CONCORD, NC (September 29, 2004) — With the Chase for the Championship now well underway, but yet seven events still remaining to the finale, we thought it would be a great time to bring back an old favorite release — Matt Kenseth by the numbers:

1	DNF for the entire 2004 season, happening last week at Dover International Speedway.
7	Current points ranking for Matt Kenseth, 99 points out of first place.
9	Top-5 finishes for Matt Kenseth.
17	Top-10 finishes for Matt Kenseth.
40	Chassis number being used this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway — it’s a brand new car, which has only been tested on the racetrack once.
176	Career starts in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series for Matt Kenseth.
1,778	Laps led in all of the 176 starts for Matt Kenseth.
65,609	Miles driven in all of those starts for Matt Kenseth.
$118,833	Money won for finishing in 32nd place last week.
$1,000,000	Money awarded to the winner of this year’s Crown Royal IROC Series Champion. Matt Kenseth is currently in 2nd place, just 4 points out of the lead with one event remaining — at Atlanta Motor Speedway on October 30th.
$5,326,158	Money earned by Matt Kenseth so far in 2004, which included a $1 million bonus for winning the inaugural Nextel All-Star Challenge Race on May 22nd of this year.

DOVER, DE (September 26, 2004) — All weekend long, there was strong anticipation in the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Racing Team’s camp, as they knew on Friday morning that they had a contender of a racecar. After Kenseth practiced well and qualified eighth on the day, the feeling got stronger. Saturday brought even more hope as Matt Kenseth led the early practice session with the fastest time and had the sixth overall fastest time in Happy Hour. But all of the hopes came crashing down on a lap 119 mishap as Kenseth entered pit road and lost control of the car. It struck a tire barrier at the entrance to pit road and the team retired behind the wall for 51 laps to repair all of the front-end damage. The team returned to action, but only picked up one spot — a 32nd place finish in the MBNA America 400 at Dover International Speedway.

Rolling off the starting grid from the eighth spot, Kenseth immediately went to the front. Within the first five laps, he was running fifth. He moved into third place by lap 11 before the first caution period of the day occurred involving Kasey Kahne. “The car is just a little free up off and a little tight in the middle,” radioed Kenseth. “Overall, it’s pretty decent,” he added.

After the restart on lap 22, it took Kenseth just eleven laps to take the point for the first time all day. He would go on to lead the next 60 straight laps. In between, another caution period occurred, but the over the wall crew got the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford off of pit road first. Kenseth radioed to say that the car was beginning to tighten up on the longer runs.

On lap 93, Ryan Newman passed Kenseth to reclaim the lead and the No. 17 car fell back to fourth over the next 20 laps. Kenseth and crew chief Robbie Reiser were discussing ways to free the car up for maximum performance when things began to go wrong. Kenseth, under speed, radioed that he thought one of his tires was about to come apart. “I could be wrong though,” he pleaded with Reiser. The team was taking no chances. Close to a scheduled pit stop, Reiser elected to bring Kenseth down pit road.

That’s when the trouble started.

As Kenseth came off the banking in turn three on lap 119, aiming for pit road, the car swung around on him. Kenseth tried to correct the problem, but the car refused to respond — or stop in time. He crashed headlong into the water barrels protecting the entrance to pit road. Immediately, the team ran to the garage to await the car as Kenseth was checked out in the infield care center.

Pronounced fine by the staff doctors, Kenseth emerged from the care center and spoke with live television:

“I thought, really, a right-front tire was starting to go down and we discussed whether we wanted to pit or not to pit and kind of made a decision that we needed to pit. I got it slowed down OK, I thought, and when I got on the apron it looked clean but it was real slick from that other car blowing up earlier, and I just lost control of it. It was just a dumb mistake. My right-front tire didn’t have any grip and I should have thought about that because I think I hurt a tire and it wouldn’t turn on the track. Then I got loose and it wouldn’t turn at all and I just couldn’t get it stopped.”

