|
|
|
Kenseth posts 5th-place finish in
Atlanta;
Picks up two spots in point standings
October
30,
2005
n
Cup race photos by ASP
HAMPTON, GA (October 30,
2005) — After being caught up in an early crash during
the first race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier
this year, Matt Kenseth was looking forward to avoiding
trouble and having a chance to race at the 1.5–mile oval
that he enjoys so much this time around. He got that
opportunity and then some. The No. 17 USG Sheetrock
Brand/DEWALT Ford Taurus avoided trouble all day, led a
lap and came home with a fifth-place finish, the tenth
top-five of the 2005 season. Kenseth qualified in the
23rd position to begin the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500. He
quickly began to move up through the field and broke
into the top-ten by lap 33. By lap 57, the USG Sheetrock
Brand/DEWALT Ford was running in the top-five. On lap 64
a caution for debris slowed the field and Kenseth
brought the No. 17 down pit road for service. The crew
made an air pressure adjustment, changed four tires and
filled the car with fuel in just 12.2 seconds, gaining
Kenseth three spots off of pit road. Kenseth would have
restarted in the second spot, but NASCAR penalized
Kenseth for exiting pit road too fast and he had to drop
back to the rear of the line for the restart, in the
27th position. By the time the next yellow flag waved
over the field on lap 121, Kenseth had raced his way
back up to the tenth position. Radioing to his crew that
the car just kept getting looser and not tightening up
at all, the crew elected to make air pressure and track
bar adjustments in addition to giving Kenseth four
sticker tires and fuel. The crew executed this stop in
12.5 seconds and gained Kenseth two spots off pit road
to restart the race in the eighth position. The USG
Sheetrock Brand/DEWALT crew was on top of their game
Sunday, consistently gaining Kenseth positions off of
pit road with their fast work. Their best stop of the
day would be during the next caution period brought out
on lap 133. Running eighth, Kenseth came down pit road
for four fresh tires which the crew provided in a
blistering 11.6 seconds, earning Kenseth four positions
off of pit road. Kenseth would run in the top-five for
the majority of the remaining laps and led a lap just
after the restart following the ninth caution period of
the afternoon brought out on lap 282. Still dealing with
a loose race car, Kenseth didn’t have enough to retake
the lead, but took the checkered flag in the fifth
position. “That was great,”
said Kenseth, after the race. “It was a good day
for us, a real good day in the points. We finished in
the top five and got to lead a lap there at the end, so
it was a good, solid day. We were just too loose all day
off the corner and never could really fix it. All day
from our speeds we had a third to seventh-place car, and
we finished fifth, so that was great. Everybody did a
good job this weekend. We had great stops, as always.
The car was pretty good and besides the driver speeding
down pit road, everything else went really well.” With
his 5th-place finish in Atlanta, Kenseth gained two
spots in the NASCAR Nextel Cup point standings, moving
up to the seventh position, 155 points out of first
place. The No. 17 DEWALT Ford Taurus will be back in
competition next weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway for
the eighth of ten races to determine the 2005 NASCAR
Nextel Cup Champion. Kenseth will also be competing in
the Busch Series event on Saturday in the No. 9 Pennzoil
Platinum Ford Taurus.
Atlanta Preview
October
26,
2005
Atlanta Motor Speedway •
Hampton,
Ga.
Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 •
Sunday,
October 30 •
12:00
pm/e NBC
Matt
Kenseth’s
Cup Record at
Atlanta:
|
Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
03/12/00 |
4 |
40 |
199/325 |
Engine |
|
11/10/00 |
23 |
9 |
324/325 |
Running |
|
03/11/01 |
38 |
37 |
273/325 |
Engine |
|
11/18/01 |
23 |
17 |
325/325 |
Running |
|
03/10/02 |
32 |
4 |
325/325 |
Running |
|
10/27/02 |
9 |
9 |
248/248 |
Running |
|
03/09/03 |
24 |
4 |
325/325 |
Running |
|
10/28/03 |
37 |
11 |
325/325 |
Running |
|
03/14/04 |
30 |
6 |
325/325 |
Running |
|
10/31/04 |
39 |
41 |
175/325 |
Engine |
|
03/20/05 |
23 |
31 |
311/325 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth
Cup
Series
totals
at
Atlanta:
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles
|
|
Cumulative |
11 |
0 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
Matt Kenseth on racing at Atlanta Motor
Speedway:
“Atlanta is definitely one of the tracks I
particularly look forward to coming to. It is wide
and fast and there are multiple grooves that you can
run. We had a great car here in the spring but got
caught up in an early wreck that ruined our day. I
think we’ll be competitive this weekend and we’ll be
looking to regain some points that we’ve lost over
the past couple of weeks.”
