Matthew Roy "Matt" Kenseth (born March 10, 1972) is an American
stock carStock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
driver. Kenseth currently drives the No. 17
Crown RoyalCrown Royal is a blended Canadian whisky, 40% alcohol by volume, 80 proof. The brand is currently owned by Diageo, who purchased it when the Seagram portfolio was dissolved in the year 2000. It is the top-selling Canadian whisky in the United States....
Ford Fusion in the
NASCARThe National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Sprint Cup Series for Roush Fenway Racing. He is a
Daytona 500The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
champion, having won a rain-shortened race in
2009The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008...
, the first
Daytona 500The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
win for the Roush Fenway Racing team.
Kenseth started racing on several short tracks in
WisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and he won track championships at
Madison International SpeedwayThe Madison International Speedway is a stock car racing oval in the town of Rutland in rural Oregon, Wisconsin a short distance off of Wisconsin Highway 138. The track is billed as "The Track of Champions" and "Wisconsin's Fastest Half Mile." The weekly program at the track runs on Friday...
,
Slinger Super SpeedwayThe Slinger Speedway is a quarter mile paved oval automobile race track with a 33-degree bank located in Slinger, Wisconsin....
and
Wisconsin International RacewayThe Wisconsin International Raceway is a stockcar racing oval and drag strip in the Town of Buchanan, in Outagamie County, just outside Kaukauna, Wisconsin, USA.-Stockcar track:...
. He moved to the
ARTGOThe ARTGO Challenge Series was a United States midwest late model short track racing series that ran from 1975 until 1998. Many race car drivers have used the ARTGO series as a stepping stone to get into ASA, ARCA, and NASCAR. A guy by the name of Art Frigo created the series with the help of Bob...
,
American Speed AssociationThe American Speed Association is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana and currently is headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida. ASA was most famous for a national touring series which began in 1973 but was...
, and Hooters Late Model touring series before getting a full-time ride in the NASCAR Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) for his former Wisconsin short track rival
Robbie ReiserRobbie Reiser is the general manager for Roush Fenway Racing. Reiser is the son of Alice and the late John Reiser, who served as general manager for Roush Racing's Busch and Craftsman Truck series race shops. Robbie is married to his wife Tracy, and has 3 children.- Racing career :Robbie started...
. After finishing second and third in the Busch Series (now Nationwide Series), he moved up in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series (later NEXTEL Cup Series and now Sprint Cup Series). He won the series' Rookie of the Year title in 2000 and the season championship in 2003. The
International Race of ChampionsInternational Race of Champions, better known as IROC, was a North American auto racing competition, promoted as an equivalent of an American All-Star Game or The Masters...
invited Kenseth to race in their
2004 seasonThe 28th season of the Crown Royal International Race of Champions began on Friday, February 13, 2004 at Daytona International Speedway. The all-star roster included twelve drivers from five premier racing series. Matt Kenseth won the championship after winning the final two races to return to...
as the reigning champion and he won the season championship.
Early life and career
Kenseth was born in
Cambridge, WisconsinCambridge is a village located in Dane and Jefferson Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,100 at the 2000 census.The Dane County portion of Cambridge is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Jefferson County portion is part of the...
. He made an agreement with his father, Roy, that Roy should buy a car and race, and Matt would work on the car until he was old enough to race. Kenseth began
stock car racingStock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
in 1988 at the age of 16 at
Madison International SpeedwayThe Madison International Speedway is a stock car racing oval in the town of Rutland in rural Oregon, Wisconsin a short distance off of Wisconsin Highway 138. The track is billed as "The Track of Champions" and "Wisconsin's Fastest Half Mile." The weekly program at the track runs on Friday...
. "My dad bought a car when I was 13 and raced it at Madison," Kenseth said. "Neither of us knew much and it was a learning experience. He continued to race in 1988 and 1989. My first car – what might be considered a sportsman – was a 1981 Camaro that Todd Kropf had driven to championships at Madison and Columbus 151 Speedway. On the third night out I won a feature. I ran 15 features in 1983 and won two of them." "The first night out in the Kropf car Matt won a heat race," said Kenseth's father Roy. "The third night he won the feature by holding off two of the best drivers at the track, Pete Moore and Dave Phillips, for 20 laps. Matt was smooth. I knew then he was going to be a racer." He ran for the points title on Saturday nights at
Wisconsin DellsDells Raceway Park , formerly known as the Dells Motor Speedway, is a car racing raceway located in the town of Lyndon, in Juneau County, north of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin just off of U.S. Route 12/Wisconsin Highway 16. It is a 1/3 mile asphalt track that is used for stock car racing...