IS THIS ONE OF THE TRICKIER PIT ROADS ON THE CIRCUIT? “Yeah, but I slowed down at the same spot I usually slow down on the track, but I just think between the first time everybody pitted under green, and a little bit of sand on pit road, and my right-front tire probably getting wore out, I just didn’t have any traction.”

Afterward, Kenseth retreated to the garage and watched the team fix the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford. In just 51 laps, the team had changed the entire front clip and radiator of the car. Kenseth returned to the racing action on lap 171 in 33rd place, now 51 laps down to the leaders. He hung tough in the contest and Robbie Reiser made sure the car would meet minimum speed the first time back out onto the track.

They were able to pick up one more position to 32nd, but retired the car before the end of the race with nothing left to gain.

Though the team took a hit in the points for the Chase for the Championship, they know that it’s better to have trouble early and rally late than to do it the other way around.

Matt Kenseth fell three spots to seventh in the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Chase for the Championship, now 99 points out of first. The points have now been updated and the current standings are as follows:

1. Jeff Gordon	5371
2. Kurt Busch	5372
3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	5353
4. Jimmie Johnson	5314
5. Mark Martin	5314
6. Elliott Sadler	5275
7. Matt Kenseth	5272
8. Ryan Newman	5264
9. Tony Stewart	5236
10. Jeremy Mayfield	5214

Next week, the third of ten final events for the Chase Contenders gets underway at Talladega Superspeedway — the largest and fastest superspeedway on the circuit. The team will don the Smirnoff Ice colors for the final time in 2004 for this event.

CONCORD, NC (September 22, 2004) — Roush Racing driver Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford, was the featured guest on Tuesday’s weekly NASCAR Teleconference. He spoke frankly about a range of topics from the 2004 Chase for the Championship to the final testing sessions he has lined up for the team. Here are some of the highlights:

ON HIS LATEST THOUGHTS ABOUT THE CHANGE IN THE POINTS SYSTEM VERSUS HOW HE FELT WHEN THEY WERE FIRST ANNOUNCED IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR:

“You know, I’m a guy who’s kind of a traditionalist, and I generally don’t like change, no matter what it is. And plus, we won it last year. You know, no matter what you do or how good you do something, there’s always going to be criticism over something you do, no matter what it is.

There was criticism about winning one race, being so far ahead in the points and all that stuff. You kind of take that to heart a little bit or whatever.

You know, I wasn’t really for it in the beginning. I can’t say that I’m still a hundred percent for it. But being a part of it and being involved in it, with 10 races to go, being up there only 10 points from the lead, that part of it feels good. We’re able to make some mistakes and still get our points back at the end of the year.

So in the position that we’re in, it feels good. If we would have had a 400-point lead, they would have took it all away with 10 to go, it probably wouldn’t feel as good as it does right now.”

REGARDING THE OTHER DRIVERS NOT IN THE CHASE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND RACING AGAINST THEM OVER THE NEXT NINE WEEKS:

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t think it’s going to be any different. You race everybody. I just don’t think it’s any different. I don’t think it should be any different. Us being a points leader last year, they didn’t go into drivers meetings and say, Hey, be careful around the 17, he’s leading the points. They never said that in a drivers meeting once all year. I don’t think they should go into a drivers meeting now and say, be careful how you race around these 10 cars.

We’re not special because of where we are. Everybody has a right to be out there trying to win the race. I think everybody on the track has an equal opportunity to race. I don’t think the Top 10 should be treated any different than 11th through 43rd. You know, them guys all have a right to race. They all show up to try to win the race. We’re not any more important than them guys are. It’s all about racing and trying to win the race.

I don’t think you should be raced any different no matter where you are in the points. However you race people and they race you all year, you race them all year, that should continue to the end of the year.”

ON WHAT TRACKS KENSETH IS MOST WORRIED ABOUT DURING THE FINAL NINE EVENTS OF THE SEASON:

“Well, you can go to a track that you think you run good at and have trouble, and not run good. If I had to look over the schedule, I’d say Dover is one of my favorite tracks, but our results haven’t been there lately. I think we’ll do okay there. Martinsville has been a real struggle for us. They redid the track, so you never know what you’re going to get there.