Robbie Reiser on racing
at Atlanta Motor Speedway:
“I think that our
finishes at Atlanta don’t reflect how good we’ve
been able to run there. We had a really strong car
in the fall race last year when a mechanical failure
ended our day early, and back in the spring of this
year we were caught up in an early crash. In both
races, though, the car was fast. This weekend we’ll
be looking to bring home a finish that hopefully
reflects how strong we’ll be able to run.”
Atlanta
Fast Facts
n
In his eleven starts at Atlanta in the
Cup series, Matt Kenseth has two top-five and five
top-ten finishes.
n
Matt Kenseth will be driving the
red and blue No. 17 USG Sheetrock/DEWALT Ford Taurus
on Sunday in Atlanta.
n
Kenseth will be running car
number 39 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. This car
has seen a lot of action this season with memorable
finishes of second and third at Chicagoland and
Michigan II, respectively.
n
In addition to the Bass
Pro Shops MBNA 500, Kenseth will also be competing
in the fourth and final IROC race of the 2005 season
on Saturday.
Kenseth posts 12th-place finish at
Martinsville
October
23,
2005
n
Cup race photos by ASP
MARTINSVILLE, VA (October 23, 2005) — Matt
Kenseth and the No. 17 DEWALT team managed a 12th-place
finish in the Subway 500 on Sunday at the Martinsville
Speedway. While several Chase contenders had problems,
Kenseth and company managed to avoid trouble for the
most part and survive a race that many feared.
The
DEWALT team was busy during the three practice sessions
held over the weekend, searching for the right set-up
for the half-mile track. Kenseth qualified in the 25th
position but quickly began to move to the front upon
taking the green flag. Early on, the No. 17 DEWALT Ford
Taurus was surprisingly strong, and Kenseth was running
in the 13th spot when the second caution of the
afternoon slowed the field. Having pitted during the
first caution period brought out on lap 45, Kenseth
elected to stay out during the second caution period and
gain track position. Most of the field pitted and
Kenseth restarted the race in the lead on lap 90,
earning himself five bonus points for leading a lap.
Kenseth commented to his crew, “We’ve got a car here
that can contend, as long as we don’t make any
mistakes.”
Kenseth led for nine laps, and then remained
in the top-five until the fourth caution period brought
out on lap 121. Kenseth came down pit road for four
sticker tires, telling his crew, “The tires are starting
to drop off — it feels like the left sides are worn
out.” Kenseth restarted the event in the ninth spot on
lap 132. The No. 17 continued to run in the top-ten for
the next 100 laps and then started to drop back.
Radioing his crew, Kenseth said, “We started the day off
good but it’s [the car] getting worse with each run.”
Kenseth again brought the No. 17 down pit road during
the eighth caution period brought out on lap 238. The
No. 17 received four new tires, air pressure and wedge
adjustments, and restarted in the 14th spot.
It was a
scary moment for the No. 17 when, on lap 320, Kenseth
was hit from behind and spun around. No damage was
incurred and, after the caution period, Kenseth
restarted the event in the 22nd position. Kenseth was
able to regain some track position by staying out during
the next caution period while many pitted. On the
restart on lap 347, Kenseth had moved up to the fourth
position. He radioed to his crew, “For the first 100
laps this car was awesome, probably the best car I’ve
had here, then it just went downhill.” The crew
continued to make adjustments throughout the waning
laps, trying to bring the car back around. A second spin
for the No. 17 occurred on lap 475 when he was tapped by
the No. 5 of Kyle Busch, bringing out the 17th caution.
Again, no damage was incurred and Kenseth restarted in
the 14th spot. Kenseth picked up a couple more positions
and took the checkered flag in the 12th position.
“We
really didn’t know what to expect, going in to this
race,” said Kenseth. “We had a strong car early on but
it really dropped off as the race went on. We did manage
to avoid trouble, for the most part, and bring the car
home intact. I, for one, am glad to get this one out of
the way, and am looking forward to Atlanta next weekend
which is one of my favorite tracks.”
With his 12th-place
finish at Martinsville, Kenseth retained his position in
the NASCAR Nextel Cup point standings, in the ninth
position, 172 points out of first place.