) in 1989. He finished second in points and won eight features. On Friday nights, he ran about half of the races at Golden Sands Speedway and half at Columbus 151 Speedway. In 1990, he bought a late model from
Rich BickleRichard "Rich" Bickle, Jr. is a journeyman NASCAR driver. Bickle, who has never completed a full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has a long history in short track racing.-Early career:...
. In the season-opening race at
Slinger Super SpeedwayThe Slinger Speedway is a quarter mile paved oval automobile race track with a 33-degree bank located in Slinger, Wisconsin....
, Kenseth inherited the lead and won his only race of the season when track champion Tony Strupp had a flat tire. He finished sixth in season points and won the track's rookie of the year award. Kenseth entered fifteen
ARTGOThe ARTGO Challenge Series was a United States midwest late model short track racing series that ran from 1975 until 1998. Many race car drivers have used the ARTGO series as a stepping stone to get into ASA, ARCA, and NASCAR. A guy by the name of Art Frigo created the series with the help of Bob...
events that season and raced in 40 features that year. After graduating from Cambridge High School that summer, Kenseth worked for four years selling and shipping parts for Left-hander Chassis, a
late modelA "late model car" is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. The term is broadly used in car racing, and often appears in common use, as in "The officer was driving an unmarked, late model sedan."There is no precise...
racecar chassis manufacturer just south of Wisconsin in Illinois. In 1991 he won the ARTGO race at
La Crosse Fairgrounds SpeedwayThe La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway is a semi-banked asphalt oval racetrack in West Salem, Wisconsin. The outer track is 5/8 mile and the inner track is a 1/4 mile. The track was built on at the fairgrounds for La Crosse County. It used to host an event on the American Speed Association before the...
to become the youngest winner in the series' history. He passed
Joe ShearJoe Shear was an American racecar driver from Clinton, Wisconsin. He won an estimated 350 races in his career, including four of his last five races. Fred Nielsen, Shear's car owner from 1975 to 1984 and 1986 to 1994, said that his team won 250 races and he estimates that Shear won 600 races...
and Steve Holzhausen, and held off Steve and Tom Carlson for the win. 1992 was a difficult year for Kenseth. He won three races and blew up more engines than he could count. He was ready to quit racing after the season. "I felt we were at a standstill", he said. "I wasn't gaining. My dad and I had some major discussions at the end of the year. We had to find the dollars for a good program or I told him I would rather not race." Kipley Performance loaned a motor to Kenseth for the season-final race at La Crosse and the team ran better. Kenseth built a new car for 1993 using a Kipley engine. He used the car at Madison to win eight features and finished second in the points. Mike Butz offered Kenseth the chance to race his late model, and it took some time for the combination to stop struggling before they started winning features. At the end of the season, they won the final short track series race at Madison, La Crosse, and
I-70 SpeedwayI-70 Speedway is a racetrack near Interstate 70 east of Odessa, Missouri, USA. The track opened in 1969 and was open every year until it closed in 2008. It was built and owned by Bill Roberts who, along with partners, had previously built and owned KCIR Dragstrip on Noland Road in Kansas City,...
.
The 1994 and 1995 seasons established Kenseth as a short track star. Kenseth made a name for himself while driving at several Wisconsin tracks, beating nationally known drivers such as
Dick TrickleRichard "Dick" Trickle is a retired American race car driver. He raced for decades around the short tracks of Wisconsin, winning many championships along the way. Trickle has competed in the ASA, ARTGO, ARCA, All Pro, IMCA, NASCAR, and USAC.In more than an estimated 2,200 races, Trickle has logged...
and
Robbie ReiserRobbie Reiser is the general manager for Roush Fenway Racing. Reiser is the son of Alice and the late John Reiser, who served as general manager for Roush Racing's Busch and Craftsman Truck series race shops. Robbie is married to his wife Tracy, and has 3 children.- Racing career :Robbie started...
. He raced 60 times in three different cars in 1994, winning track championships at both
Wisconsin International RacewayThe Wisconsin International Raceway is a stockcar racing oval and drag strip in the Town of Buchanan, in Outagamie County, just outside Kaukauna, Wisconsin, USA.-Stockcar track:...