I’d say Martinsville, Darlington and Talladega are the three I probably worry about the most. Martinsville, we haven’t run well the last couple years. Talladega, anything can happen. You can get a good finish there, and you can get caught up in a wreck and finish last. You just don’t know what is going to happen there. Darlington is one of my favorite tracks, but we don’t have the results there lately. We haven’t run that well.

Those are probably the three that I feel like we’d probably be the weakest at.”

ON HAVING TEAMMATES KURT BUSCH AND MARK MARTIN COMPETING WITH HIM FOR A SHOT AT THE 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL CUP CHAMPIONSHIP:

“That’s good. I mean, that’s good for the whole company. It’s not just about the 17; it’s about 97, the 6 trying to run for a championship, trying to figure things out and work on things together, which should help all of us. For the company, that’s a good thing that three of us are in there and have a shot at it.”

= Dover test washes away practice time
= Consistent Kenseth a top contender for crown
= Rain helps Busch, Kenseth at Loudon
= Kenseth will test at six of final 10 tracks
= International Race of Kenseth
= Kenseth rocks at Richmond
= Kenseth dominates IROC’s short-track debut in International Race of Champions
= Pit road status again an issue
= Kenseth shares his thoughts on the Chase in this week’s TRACK SMACK
= Defending champ chats chase
= Even under new system, Kenseth a model of consistency
= Matt Kenseth and Smirnoff Ice Team No. 17 Announce Race for Charity With RADD at NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Pop Secret 500 Race

Dover Pre-Race Notes

MBNA America 400
Sunday, September 26
Dover Int'l Speedway, Dover, Del.

Matt Kenseth at Dover:

Matt Kenseth on racing at Dover

“It’s my favorite track so obviously I’m excited to get here and get another Chase race under our belts, hopefully with a great finish. Last week, we did exactly what we had to do by competing like a championship-caliber team and we need to go out and do that nine more times, then we can see how it shakes out. I think Dover plays to our strengths — I like the place a lot. I like the speed you have entering the corners and if you have a good setup underneath you, this place can be a lot of fun to drive. I like where we are in the points right now and we’re just hoping we can do even better this week.”

Robbie Reiser on racing at Dover

“This is a new car, but I think it’s going to do a great job for us. We had a lot of planning and research that went into it so we’re hoping it performs. I would have loved to have had some more time to test it, but some time is better than none at all.”

Dover Fast Facts:

Kenseth finished 2nd at NHIS one week ago. He has 16 top-10 finishes in 27 starts in 2004. Kenseth has now been inside the NASCAR Top-10 for 62 straight weeks — the longest active streak.

This week, the team will bring chassis No. 39 to Dover — it’s brand new and has only been tested once.

Matt Kenseth in the Cup Series at Dover

Driver	Starts	Poles	Wins	Top-5’s	Top-10’s
Matt Kenseth	11	1	0	3	6

Matt Kenseth in the Busch Series at Dover

Driver	Starts	Poles	Wins	Top-5’s	Top-10’s
Matt Kenseth	12	1	2	6	7

Matt’s 2004 NEXTEL Cup Series Point Standings

Points	Behind	Starts	Wins	Top-5’s	Top-10’s	Winnings
5,200	-10	27	2	9	16	$5,207,325

LOUDON, NH (September 19, 2004) — The Chase for the 2004 Nextel Cup Trophy got underway at New Hampshire International Speedway with the running of the Sylvania 300 on Sunday. Matt Kenseth posted a strong runner up finish behind teammate Kurt Busch. The strong run for the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford sent Kenseth up one spot in the point standings to fourth, but only a scant 10 points separate him from taking the lead as the NASCAR circuit heads to his favorite track next week — Dover International Speedway.

Rolling off the starting grid in fifth place after rain cancelled qualifying on Friday, Kenseth tiptoed around the track in the opening laps waiting for his car to come around. NASCAR officials had already warned crew chiefs that there would be a mandatory caution on lap 35 of the event so that teams could check tire wear due to the lack of practice. A caution period erupted beforehand, however, as Robby Gordon tangled with Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart couldn’t avoid a collision. The damage to Stewart’s car eventually led him to be black flagged by NASCAR for not meeting the minimum speed. His title hopes took a downward turn immediately.