Matt Kenseth
will be sporting the red and blue colors of the No. 17
USG Sheetrock/DEWALT Ford Taurus next weekend at the
Atlanta Motor Speedway for the third and final time this
season. The Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 marks the seventh of
ten races to determine the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup
Champion. Kenseth will also be competing in the fourth
and final IROC race of the 2005 season in Atlanta.
Martinsville Cup Preview
October
19,
2005
Martinsville Speedway •
Martinsville,
Va.
Subway 500 •
Sunday,
October 23 •
12:30
pm/e NBC
Matt
Kenseth
Cup Record at
Martinsville:
|
Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
04/09/00 |
31 |
21 |
498/500 |
Running |
|
10/01/00 |
37 |
34 |
447/500 |
Running |
|
04/08/01 |
25 |
6 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
10/15/01 |
22 |
36 |
459/500 |
Rear End |
|
04/14/02 |
26 |
2 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
10/20/02 |
17 |
19 |
499/500 |
Running |
|
04/13/03 |
34 |
22 |
499/500 |
Running |
|
10/19/03 |
14 |
13 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
04/18/04 |
29 |
8 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
10/24/04 |
25 |
16 |
500/500 |
Running |
|
04/10/05 |
18 |
11 |
500/500 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth
Cup
Series
totals
at
Martinsville:
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles
|
|
Cumulative |
11 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
Matt
Kenseth on racing at
Martinsville Speedway:
“Our record has certainly
been inconsistent at Martinsville. Back in the
spring, we ran in the back most of the day and were
fortunate to stay out of trouble and be there at the
end to pull out an 11th-place finish. I think we may
see a lot of cautions and it will be important to
take care of your equipment and try to avoid
trouble.”
Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at
Martinsville
Speedway:
“We tested in Martinsville
back in the spring but still didn’t quite get the
set-up right for the first race. We’ve addressed
that issue and hopefully will be better this
weekend. We took a hit at Charlotte over the weekend
and are looking to rebound from that. Martinsville
historically has not been a good track for us but
we’re staying positive and focused on coming out
with a strong finish.”
Martinsville
Fast Facts
n In his 11 starts at Martinsville, Matt
Kenseth has one top-five and three top-ten
finishes.
n Kenseth will be racing car number 23 this
weekend in Martinsville. This car raced in both
events at Loudon this year, as well as Phoenix and
the second race in Richmond. In its’ four runs, it
has posted two top-five and three top-ten
finishes.
n Matt Kenseth has led more laps this season
(832) than in any other season since his NASCAR Cup
Series debut in 1998.
Kenseth hangs on for
26th-place finish after early tire
problem
October
15,
2005
n
Cup race photos by ASP
CONCORD,
NC (October 15, 2005) — Matt Kenseth and
the No. 17 Carhartt/DEWALT team knew
going into the UAW-GM Quality 500 on
Saturday night that the tires would be
vulnerable on the faster track. What
they had hoped, however, is that they
could stay on top of the problem without
sustaining any damage. Unfortunately, a
flat right front on lap 61 marked the
beginning of a long night for Kenseth
and crew, who ultimately held on for a
26th-place finish.
Kenseth rolled off in
the 18th position and steadily worked
his way towards the front of the pack
after the field took the green flag.
NASCAR, concerned about the tire
situation, mandated a competition
caution on lap 30 for the cars to come
down pit road and have the crews examine
the tires. Kenseth had raced his way
into the 11th position when the
mandatory caution slowed the field.
Kenseth came down pit road and the crew
changed four tires which, after
examination, were in good shape with no
visible problems.
Kenseth restarted the
event in seventh place and had worked
his way up to the fourth spot when he
radioed to his crew that he had a right
front tire going down. At the same time,
the yellow flag slowed the field for a
crash involving the No. 8. Kenseth and
crew debated about whether to come down
pit road right away although it was not
yet open, or try to make it one more lap
around the track and avoid a penalty by
coming down pit road too early. They
elected to stay out and that decision
proved costly as the right front tire
blew and damaged the right front
fender.
Frustrated and disappointed,
Kenseth brought the No. 17 down pit road
for attention from the crew. They
changed four tires and made preliminary
repairs to the right front fender,
returned to the track and then returned
to pit road for more extensive repairs.
Kenseth restarted the race in the 40th
position, one lap down. Eight laps later
Kenseth was back down pit road. The
damaged right front fender was rubbing
the right front tire, eventually wearing
a hole in it and resulting in another
flat tire. Kenseth brought the racecar
down pit road on lap 75 and the crew
went back to work on that fender.
Kenseth returned to competition on lap
84, still in the 40th spot but eleven
laps down.