(WIR) on Thursday nights and Madison on Friday nights. Kenseth competed against Reiser at Madison, and won 12 of 17 features at the track. He won the 1994 Slinger Nationals at
Slinger Super SpeedwayThe Slinger Speedway is a quarter mile paved oval automobile race track with a 33-degree bank located in Slinger, Wisconsin....
. In 1995, he repeated with back-to-back championships at Madison and WIR, plus he won the Red, White, and Blue state championship series at WIR on three Saturday nights. Butz's wife Patty Butz said "We knew by 1995 that Matt had too much talent to be with us for very long."
Kenseth decided to move across the country in 1996 to the
Southern United StatesThe Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
to race for engine builder Carl Wegner in the Hooters Series Late Model championship. The plan was to run the Hooters Series, five NASCAR
Craftsman Truck SeriesThe NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
races, and five Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) before moving full-time into the Busch Series in 1997. He finished third in the Hooters Series, nearly winning the series championship as a rookie. In 1996, Kenseth made his Busch Series debut at the spring race at
Lowe's Motor SpeedwayCharlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
for Wegner, finishing 22nd after starting 30th in a car rented from
Bobby DotterBobby Dotter is a racing car driver from Chicago, Illinois. His father, Bob Dotter, is a three-time champion the Auto Racing Club of America. Dotter has made 209 starts in the NASCAR Busch Series, posting 42 top-tens and four poles. In 2000, Dotter began running in the NASCAR West Series for Gene...
. Kenseth was disappointed because they were unable to attract major sponsorship. "It was just like 1992", Kenseth said. "Plans just didn't work. I thought things would be different. Personally, I had moved and was adjusting to being a thousand miles from home." At the end of the season, the Wegner/Kenseth team closed, and Kenseth found a ride for Gerry Gunderman's
American Speed AssociationThe American Speed Association is a sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States formed in 1968. The Association was based in Pendleton, Indiana and currently is headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida. ASA was most famous for a national touring series which began in 1973 but was...
team, who was also
Alan KulwickiAlan Dennis Kulwicki , nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince", was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series racecar driver. He started racing at local short tracks in Wisconsin before moving up to regional stock car touring series...
's last shop in Wisconsin before moving to NASCAR. The team raced together for two races in 1997 before Kenseth received a telephone call from a former competitor.
Nationwide Series
In 1997, racer Tim Bender was injured, and Bender's crew chief/car owner Robbie Reiser hired his former competitor and rival Kenseth to race for him despite having only one Busch start. Reiser said "Matt and I used to have some fierce races against each other. I needed someone who understood race cars the way I understood them. I knew he could drive and he could talk to me in a manner I could understand." Kenseth qualified third for the new team's first race. He was racing in third place in the final laps when he spun and finished eleventh. Kenseth qualified in 20th place for the next race at
TalladegaTalladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
in his second time at a track big enough to have a significant draft. He passed thirteen cars to finish seventh. Kenseth had two Top 5 finishes during the partial season. The following year he raced full-time all season. He won his first Busch Series race on February 22, 1998, when he nudged leader
Tony StewartAnthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
's car entering the final turn of the final lap, culmulating in a second- and third-place finishes in the Busch points. Kenseth drove the No. 17 Chevrolet sponsored first by
KraftKraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
, then
LycosLycos, Inc. is a search engine and web portal established in 1994. Lycos also encompasses a network of email, webhosting, social networking, and entertainment websites.-Corporate history:...
, and most recently by
DeWaltDeWalt is a worldwide brand of power tools for the construction, manufacturing and woodworking industries. It is a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker.- History :...
.
Kenseth won the last two races of the Busch season in 2006 driving the #17 Pennzoil Ford Fusion, at Phoenix and Homestead.