Kenseth reported that his car was loose in and tight off the corners and that it needed help rotating through the center. On the lap-19 pit stop he brought the car in for service and crew chief Robbie Reiser settled on four new tires and pulling a left rear rubber out of the car. The changes worked well as Kenseth restarted in 20th position on lap 21. During the mandatory caution, Kenseth relayed that the car was working better. Most of the field pitted and Kenseth rotated back to sixth place on the lap 40 restart.

By lap 63, he worked his way all the way up to third place after passing Kevin Harvick. A caution and pit road service followed two laps later, but a sub-par stop dropped Kenseth a few positions for the lap 70 restart — now from the 10th spot. After a few laps, Kenseth reported that the car began runs incredibly loose, but that it seemed to get better with each lap. Clearly, the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford had a solid setup underneath the chassis.

Kenseth worked his way up to seventh place, but another caution and pit stop dropped him back to 14th on a lap 107 restart. This time, the team was able to get the long green flag run they were hoping for. Kenseth made the most of the opportunity, rocketing all the way back to sixth position by lap 170 of the 300-lap event. “The middle of the corner is tight and the exit is a little loose,” he reported on lap 176, following a debris caution. This time, the pit crew managed a 14-second four-tire stop and Kenseth restarted the event again from the sixth position on lap 181.

The No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford continued to come alive for Kenseth and the team. He cracked the top-five running order on lap 193, and moved into fourth by lap 200. “It’s just on the pushy side of neutral right now,” said Kenseth regarding the chassis at this point in the race. He took third place by lap 254 and took over second by lap 256.

After a green flag pit stop on lap 257, the team knew they could make it the rest of the way on fuel and the four fresh tires that it took the crew 13.55 seconds to change. Kenseth came in second and returned to second place when all of the leaders pitted. Kenseth was following in the tire tracks of teammate Kurt Busch in the No. 97 car. At the time, Kurt’s lead was up over five seconds. However, a lap 274 caution (again for debris) tightened up the field. Kenseth and the leaders all stayed out, but several teams behind them came in for tires. The race resumed with just 20 laps to go. Kurt Busch took off like a shot and Kenseth was unable to get up beside him to challenge. That’s how they finished — a 1-2 sweep of the first Race for the Chase for Roush Racing.

Afterward, Kenseth spoke about his successful day and his one-two finish with teammate Kurt Busch:

“I knew we probably weren’t going to catch him. Kurt had a great car today and he was really getting through the center of the corner really fast. I just couldn’t get in like he did, so I tried to keep up with him as long as I could. After I ran a while my car would just pick up a push in the middle and spin the tires up off, so that was a great job by those guys and a great job by the DEWALT guys to get a good run today. We finished second and are in a good position in points. Now we’ll try to win Dover.”

WHAT CHANGES DID YOU MAKE TODAY? “We didn’t make a bunch. We weren’t very good on a short run. Generally on new tires it was the same characteristic this car had at Richmond, but on the long run we seemed to be pretty good. I probably would have been a little closer. We were set up a lot different than Kurt, but he could just run a little better than us all day. Other than that it was a pretty good day.”

Matt Kenseth moved up one spot to fourth in the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Chase for the Championship. The points have now been updated and the current standings are as follows:

1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.	5210
2. Kurt Busch	5210
3. Jeff Gordon	5201
4. Matt Kenseth	5200
5. Jimmie Johnson	5180
6. Elliott Sadler	5172
7. Mark Martin	5139
8. Tony Stewart	5086
9. Ryan Newman	5074
10. Jeremy Mayfield	5068

Next week, the second of then ten final events for the Chase Contenders gets underway at Matt Kenseth’s favorite track — Dover International Speedway.