For the remainder of the
event, Kenseth picked up spots as the
attrition rate continued to rise amongst
the field. By lap 199, NASCAR had seen
enough to mandate another competition
caution for the crews to once again
examine their tire situations. At that
time, Kenseth was running in the 36th
spot, ten laps down. By the end of the
500-mile event, there had been a record
15 caution periods and Kenseth took the
checkered flag in the 26th
position.
“It’s frustrating”, said
Kenseth, after the race. “We just blew a
couple of tires and tore the right front
fender up. In hindsight, I guess we
should have come down pit road right
away to change tires. Maybe then we
could have avoided tearing up the car.
After that I just basically rode around
all day.”
With his 26th-place finish at
Charlotte, Kenseth lost one spot in the
NASCAR Nextel Cup point standings,
falling to the ninth position, 124
points out of first place.
The No. 17
DEWALT Ford Taurus will be back in
competition next weekend at the
Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville,
Virginia, for the sixth of ten races to
determine the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup
Champion.
Kenseth sporting different colors
for weekend at Lowe’s
October
12,
2005
CONCORD, NC (October 12, 2005) — Matt Kenseth
will be in new colors for the race weekend at the
Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Competing in both the Cup and
Busch Series events, Kenseth will have a different
look for each.
 For the Dollar General 300 Busch
Series event on Friday night, Kenseth will be behind
the wheel of the No. 9 Pennzoil Platinum Ford
Taurus, usually driven by Roush Racing teammate Mark
Martin. In his 11 Busch
Series starts this season, Kenseth has posted 10
top-ten finishes, including one win. Kenseth will be
running car number 45 this weekend, the same car
that won the Busch Series event in Darlington
earlier this year.
 For the UAW-GM Quality 500 Cup Series event
on Saturday night, Kenseth will be sporting the
copper and black colors of associate sponsor,
Carhartt. This weekend marks the third and final
race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season in
which Kenseth will wheel the No. 17 Carhartt/DEWALT
Ford Taurus. Kenseth previously ran the Carhartt
paint scheme in Darlington and the first race in
Michigan in June. The first outing for the
Carhartt/DEWALT Ford resulted in a disappointing
26th-place finish. Coming off a win the night before
in the Busch Series, Kenseth and the No. 17 crew
were looking for a good run. However, they had their
hands full all night fighting a loose racecar.
Although the crew doggedly made adjustments to the
car throughout the night, nothing they threw at it
seemed to help. Fortunately, the second appearance
for the Carhartt ride had a much happier ending and
proved to be a turning point in the season for
Kenseth.
Coming into the June race at the Michigan
International Speedway, Kenseth was sitting in
24th-place in the Nextel Cup point standings, with
only two top-ten finishes to his credit. The No. 17
team knew they were capable of more and were
fighting to break out of their slump. Little did
they know going in that this race would become the
turning point of the season. Kenseth ran in the
top-five for most of the day and took the checkered
flag in the fourth position for his first top-five
finish of the season. Beginning with that race in
Michigan, Kenseth and company have posted nine
top-five and twelve top-ten finishes, including one
win.
This weekend the No. 17 team is bringing car
number 39 to the Lowe’s Motor Speedway decked out in
Carhartt colors. This car had seen a lot of racing
this year, having raced at the All-Star Challenge,
Dover I, Chicagoland, Pocono II, Michigan II,
Fontana II and Dover II. Of its’ six points race
appearances, it has scored two top-five and four
top-ten finishes, including dominant runs at
Chicagoland and Michigan.
Charlotte Race Preview: Busch, and Cup
October
12,
2005
Lowe’s Motor Speedway •
Concord,
N.C.