In 2007, Kenseth planned to run 23 Busch races to be sponsored by
Arby'sArby's is a fast food restaurant chain in the United States and Canada. Roark Capital Group owns 81.5% of the company, with Wendy's Company owning the other 18.5%. It is primarily known for selling roast beef sandwiches and curly fries. The Arby's menu also includes chicken sandwiches, appetizers,...
restaurants (13 races), Dish Network (five races), iLevel by Weyerhaeuser (four races), and Aflac (one race). Kenseth won the
Stater Brothers 300The Royal Purple 300 is the fifth race on the NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule. It is held in late March at Auto Club Speedway, usually the day before the Cup series race, although in 2008 it was held after the Cup series race due to a rain delay...
at
California SpeedwayAuto Club Speedway is a two-mile , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. The track was also used for open wheel racing events until 2005. The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and...
in February and the
O'Reilly 300The O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series race that takes place each spring at Texas Motor Speedway, and was first held in 1997. In 2005, TMS was rewarded with a second Nationwide Series event in November, the O'Reilly Challenge...
at
Texas Motor SpeedwayTexas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
in April.
Kenseth broke an 18 race winless streak as he won the 2008
Nicorette 300The Great Clips 300 is a NASCAR Nationwide Series stock car race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, a few miles south of Atlanta. This race has long served as Atlanta's lone Busch/Nationwide Series date, and has been shuffled around the schedule several times...
at the
Atlanta Motor SpeedwayAtlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
. Kenseth's 23rd career series victory came after the series was renamed the Nationwide Series. On lap 104 at the 2009 Aaron 312 on April 25, Kenseth took a wild ride flipping over 3.5 times, sliding on his roof, then completed a fourth flip. The car burst into flames, and Kenseth walked away.
Kenseth won the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway in 2009. Kenseth led only the last four laps of the race – three of them under caution – after Busch had to pull into the pits due to a flat right-rear tire during the penultimate caution period and just as the race was about to get into a green-white-checkered finish.
On May 28, 2011 Kenseth won the Top Gear 300 at Charlotte. Kenseth, filling in for Trevor Bayne, passed Roush Fenway teammate Carl Edwards with two laps to go to win his only Nationwide Start of the 2011 season.
Sprint Cup Series
Kenseth made his Winston Cup series debut in 1998 at Dover, Del., filling in for
Bill ElliottWilliam Clyde "Bill" Elliott , also known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville or Million Dollar Bill, is a part-time driver and former champion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Elliott was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. He won the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup...
who was attending his father's funeral on the day of the race. He finished sixth, the third best debut of any driver. The last driver before Kenseth to debut with a top-10 finish was
Rusty WallaceRussell William Wallace, Jr. is a past NASCAR Winston Cup Champion, currently a broadcaster on ESPN, car owner in the Nationwide Series, and a co-host of NASCAR Angels.-Early racing career:...
in 1980 with a second place finish in Atlanta.
2000–2005
In 2000 Kenseth's entire team joined the
Roush RacingRoush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
organization, where they beat out
Dale Earnhardt, Jr.* NOTE: References to "Earnhardt", "he", and "him" refer to the subject of this article, unless otherwise specified. References to his father will include "Sr."...
to win the Raybestos Rookie of the Year. He won the
Coca-Cola 600The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...
at
CharlotteCharlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
, and is still the only rookie to win the famed 600 mile event. He went on to finish 14th in points with four top 5s and 11 top 10s.
In 2001 Kenseth finished 13th in points with four top 5s and nine top 10 finishes. Robbie Reiser and the DeWalt pit crew won the Unocal 76 World Pit Crew Competition.
In 2002 Kenseth won the most races (five) and one pole, but inconsistency caused him to finish eighth in the final points. The DeWalt team won a second Unocal 76 World Pit Crew Competition.
In 2003 he dominated in the points standings for almost the entire season and became the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup champion, the last driver to ever hold that title. In so doing, he also became only the second Wisconsinite to win the championship (the late
Alan KulwickiAlan Dennis Kulwicki , nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince", was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series racecar driver. He started racing at local short tracks in Wisconsin before moving up to regional stock car touring series...
was the first, in 1992). Kenseth also had a series best 25 top 10 finishes.
- Began with a 20th-place finish in the Daytona 500, but quickly sped to the front. Fresh off his only win of the season at Las Vegas,Kenseth took the point standings lead after a fourth-place finish at Atlanta in the season’s fourth week. He never relinquished the top spot, remaining No. 1 for 33 consecutive weeks, and setting a new modern-era record for most weeks at No. 1. The previous mark was 30 weeks, set by the late Dale Earnhardt during his first title season of 1980.
- Clinched the 2003 series crown with a fourth-place finish at Rockingham on Nov. 9, in the season’s penultimate event. Finished with a 90-point margin over runner-up Jimmie Johnson.