DOVER, DE (September 15, 2004) — This wasn’t what the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford team had in mind when it was set to kick off its brutal end-of-year test run in 2004. Dover International Speedway was to be the first stop, but Mother Nature refused to cooperate.

Intermittent rain fell on the speedway on Wednesday, September 14th, but the team was able to get a few laps in. Friday was less of a success, with rain falling in the morning, which did not allow the team any track time of significance.

“What can you do?” said crew chief Robbie Reiser. “We can control a lot of different things, but so far, nothing we’ve tried has affected the weather,” he said with a grin.

The day on Thursday was not completely lost, however, as Matt Kenseth made a scheduled stop at the infield media center at the one-mile track. There, Kenseth fielded questions from 20 or so children from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), which was hosting an onsite lunch for the No. 17 crew in the garage.

“I wish we’d have had some real practice time because I feel like we got cheated out of one of our tests,” said Kenseth. “But, coming in here and getting a chance to talk with these children really makes you understand the perspective of things a little better,” he added.

Sylvania 300
Sunday, September 19
New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon NH

Matt Kenseth at NHIS:

Matt Kenseth on racing at New Hampshire

“We’re really getting our focus together this weekend as it’s the first Chase event on the schedule. We’ve had a lot of success at New Hampshire and it always comes down to making your car turn in the middle of the corner. I think we’ve got a good car and a great shot at a top-10 finish if we stick to our ‘No Mistakes Racing’ motto.”

Robbie Reiser on racing at New Hampshire

“We’ve got an awesome car here. I asked the guys Monday morning to turn this thing around and get it ready for this weekend. It’s one of our older chassis, but it’s got a brand new body on us and it seemed to work really well for us last weekend even though we didn’t get the finish we needed.”

New Hampshire Fast Facts:

Kenseth finished 28th at Richmond one week ago. He still has fifteen top-10 finishes in 26 starts in 2004. Kenseth has now been inside the NASCAR Top-10 for 61 straight weeks-the longest active streak.

This week, the team will bring chassis No. 23 and it is the same chassis they used last week at Richmond.

Matt Kenseth in the Cup Series at NHIS

Driver	Starts	Poles	Wins	Top-5’s	Top-10’s
Matt Kenseth	9	0	0	3	5

Matt Kenseth in the Busch Series at NHIS

Driver	Starts	Poles	Wins	Top-5’s	Top-10’s
Matt Kenseth	5	0	1	2	3

Matt’s 2004 NEXTEL Cup Series Point Standings

Points	Behind	Starts	Wins	Top-5’s	Top-10’s	Winnings
5,030	-20	26	2	8	15	$5,032,217

The Richmond Rollercoaster: 
Kenseth 28th in Rock n’ Roll 400 event
September 11, 2004

RICHMOND, VA (September 11, 2004) — It was billed as a wild night under the lights, the last chance for many of the NEXTEL Cup teams to have a shot at making the final Chase for the Championship. For Matt Kenseth, it was a throwaway race. Kenseth had no shot of advancing in the points and no chance of falling a spot, either. Prior to the race in the weekly team meeting, Robbie Reiser set the tone for his team: “Just go out and have fun tonight. You guys have put yourselves in position to where we’re already in — so make sure you go out and do a good job, but just have a good time.” By the time the race was over, it would be the best of times and the worst of times for the No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford Taurus. When it was over, he would finish 28th in the Chevy Rock n’ Roll 400 event.

Rolling off the starting grid in 16th place, Kenseth mashed the gas as the much-anticipated race finally got underway. As the first few laps ticked off the scoreboard, the familiar black and yellow Ford was sinking. Kenseth dropped all the way to 24th place by lap five of the 400-lap event. A quick caution just two laps later allowed Kenseth to key the microphone and let the crew in on what the car was doing. “I’m waaaay loose,” he reported. “I have got to pit!” And with that, down pit road Kenseth came for service and a major air pressure/wedge adjustment. Kenseth returned to competition on the lap 11 restart in 36th place.

He sure didn’t stay there long.