Dollar General 300 •
Friday,
October 14 •
8:00
pm/e NBC
UAW-GM Quality 500 •
Saturday,
October 15 •
7:00
pm/e NBC
Matt
Kenseth
Busch Series
Record at Lowe’s:
|
Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
05/25/96 |
37 |
31 |
194/200 |
Running |
|
05/24/97 |
35 |
22 |
199/200 |
Running |
|
10/04/97 |
38 |
12 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
05/23/98 |
5 |
5 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
10/03/98 |
2 |
2 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
05/29/99 |
9 |
3 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
10/09/99 |
1 |
7 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
05/27/00 |
5 |
30 |
196/200 |
Crash |
|
10/07/00 |
1 |
1 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
05/26/01 |
10 |
2 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
10/06/01 |
14 |
16 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
05/24/03 |
9 |
1 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
10/15/04 |
2 |
17 |
200/200 |
Running |
Matt
Kenseth
Busch
Series totals at
Lowe’s:
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles
|
|
Cumulative |
13 |
2 |
7 |
8 |
2 |
Matt
Kenseth
Cup Record at
Lowe’s:
|
Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
10/11/99 |
27 |
40 |
231/334 |
Crash |
|
05/28/00 |
21 |
1 |
400/400 |
Running |
|
10/08/00 |
26 |
9 |
334/334 |
Engine |
|
05/27/01 |
40 |
18 |
399/400 |
Running |
|
10/07/01 |
32 |
12 |
334/334 |
Running |
|
05/26/02 |
21 |
2 |
400/400 |
Running |
|
10/13/02 |
7 |
34 |
254/334 |
Engine |
|
05/25/03 |
18 |
2 |
276/276 |
Running |
|
10/11/03 |
29 |
8 |
334/334 |
Running |
|
05/30/04 |
37 |
3 |
400/400 |
Running |
|
10/16/04 |
36 |
11 |
334/334 |
Running |
|
05/29/05 |
3 |
37 |
245/400 |
Crash |
Matt Kenseth
Cup
Series
totals
at
Lowe’s:
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles
|
|
Cumulative |
12 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
0 |
Matt
Kenseth on racing at Lowe’s Motor
Speedway:
“Charlotte has always been one of my
favorite tracks, partly because I got my first Cup
win there. But the track was definitely different
when we raced there in the spring after they redid
the surface. We had a hard crash that night and
that’s certainly something that we don’t want to
repeat. We bringing a strong car that we’ve had
success with this season, so we should be
competitive.”
Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at
Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
“We’re looking forward to
this weekend racing here at home. It’s always an
exciting race for the fans and we’re bringing one of
our best cars. Some of our teammates tested at
Lowe’s a few weeks ago with mixed results. Matt’s
Busch team tested there also and had a good run. So
we’ll see what we’re dealing with once practice gets
going.”
Busch Series Crew Chief Chad Norris on
Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
“We tested this track a
couple of weeks ago and it went pretty well. There
wasn’t a lot of rubber down on the track and I think
that will make a difference this weekend. I think
once there’s rubber on the track, we’ll really get
the car dialed in during the second practice session
on Thursday.”
Lowe’s Fast Facts
n Matt Kenseth scored
his first NASCAR Cup Series career victory in the
Coca-Cola 600 at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway in
2000. n In his twelve Cup starts at Lowe’s, Kenseth
has one win, four top-five’s and six top-ten
finishes. n Matt Kenseth will be sporting the copper
and black colors of the No. 17 Carhartt/DEWALT Ford
Taurus on Saturday at the Lowe’s Motor
Speedway. n Kenseth will be running car number 39 in
the UAW-GM Quality 500. This car has seen a lot of
action this season with memorable finishes of second
and third at Chicagoland and Michigan II,
respectively. n Kenseth will be competing in the Busch
Series event Friday night at the Lowe’s Motor
Speedway. He will be competing in the No. 9 Pennzoil
Platinum Ford Taurus for the first of two races. The
other race will be in Texas. n Kenseth will be running
car number 45 in the Busch Series event. This car
won in Darlington in the spring. n In his 13 Busch
starts at Lowe’s, Kenseth has two wins, two poles,
seven top-five’s and eight top-ten finishes.
Kenseth starts
from pole, Finishes 5th at Kansas
October
9,
2005
n
Cup race photos by ASP
KANSAS CITY, KS (October
9, 2005) — Matt Kenseth and the No. 17
DEWALT Ford Taurus team went into this
weekend at the Kansas Speedway having
just one top-ten finish in four Cup
starts at the 1.5-mile track. The team
tested in Kansas the week prior to the
race in hopes of improving that record.
The test paid off as Kenseth captured
the pole for the Banquet 400 and came
home with a fifth-place finish.
Kenseth
began the weekend by posting the
third-quickest times in each of the
practice sessions held on Friday. On
Saturday, Kenseth was the 44th driver to
make a qualifying run and wowed the
crowed by setting a track record,
getting around the track in just 29.858
seconds. That lap put Kenseth on the
pole for only the third time of his Cup
career, and the second time this season.
Kenseth won from his earlier pole
position this year at Bristol, with a
dominating performance leading 415 out
of 500 laps to capture the checkered
flag. When the green flag waved over the
field Sunday in Kansas, the afternoon
had the makings of a repeat
performance.