- Displayed amazing consistency during his title run,spending 35 of 36 weeks in the NASCAR Top 10.Only week outside that elite group came after a 20th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500. Finished with one win, 11 top fives and a series-high 25 top-10 finishes.
- Became the fifth different champion in five years, and the third consecutive former Raybestos Rookie of the Year to win the series title.
In 2004 Kenseth won the
International Race of ChampionsInternational Race of Champions, better known as IROC, was a North American auto racing competition, promoted as an equivalent of an American All-Star Game or The Masters...
(IROC) championship. He qualified for the inaugural
Nextel CupThe NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing . The series was originally known as the Strictly Stock Series and Grand National Series . While leasing its naming rights to R. J...
, finished eighth in the final NASCAR point standings.Finished with two wins, those coming back-to-back early in the year at Rockingham and Las Vegas. ... His win at Rockingham was a photo finish with eventual Raybestos Rookie of the Year Kasey Kahne. ... Began the 10-race Chase in fifth place and finished eighth. ... One of only four drivers to be ranked in the top 10 all season.
Kenseth started the 2005 season with relatively poor finishes but had a strong mid-season run. He rose from the 24th place in championship points after fourteen races to eighth after twenty six races, and he qualified for the Chase for the Cup. He finished seventh in the final points standings. Kenseth made his 200th career start. His totals after his first 200 starts were: 1 championship, 10 wins, 40 Top 5s, 85 Top 10s, 1 pole position, and more than $28.5 million earnings.Led a career high 1,001 laps.
2006–2010
Kenseth had a fast start to the 2006 season. He led early in the
Daytona 500The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
, but then spun out after contact with
Tony StewartAnthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
. He fell down two laps, but rallied back to a 15th place finish. Kenseth won the following race at
California SpeedwayAuto Club Speedway is a two-mile , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. The track was also used for open wheel racing events until 2005. The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and...
. He was the points leader after the eighth race at
PhoenixPhoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...
. He won the Dover spring race by racing from sixth to the front in the final 60 laps. He made the winning pass over teammate
Jamie McMurrayJames Christopher "Jamie" McMurray is a professional American race car driver. McMurray is best known for winning the 2002 UAW-GM Quality 500 as a substitute driver in his second Winston Cup start, and is one of three drivers to win both the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same year...
with three laps left. With the season winding down into the last dozen races, Kenseth won the Sharpie 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway – securing his spot in the chase for the Nextel Cup. He finished the year with winnings of $9,524,966, his take for second place.Only spent one week outside the top 10 (finished 15th in seasonopening Daytona 500). ... Was either first or second in points for 27 of 36 weeks. ... Led 1,132 laps, second among all drivers.
In the second race of the 2007 season Kenseth won the
Auto Club 500The Auto Club 400 is a long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Prior to 2005, the race was held in late April or early May, and until 2010, the race was run at a length of 500 miles. When the NASCAR Realignment of 2005 was made, the race...
at
California SpeedwayAuto Club Speedway is a two-mile , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. The track was also used for open wheel racing events until 2005. The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and...
. After
Jeff GordonJeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
wrecked out of the Coca-Cola 600, Kenseth was left as the only driver to complete every lap this season until he was wrecked out of the Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan where
Ryan NewmanRyan Joseph Newman is a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He drives the #39 United States Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for Stewart Haas Racing under crew chief Tony Gibson. Newman graduated from Purdue University in 2001 with a B.S. in vehicle structure engineering...
was trying to get one of his 3 laps back. The wreck also ended Kenseth's streak of 13 consecutive top-15's this season. Kenseth won the
Ford 400The 2007 Ford 400, the final race of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season for 2007 and the 2007 Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, was run on Sunday, November 18, 2007 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, located in Dade County outside Miami, the final event of the three day Ford Championship...
at
Homestead-Miami SpeedwayHomestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
on November 18, 2007. The race was the final event under series title sponsor NEXTEL, and the final race using the templates originally based on the 1964
Holman MoodyHolman Moody was an auto racing team, racecar manufacturer, and marine engine manufacturer. The team built virtually all of the factory Ford racecars of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. It owned racecars that competed in NASCAR, drag racing, ocean boat racing, rallys, and sports car racing. The team...
Ford Fairlane template.Finished fourth in series points. ... Finished in the top 10 in the standings for six consecutive seasons, tied with Jimmie Johnson for the most. ... Won two races – Auto Club (February) and Homestead. Won at least one race in six
consecutive seasons. ... Led a lap in 20 different races, leading the most in four of them.
