much action over the past year, but it’s been to a lot of tracks as the backup. We’ve put a lot of work into this car since it last ran at Pocono, last June and finished fifth. We think we’ve made some big improvements, but we really won’t know what we’ve got until we unload on Friday. No matter how many simulations and tests that you run on the car, until it’s on the track turning laps with Matt driving it, you can’t say for sure what you’ve got. But, hopefully we’ve gone the right way on this one.

“Pocono is a tough track to setup for because it’s relatively flat and every corner is different. We’ve seen it come down to fuel mileage in the past, so we’ve got to do our part to stay on top of pit strategy and the field gets pretty strung out here too. A good stop can be worth four or five positions on the track that aren’t that easy to get back. So, like every weekend, we’ll have to be on top of our game and take care of everything that we have control over. If we can get the car to turn, I know Matt can get the job done.

Pocono Fast Facts

n Matt Kenseth’s 14 top-10 finishes in 2007 are the second most of any Cup driver behind points leader Jeff Gordon. During Kenseth’s 2003 Championship season, he had posted 15 top-10 finishes at this point in the season.

n Mr. August? Last season Kenseth caught fire in August posting two wins and a second place finish in four races. In 2005, Kenseth posted one win and three top fives in August.

n Kenseth’s 11.2-average finish this season ranks second among Cup drivers who have competed in all 20 events. By comparison, Kenseth’s average starting position of 21.7 ranks 20th among 29 drivers who have competed in all 20 events.

n Pocono is one of 15 tracks (including North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham) where Kenseth has scored three or more top-five finishes in his career.

n Kenseth has led only 26 laps in 15 races at Pocono, the lowest total number of laps led at any track where Kenseth has nine or more starts.