Starting from the pole,
Kenseth would go on to lead the first 70
green flag laps of the event. As the car
began to tighten up towards the end of
the green flag run, the No. 16 of
teammate Greg Biffle assumed the lead,
and Kenseth fell to second. Kenseth
radioed to his crew that he would slow
down a little bit, not wanting to use up
his tires. Kenseth continued to fall
back through the field, laying back
because he felt he had a tire problem.
There were several laps of indecision
regarding coming down pit road as there
was chatter over the radio concerning
debris on the track. Would NASCAR throw
the caution? Would it come in time for
Kenseth, or would he blow a tire? After
several tense laps, caution for debris
slowed the field on lap 92 and Kenseth,
running 12th at the time, brought the
No. 17 DEWALT Ford Taurus down pit
road.
The DEWALT crew pulled a rubber
out of the left rear in an effort to
“free up” the car, as well as provided
Kenseth with four fresh tires and fuel —
all in just 13.0 seconds. Kenseth
restarted the race in the seventh
position on lap 98. Unfortunately, with
the new tires the No. 17 didn’t resume
its stellar performance from the first
70 laps. Kenseth continued to run in the
seventh spot with the No. 17 getting
loose underneath other cars, making it
difficult to complete a pass.
Kenseth
brought the No. 17 down pit road during
the caution period brought out on lap
119 and received air pressure and wedge
adjustments, four new tires and fuel.
The DEWALT pit crew executed a
blistering stop, completing their work
in just 12.1 seconds. Kenseth gained a
spot off of pit road and restarted in
the sixth position. Unfortunately, just
20 laps later, Kenseth radioed to the
crew, “It hasn’t gotten any better —
it’s no good. It was better when we
started the race — it just seems to be
getting worse.” Kenseth hung in the
top-ten and was running in the eighth
position on lap 181 when he brought the
No. 17 down pit road for a scheduled
green flag pit stop. With the car
“unbelievably tight,” the DEWALT crew
made wedge and track bar adjustments and
gave Kenseth four sticker tires and
fuel.
As the green flag stops cycled
through the field, Kenseth found his way
back into the seventh spot. When the
sixth caution flag of the afternoon
slowed the field on lap 216, Kenseth
brought the DEWALT Ford down pit road
for the final time. Still trying to get
the car to turn better, the crew gave
Kenseth additional air pressure and
wedge adjustments, along with tires and
fuel. He gained a spot off of pit road,
thanks to a 12.4-second pit stop.
Kenseth would grab one more spot to take
the checkered flag, coming home fifth,
while teammate Mark Martin got the
win.
“We got a solid finish out of it
today and we’re happy about that, but I
sure thought the car would be better
than what it was,” said Kenseth, after
the race. “I mean, we were good in
practice and then surprised everyone, I
think, by winning the pole. Once the
green flag dropped, however, there was
just something not quite right with the
car. It just wouldn’t turn — a lot like
the problem we had with our Busch car
yesterday. I am really happy for Mark
[Martin], though. He’s such a great guy
and teammate, I want to congratulate
him. We’ll go back to the shop and try
and figure out what was missing today,
and turn our focus to the race at
Lowe’s. It’s the last one under the
lights, which is always cool for the
fans to watch, so we’re looking forward
to it.”
With his fifth-place finish at
Kansas, Kenseth lost one spot in the
NASCAR Nextel Cup point standings,
falling to the eighth position.
The No.
17 Carhartt/DEWALT Ford Taurus will be
back in competition next weekend at the
Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North
Carolina, for the fifth of ten races to
determine the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup
Champion. Kenseth will be sporting the
black and copper colors of Carhartt on
the No. 17 under the lights at
Lowe’s.
Kenseth finishes
7th in Kansas Busch race
October
8,
2005
n
Busch race photos by ASP
KANSAS CITY, KS (October 9,
2005) — Matt Kenseth and the No. 17
Waste Management Ford Taurus team
rebounded from their early crash in
Dover two weeks ago to score another
top-ten finish at the Kansas Speedway on
Saturday. On a brisk fall afternoon,
Kenseth ran in the top-fifteen all day
on his way to a seventh-place
finish.
The weekend started off strong
for the No. 17 as it posted the fifth
and second quickest laps in the two
practice sessions held on Friday.
Kenseth went on to qualify in the 16th
position.
Rolling off 16th at the start
of the race, Kenseth began to inch up
through the field. By lap 20, Kenseth
had raced his way into the 12th spot.