In 2008 Finished 11th in series points. Top finish was second at Dover on Sept. 21. Had five top-10 finishes during the Chase. Ended streaks of winning at least one race in six consecutive seasons and finishing in the top 10 in the standings in six consecutive seasons.
In 2007, Kenseth finished fourth in the point standings in the NEXTEL Cup Series. Kenseth won two races, the Auto Club 500 and the Ford 400, and earned $6,485,630 in winnings. he also won an additional 100,000 dollars from his sponsor, Safeway
Kenseth started toward the back for the
Daytona 500The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
and worked his way to the lead and led 2 laps, but soon after his own teammate,
David RaganDavid Ragan, , is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He has previously driven the #6 Roush Fenway Racing ford, but is currently looking for a ride for the 2012 season...
, would squeeze him into the wall, knocking both out of contention and resulting in a finish of 36th.
In the Goody's Cool Orange 500 Kenseth started 28th, but finished 31st. Kenseth was held a lap for pitting outside of his box early, but later was spun out by
David GillilandDavid Gilliland is a NASCAR driver and he currently drives the #34 Taco Bell Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports. He is the son of former Cup and West Coast driver Butch Gilliland. He was born in Riverside, California....
and was held for 2 laps for intentionally wrecking him back. Despite that, Gilliland finished 24th.
Kenseth failed to win a race in the 2008 season for first time since 2001.
Matt Kenseth won the rain shortened
2009 Daytona 500The 2009 Daytona 500, the fifty-first running of Daytona 500, was the first points-paying race to open the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The race was won by Matt Kenseth making a car numbered 17 winning the Daytona 500 for the first time in 20 years since Darrell Waltrip's win back in 1989 and the...
, passing
Elliott SadlerElliott William Barnes Sadler is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is one of only 23 drivers to have won in each of NASCAR's top three series...
mere moments before the caution came out on lap 146 as the result of an accident on the backstretch between
Aric AlmirolaAric A. Almirola is a Cuban-American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives the #88 Unilever/Grand Touring Vodka Chevrolet Impala for JR Motorsports. Almirola attended the University of Central Florida working on a degree in mechanical engineering before leaving to...
and
Sam Hornish, Jr.Racing League]] championships. He currently drives the #12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge Challenger for Penske Racing part-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He also drives the #38 Front Row Motorsports Ford when Travis Kvapil is unable to drive the car....
. The red flag was later waved and subsequent end of the race, 152 laps in, followed, giving Kenseth his first Daytona 500 victory, and the first Daytona 500 Victory for his owner
Jack RoushJack Roush is the founder, CEO, and co-owner along with John Henry of Roush Fenway Racing, a NASCAR team headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, and is Chairman of the Board of Roush Enterprises....
after 20 years as a car owner. He led only 1 green flag lap (of 7 laps led), after starting the race in 43rd. It was Kenseth's tenth attempt at "The Great American Race".
Kenseth won the second race of the season, the (
Auto Club 500The Auto Club 400 is a long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Prior to 2005, the race was held in late April or early May, and until 2010, the race was run at a length of 500 miles. When the NASCAR Realignment of 2005 was made, the race...
), to become the fourth driver in NASCAR history to follow up a win at the Daytona 500 with another win the following race. Kenseth's bids for a third straight victory, went south after engine failure at
Las Vegas Motor SpeedwayLas Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
Kenseth flipped his car during the April Nationwide Series Race at Talladega. Kenseth won in the Nationwide series for his 24th win at
DarlingtonDarlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...
. He also won the
poleThe term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
at Darlington in the Sprint Cup Series, setting a new track record in the process.
It was announced before the Indianapolis race that
DeWaltDeWalt is a worldwide brand of power tools for the construction, manufacturing and woodworking industries. It is a subsidiary of Stanley Black & Decker.- History :...
was going to drop its sponsorship with Kenseth.