The No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford took off like a bullet for the front of the field. Lap after lap Kenseth cut the car down low, then powered past would-be competitors on the inside up off the corner. In between there were a few cautions, but by lap 137 Kenseth had shot all the way up to third place, a difference of 31 spots in 120 laps. Under the next caution period, Kenseth related that he was slightly worried about the brakes on the car, but that as a whole, the car felt like it was getting even better as the night wore on.

Kenseth hung around the top-five for the next 40 or so laps until a lap 178 accident unfolded right before him. Amazingly, it happened just in front of the leaders and several contenders desperate for a decent enough finish to make the final top-10 cut, like teammate Mark Martin. Kenseth hit the binders hard as cars all around him began spinning to the inside and ramming one another. Point leader Jimmie Johnson took the worst of it and had to go behind the wall for repairs. There was no damage to Matt Kenseth’s car and the race resumed after a lengthy cleanup on lap 201 — just past the halfway point of the event.

The No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford took off once again — picking up right where he left off as competitors fell by the wayside. By lap 230, he moved into fourth. By lap 245, he was third. Six laps later and he took second place away from teammate Kurt Busch on the frontstretch. He immediately began stalking then leader Jeremy Mayfield. It didn’t take long. On lap 263, Kenseth moved to the inside of the No. 19 car and assumed the lead — the tenth time this year that Kenseth had led a race.

Sadly for the team, things were about to take an awful turn. As Kenseth came down pit road on a regularly scheduled green flag pit stop, a miscue on pit road forced Kenseth to return to his pit box to remove a wedge wrench. When he got back out onto the track, he was listed in 32nd position — two laps down to the leader. Kenseth buckled down and immediately began peppering questions to crew chief Robbie Reiser about their track position and how they could make up their laps. No doubt the 2002 race was on his mind — when Kenseth came from two laps down not once, but twice to win the race.

The fortunate caution occurred on lap 291. The No. 17 DEWALT Tools Ford wisely stayed out on the track to make up one of the laps. On the lap 298 restart, Kenseth was in position just ahead of the leaders, almost a lap down, but with a chance to make up the ground if another caution occurred soon. When the green flag waved, Kenseth drove away from the leaders and put plenty of distance between himself and the lead car. An exhausting trip through the field began once again, this time with time running out. He cracked the top-20 on lap 346 of the 400-lap event. On lap 357, he was up to 15th and gunning hard for a top-10 finish. On lap 373, Kenseth had made it to 13th place, but ran out of fuel on the track trying to stretch his run in hopes of the elusive caution that didn’t happen. He came down pit road for two seconds of fuel, but the car had stalled and the crew had to push the car down the lane until it re-fired.

When it was over, the team was right back where they started the furious charge — in 28th place. With the laps winding down and two laps down, the car couldn’t make another charge, though Kenseth sure seemed up to the task. Before he knew it, the checkered flag was in the air and a disappointing night had just ended — much ventured, but nothing gained.

As known since last week, Kenseth locked up the fifth spot in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Chase for the Championship. After the race, the TNT Network went live to a one-hour special interviewing all of the participants. By virtue of a strong fifth place finish, teammate Mark Martin captured the eighth spot in the final ten — ending a season-long odyssey which began with a 43rd place finish in the Daytona 500. Also present was teammate Kurt Busch, who locked up the seventh spot in the final ten. Thus, Roush Racing has three teams competing for the championship — more than any other competing organization.

Afterward, this is what Matt Kenseth had to say about his night:

“It’s been kind of weird year, you know, everybody hasn’t really worried about the points every week, the top few guys, so that’s been sort of different. Everybody stayed kind of bunched up all year anyway. I’m happy we’re down to 10 weeks to go. It’s been a long summer, and I’m glad that we’re into the playoff deal and glad that we’re only 30 points behind or whatever it is. I wish we were closer than that, but glad it’s closed back up and hopefully we can not make mistakes, have a good start and have a chance at the championship.”