Having radioed to his crew that the car
was just “too tight,” when the caution
flag waved just eight laps later,
Kenseth used the opportunity to bring
the No. 17 down pit road for service and
adjustments. The Waste Management crew
made air pressure and wedge adjustments
and gave Kenseth four scuffed tires and
fuel. A lug nut got away during the pit
stop, costing extra seconds on pit road,
and Kenseth restarted the event in
17th-place.
Kenseth had worked his way
up to the 13th position by lap 72 when
the third caution of the afternoon
slowed the field. Telling his crew the
car was “so tight, I can’t stand it,”
Kenseth brought the No. 17 down pit road
for additional air pressure and wedge
adjustments, four sticker tires and
fuel. Kenseth restarted 11th and within
20 laps told the crew, “It’s not
competitive at all. It’s like you cut
the fenders off — that’s what it feels
like.” Kenseth brought the No. 17 back
down pit road during the next caution
period for more adjustments. With
Kenseth restarting the race in the
eighth position, the field took the
green flag once again on lap
129.
Kenseth had raced his way into the
fifth spot by lap 173 and, thirteen laps
later on the restart following the ninth
caution period, advised the crew, “I’ll
try to slice and dice and get through
there as quick as I can, if I can.”
Kenseth did run as high as third but
started to lose a little bit in the
final ten laps of the event. After
telling the crew that the “left front is
hammered — there’s nothing left
anymore,” Kenseth managed to hold on for
a seventh-place finish.
“We weren’t as
competitive as we would have liked,”
said Kenseth, after the race. “The car
seemed tight for much of the race, but
even after we made adjustments to loosen
it up, it still was so difficult to
turn. I think we just missed something
with the set-up or had something go
wrong. I’m glad we were able to finish
in the top-ten but, all in all, I wish
we had been able to run better.”
Matt
Kenseth will be competing in the Busch
Series event at the Lowe’s Motor
Speedway next Friday night under the
lights. Instead of the No. 17 Waste
Management Ford Taurus, Kenseth will be
behind the wheel of the No. 9 Pennzoil
Platinum Ford Taurus. This marks the
first of two races for Kenseth in the
No. 9. The second will be in Texas in
November. The next race for the No. 17
Waste Management Ford Taurus will be in
Phoenix in November.
Kansas Race Preview: Busch, and Cup
October 4,
2005
Kansas Speedway •
Kansas
City,
Kan.
United Way 300 •
Saturday,
October 8 •
2:00
pm/e NBC
Banquet 400 •
Sunday,
October 9 •
1:30
pm/e NBC
Matt
Kenseth
Busch Series
Record at Kansas:
|
Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
09/29/01 |
11 |
4 |
200/200 |
Running |
|
10/09/04 |
33 |
33 |
108/204 |
Crash |
Matt
Kenseth
Busch
Series totals at
Kansas:
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles
|
|
Cumulative |
2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
Matt
Kenseth
Cup Record at
Kansas:
|
Date |
S |
F |
Laps |
Reason |
|
09/30/01 |
13 |
32 |
238/267 |
Crash |
|
09/29/02 |
27 |
7 |
267/267 |
Running |
|
10/05/03 |
37 |
36 |
220/267 |
Running |
|
10/10/04 |
15 |
17 |
267/267 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth
Cup
Series
totals
at
Kansas:
| |
Races |
Wins |
Top 5s |
Top 10s |
Poles
|
|
Cumulative |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
Matt
Kenseth on racing at Kansas Speedway:
“We are relieved to be finished with
Talladega. Our car was really good and
we were able to come home with a solid
third-place finish. It was
disappointing, though, to lose the lead
on the last lap and not end up in
Victory Lane. Our momentum is good right
now going into Kansas — our cars have
been strong, the pit stops have been
fast and this whole team is just focused
every week on getting the best finish
possible.”
Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on
racing at Kansas Speedway:
“We have a
new car that we’re taking to Kansas. We
tested there last week and are looking
forward to seeing if what we learned
during the test will pay off. Our record
at Kansas hasn’t been great and we’re
definitely looking to turn that
around.”
Busch Crew Chief Chad Norris on
racing at Kansas Speedway:
“We are
certainly looking to rebound from our
finish last weekend. Sometimes those
things just happen and there is nothing
you can do about it. We hated it,
though, because we had such a good car.
We’re bringing car number 42 this
weekend, which we haven’t run this
season. We’re looking forward to seeing
what it can do. Matt has a top-five
Busch finish at Kansas and we’ll be
looking to match and hopefully beat
that.”