Crown RoyalCrown Royal is a blended Canadian whisky, 40% alcohol by volume, 80 proof. The brand is currently owned by Diageo, who purchased it when the Seagram portfolio was dissolved in the year 2000. It is the top-selling Canadian whisky in the United States....
will take over its sponsorship in 2010 for 35 races. Valvoline has announced sponsorship for another 3 races. (Includes non-points races)
After finishing 25th at the
Chevy Rock and Roll 400The Wonderful Pistachios 400 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup stock car race held at the Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Since 2004, the race has served as the last race in NASCAR's "regular season". After this race, the top twelve drivers in the standings advance to the ten-race...
at Richmond, Kenseth was bumped out of the Chase by
Brian VickersBrian Lee Vickers is a American NASCAR driver. He was the 2003 Busch Series champion, and at age 20, became the youngest champion in any of NASCAR's three top-tier series...
. This will leave
Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports....
as the only driver to have made the Chase every time since its inception in 2004.
In 2010, Following the Daytona 500 Drew Blickenderfer was released from his duties as crew chief of the #17 team. Todd Parrott was announced as his replacement. Later in the year Parrott was replaced by
Jimmy FennigJimmy Fennig is a longtime NASCAR crew chief. He was the crew chief for Kurt Busch's 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series' championship.-Biography:...
.
2011
On March 4, 2011 Kenseth captured his fifth pole of his career setting a new track record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
On April 9, 2011, Kenseth snapped 76 race winless streak at
Texas Motor SpeedwayTexas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
by winning the race.
On May 15, 2011, Kenseth tamed the concrete monster, winning the Fedex 400 benefitting
AutismAutism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
Speaks at
Dover International SpeedwayDover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
.
For most of the day it appeared as
Carl EdwardsCarl Michael Edwards, II is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #99 Fastenal/Aflac Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series and the #60 Ford in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing...
and
Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson is an American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car driver. He currently drives the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports....
had the cars to beat. On a late caution, Kenseth and crew chief Jimmy Fennig called an audible in the pits and decided to go with two tires instead of the four. That proved to be all the difference as Kenseth won for the second time in 5 races.
On October 15, 2011 Kenseth won the Bank of America 500 at
Charlotte Motor SpeedwayCharlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
for his third win of the season.
Criticism
After the 2003 season, Kenseth's championship became a source of controversy and criticism. Critics of the Sprint Cup points system, most notably
Roger PenskeRoger S. Penske is the owner of the automobile racing team Penske Racing, the Penske Corporation, and other automotive related businesses. A winning racer in the late 1950s, Penske was named 1961's Sports Car Club of America Driver of the Year by Sports Illustrated...
, pointed out the flaw in having a driver who won only one race out of 36 winning a championship. Additionally, the fact that Kenseth led the points standings for an unprecedented 33 weeks despite only having the one victory, as well as already having clinched the Sprint Cup title with one week to go in the season (rendering the final race in essence a non-event) led to discussions on how to prevent Kenseth's feat from happening again.
As a result, 2004 saw the implementation of a new points and playoffs system titled "The Chase for the Nextel Cup" after Winston was replaced as primary sponsor of NASCAR's top series by NEXTEL. In essence, the system created a 10 race playoff, with only the top-10 drivers in points after the first 26 races competing for the championship. Moreover, the system placed an emphasis, and a points premium, on wins. As a result, the term "The Matt Kenseth Rule" was coined to describe NASCAR's adoption of the current points system. NASCAR acknowledged that the 2003 championship outcome was not the driving factor in establishment of The Chase, as it had been researching methods to adjust the points system to put more emphasis on winning races since 2000. However, the coincidence of the commencement of the new format in 2004 and Kenseth's 2003 championship linked the issues, and were even referred to by NASCAR officials in the interviews and press releases following the announcement of the new format.
Personal life
In 2000, Kenseth married Katie Martin, also from Cambridge. Kenseth has a son named Ross from a previous relationship. Matt and Katie's daughter Kaylin Nicola was born July 6, 2009. Ross raced a legends car for one year in Wisconsin before starting in limited
late modelA "late model car" is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. The term is broadly used in car racing, and often appears in common use, as in "The officer was driving an unmarked, late model sedan."There is no precise...
racing as a 14 year old. As a 16-year-old, Ross won the 2009 championship in the Big 8 Series, a late model touring series in Wisconsin and northern Illinois. He qualified the second fastest for the
Snowball DerbyThe Snowball Derby is a 300-lap super late model stock car automobile race held annually at the half-mile Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. The race has been contested every year since 1968 and is always run on the first weekend in December...
in December 2009.