The points have now been reset and the current standings are as follows:

1. Jeff Gordon	5050
2. Jimmie Johnson	5045
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.	5040
4. Tony Stewart	5035
5. Matt Kenseth	5030
6. Elliott Sadler	5025
7. Kurt Busch	5020
8. Mark Martin	5015
9. Jeremy Mayfield	5010
10. Ryan Newman	5005

Next week, the final Chase for the Championship begins with the first of ten events at New Hampshire International Speedway.

Chevy Rock & Roll 400
Saturday, September 11; 7:00 p.m. ET
Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Va.

Matt Kenseth at RIR:

Matt Kenseth on racing at RIR

“We’re fortunate enough to have clinched a spot in the Chase, but we’re still focused on winning this weekend. I think we’re likely to see a wilder race than even Richmond usually gives us, but our goal is to stay out of trouble, do the best job we possibly can and really get prepared to go into these final 10 races of the year on a roll.”

Robbie Reiser on racing at RIR

“This chassis has been rebuilt from last year and this marks the first time we’ve used it all year. If it’s a good short track car for us, we may see it again in the final ten.”

Richmond Fast Facts:

Kenseth finished 22nd at California Speedway one week ago. He still has fifteen top-10 finishes in 25 starts in 2004. Kenseth has now been inside the NASCAR Top-10 for 60 straight weeks-the longest active streak.

This week, the team will bring chassis No. 23 and it is the first time they have used this car all year, though its service dates back to 2003.

Matt Kenseth in the Cup Series at Richmond

Driver	Starts	Poles	Wins	Top-5’s	Top-10’s
Matt Kenseth	9	0	1	2	6

Matt Kenseth in the Busch Series at Richmond

Driver	Starts	Poles	Wins	Top-5’s	Top-10’s
Matt Kenseth	10	1	3	6	8

Matt’s 2004 NEXTEL Cup Series Point Standings

Points	Behind	Starts	Wins	Top-5’s	Top-10’s	Winnings
3,253	224	24	2	8	15	$4,924,559

FONTANA, CA (September 6, 2004) — Matt Kenseth finished in an uncharacteristic 22nd place following a late-race caution that trapped the team a lap down. Though Kenseth was able to make the lap up rather quickly, starting back behind the pack with only a few laps to go slowed the progress of the No. 17 Smirnoff Ice Ford and the team could do nothing but watch another potential top-10 finish evaporate in the hot, late California summer evening. The silver lining of the finish, however, is that Matt Kenseth has now officially clinched a spot in the final Chase for the Championship, regardless of what happens next week at Richmond International Raceway.

Rolling off the starting grid in 30th place, Kenseth wasted no time moving forward on the broad two-mile expanse known as California Speedway. Its multi-grooved surface allows for passing and several different lines through the corners — a fact Kenseth would exploit time and time again as the evening wore on. The first caution occurred on lap 23 for turn-three debris. The NASCAR official in the pit box signaled that pit road was open and Kenseth and four other cars came down for a four-tire stop. There was only one problem: Pit road was not yet open according to the NASCAR tower. Kenseth drew a penalty for pitting early and was sent to the tail end of the longest line on the lap 31 restart — where he began from 36th place.

It was only two laps later that another caution occurred, this time for an accident in turn two. Kenseth would now restart 27th on lap 39 of the 250-lap event. After another quick caution and four fresh tires, Kenseth again restarted 27th, but didn’t stay there long. In fact, over the next 20 laps, Kenseth shot up the leaderboard to 12th place by lap 68. Complaining that the car was just a little tight, he was now knocking on the door of the top-10 running order. As would be the norm this evening, however, it was when things looked best that it all started to go wrong for the No. 17 team. On lap 71, teammate Greg Biffle cut a right rear tire, littering the track with debris. In a similar incident to Indianapolis last month, first Jeff Gordon hit debris, then Matt Kenseth did the same, both causing damage to the right front corners of their cars. Kenseth pitted several times to make the necessary repairs and restarted the race from 30th on lap 76.

Kenseth advanced 10 spots to 20th until a lap 105 caution. NASCAR threw the caution to clean the track of the paper trash that was littering the infield. Some of the debris was also blowing onto the racing surface and causing problems with several teams. Track officials were seen cleaning the infield by hand.