Roush Fenway Racing hired
Kenny WallaceKenneth Wallace is an American stock car driver who currently drives the #09 Family Farmers/University of Northwestern Ohio/Federated Auto Parts/American Ethanol/Iowa Corn/G-Oil/Marquis Energy Toyota Camry for RAB Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
to stand by at Daytona, as Katie was expecting her second child. Grace Katherine Kenseth was born February 22, 2011.
Matt and Katie have four cats, one named Lars after
Lars UlrichLars Ulrich is a Danish drummer, and one of the founding members of the American thrash metal band Metallica. He was born in Gentofte, Denmark to an upper-middle class family. A tennis player in his youth, Ulrich moved to Los Angeles, California at age sixteen to pursue his training; though rather...
of
MetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
(Kenseth's favorite band), one named Charlotte after the site of Kenseth's first Sprint Cup win, and the most recent additions, two kittens, one named Miley and one named Sulley. The Kenseth cats have been featured in NASCAR pets calendars to raise money and awareness for Humane Societies and animal charities. Kenseth has also been featured on a READ poster for the American Library Association. In addition, he is a licensed private pilot with multi-engine and instrument ratings. The Kenseths currently reside in North Carolina.
Kenseth operates a racing museum in his hometown of Cambridge which features cars, trophies, firesuits, helmets, and other memorabilia from his amateur and professional career. The museum features one of his early stock cars, the car where he won his first Busch race, and the car in which he clinched the 2003 Sprint Cup. His sister, Kelley Maruszewski, manages the museum and its retail store while also running his official Fan Club.
Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics
| Year |
Races |
Wins |
Poles |
Top 5 |
Top 10 |
DNF |
Avg. Finish |
Avg. Start |
Winnings |
Season Rank |
Team(s) |
| 1998 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
6.0 |
16.0 |
$42,340 |
57th |
Bill Elliott Racing Bill Elliott Racing is a former NASCAR Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series team. It was owned and operated by 1988 NASCAR champion Bill Elliott from 1995 until 2000, when it was sold to Evernham Motorsports.- Winston Cup :...
|
| 1999 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
26.0 |
22.6 |
$143,561 |
49th |
Roush Racing Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
|
| 2000 |
34 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
11 |
3 |
18.9 |
25.2 |
$2,408,138 |
14th |
Roush Racing Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
|
| 2001 |
36 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
9 |
5 |
18.6 |
27.8 |
$2,565,579 |
13th |
Roush Racing Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
|
| 2002 |
36 |
5 |
1 |
11 |
19 |
3 |
15.6 |
18.1 |
$4,514,203 |
8th |
Roush Racing Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
|
| 2003 |
36 |
1 |
2 |
11 |
25 |
2 |
10.2 |
21.3 |
$9,422,764 |
1st |
Roush Racing Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
|
| 2004 |
36 |
2 |
0 |
8 |
16 |
6 |
15.7 |
21.7 |
$7,405,309 |
8th |
Roush Racing Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
|
| 2005 |
36 |
1 |
2 |
12 |
17 |
4 |
15.4 |
17.0 |
$7,034,134 |
7th |
Roush Racing Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
|
| 2006 |
36 |
4 |
1 |
15 |
21 |
1 |
9.8 |
14.6 |
$9,544,966 |
2nd |
Roush Racing Roush Fenway Racing is a racing team competing in NASCAR racing. As one of NASCAR's largest premier racing teams, Roush runs teams in the Sprint and Nationwide Series, and formerly in the Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series.Roush first entered NASCAR competition in 1988, but had...
|
| 2007 |
36 |
2 |
0 |
13 |
22 |
4 |
13.0 |
19.9 |
$8,624,816 |
4th |
Roush Fenway Racing |
| 2008 |
36 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
20 |
3 |
16.4 |
16.5 |
$6,494,526 |
11th |
Roush Fenway Racing |
| 2009 |
36 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
12 |
2 |
15.4 |
21.4 |
$7,892,067 |
14th |
Roush Fenway Racing |
| 2010 |
36 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
15 |
0 |
12.8 |
19.4 |
$7,171,082 |
5th |
Roush Fenway Racing |
| 2011 |
36 |
3 |
3 |
12 |
20 |
3 |
12.2 |
14.2 |
$6,062,509 |
4th |
Roush Fenway Racing |
|
| Totals |
436 |
21 |
7 |
113 |
209 |
39 |
14.6 |
19.8 |
$79,325,994 |
|
Data as of November 21, 2011.
External links