After restarting in 17th place on lap 120 the handling on the car went away. Kenseth complained that the car was too tight and he was having trouble turning up off the corner. By the halfway point of the event, he was listed in 21st place.

On lap 142, he reported to crew chief Robbie Reiser that the car was coming around slowly, but it wasn’t as good as before he plowed over a piece of debris earlier in the race. He began to make some real progress over the next 15 laps and as green flag pit stop cycles began, he moved into eighth place on lap 159, which is also when he chose to pit the No. 17 Smirnoff Ice Ford. Kenseth returned to action and cycled out in ninth place on lap 163.

A seventh caution occurred on lap 170 and Kenseth chose to pit again for four tires and a shot at loosening the car up even further. It was a blazing stop by the over-the-wall group and Kenseth rotated up to fifth place on the lap 177 restart.

Kenseth flirted with fourth place, his highest position all night, but then fell back to eighth place in heavy traffic. The car was still not handling correctly (loose) and it showed as Kenseth lost a couple more positions to 10th by lap 191. Kenseth made it back to seventh place on lap 210. Then, with just 33 laps to go, Kenseth dove down pit lane to make his final stop of the night. He asked that the crew make adjustments to tighten him up. As Kenseth was exiting pit road and coming up to speed, disaster struck as the caution flag waved for the ninth time — as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. spun out in turn four along with Kenny Schrader. This trapped the No. 17 Smirnoff Ice Ford one lap down to the field in a frustrating turn of events — especially so close to the finish.

Kenseth restarted the race ahead of then race leader Robby Gordon and got the immediate break that he needed as Kyle Petty blew an engine just one lap after going green. This brought out the caution one last time — now a California Speedway record.

Kenseth was now back on the lead lap, but also way back in traffic. He was unable to move up through the mess in a timely manner and the laps ticked away on what could have been a terrific finish. He crossed the line in 22nd.

Following the 22nd place finish, the team remains fifth in the point standings, now just 229 points out of first place, but the No. 17 team secured a spot in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Chase for the Championship. Next week, the series heads to Richmond International Raceway for the second time this year in a race that will determine the final participants in the Chase to the Championship contender group for the 2004 season.

Pop Secret 500 • Sunday, September 5; 7:00 p.m. ET
California Speedway, Fontana, Calif.

Matt Kenseth at California Speedway:

Matt Kenseth on racing at California Speedway

“I have to say I’m glad we’re heading to California Speedway this weekend. This track kind of lends itself to our program as we’re pretty strong at the 1.5–2 mile tracks on the schedule. We’re bringing the same car we finished fourth with earlier this year so I’m pretty confident. I think it’s going to be a good race overall for the countdown to the Chase because this race puts more of the success in the driver’s hand as opposed to luck, like last week.”

Robbie Reiser on racing at California Speedway

“We’ve got a lot of confidence in this chassis. We’ve run up front every time we’ve used it this year. The two variables I’ll have to worry about Sunday are the pit crew and fuel mileage. I’d rather see the outcome in the hands of my guys than a fuel tank, though.”

Fast Facts:

Kenseth finished ninth at Bristol Motor Speedway one week ago. It was his fifteen top-10 finish in 2004. Kenseth has now been inside the NASCAR Top-10 for 59 straight weeks-the longest active streak.

This week, the car will again carry the colors of Smirnoff Ice as the primary sponsor. This marks the fifth of six races with this paint scheme. The only remaining Smirnoff race is the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Matt Kenseth in the Cup Series at California Speedway

Driver	Starts	Poles	Wins	Top-5’s	Top-10’s
Matt Kenseth	5	0	0	2	3

Matt Kenseth in the Busch Series at California Speedway

Driver	Starts	Poles	Wins	Top-5’s	Top-10’s
Matt Kenseth	7	0	3	6	6

Matt’s 2004 NEXTEL Cup Series Point Standings

Points	Behind	Starts	Wins	Top-5’s	Top-10’s	Winnings
3,156	224	24	2	8	15	$4,794,756