Kansas Fast Facts
n Matt Kenseth has one
top-ten Cup Series finish at the Kansas
Speedway.
n Kenseth and the DEWALT team
will be bringing a brand new car to the
Kansas Speedway. Car number 48 was
tested at Kansas last week.
n Matt Kenseth
will be running in both the Busch and
Cup Series events this weekend.
n Kenseth
will be running car number 42 in the
Busch Series event on Saturday. This car
has not been run this season.
n With his
third-place finish at Talladega, Kenseth
gained two spots in the point standings,
moving up to the seventh position.
Matt’s post-race
quotes
October 2,
2005
MATT KENSETH — No. 17 DeWalt Taurus
(Finished 3rd)
WHAT ABOUT AT THE END.
WERE YOU A SITTING DUCK? “Yeah, but I
don’t feel like I’m the best driver at
this restrictor plate stuff anyway. You
want to be leading everywhere at the end
with two to go, except for I think here.
I don’t know. I wasn’t very good at
restarts to get through the gears. I
don’t know if it was our ratios or what,
but I knew that was gonna be tough and I
saw them all gang up. I just didn’t know
where to block next, so once I did get
shuffled back three-wide there, I could
have gone with the 88 or the 20 and I
gave the 88 a nice push. That was my
best chance to get by and that’s pretty
cool that DJ won.”
YOU USED YOUR MIRROR
TO TRY AND KEEP THE 20 BEHIND YOU.
“Yeah, I mean the thing is you can only
block so much without wrecking. Tony was
blocking a lot earlier when I was trying
to pass him early in the race, but at
the end of the race neither one of you
are gonna lift and you can only go
across the front end so much before you
get yourself and him wrecked, so you’ve
got to try to keep your position but you
can’t be dumb either.”
IS IT A RELIEF
TO GET THROUGH THIS? “Yeah, I mean we
led a couple of laps and we finished
third, I believe. You’ve got to be
pretty happy with that. Some other
people had trouble like we had last
week, so, hopefully, it’ll get us caught
up in the points a little bit. It’s just
disappointing when you restart in the
lead on the last lap and finish third.
I’m disappointed about that, but happy
with our day overall.”
Robbie Reiser
Press Conference
October 2,
2005
THOUGHTS ON HOW THE
RACE ENDED. “Talladega is a tough place
to race. We all saw that today. It’s
just kind of the luck of the deal — to
run up front all day long. The guys did
a real good job of keeping Matt up front
all day and coming out of here with a
third-place finish was pretty awesome. I
thought we had a chance to win there at
the end, but with the restart we were
kind of sitting ducks. We have a new car
that we’re taking to Kansas. We tested
up there and we’re looking forward to
that.”
WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU AT THE
END? “I guess it’s less nerve-wracking
for me. Obviously, those guys have a lot
more going on than what I do, but we
pretty much had what we had. Matt was
concerned about the restart, obviously,
because you get a little bit of run and
they’re all gonna gang up behind you and
that’s basically what happened. Matt was
trying to fight them off the best he
could. They were three-wide going down
the backstretch and it was exciting, but
I wish we were up front.”
THE FORDS
FINALLY WON HERE. DO YOU FEEL BETTER
ABOUT THE FORDS ON THESE TYPE OF TRACKS?
“Obviously this was our best effort from
the 17 car. Our car was competitive all
day and we had one of the better cars,
so a lot goes into what the guys do back
at the shop, and the people that build
the engines. Doug Yates and his gang
have done an awesome job for us and we
just keep plugging every week and keep
working on this speedway stuff. I would
say at Roush Racing we probably spend a
lot more time on downforce cars than
what we do speedways, but, obviously,
the way all five cars ran today and
qualified our program is coming along. A
lot of it has to do with what Yates and
Roush race engines have done. It’s been
an incredible there and the cars have
gotten better too.”
YOU WERE MOVED UP A
COUPLE OF SPOTS. THOSE POINTS COULD PLAY
A BIG ROLE AT THE END. “Well, I don’t
know. We were leading with two to go, so
we kind of went back two spots the way I
look at it. I don’t know. When the
caution comes out that’s their call and
they go back and look at the TV and
decide where everybody is at when that
happens. We pretty much just stand back
like you guys do and wait for the
decision to come down and that’s where
we are. When the caution came out I
didn’t know where we were. Matt thought
we were sixth and some of the guys
thought we were third, so we ended up
third. I think as well as our car ran
everybody on our team wanted to win.
Sure, we’re in the chase and we’re
worried about points and we’re doing all
those things, but you show up every week
to try to win these races and it would
have been good for Matt and our whole
race team to be able to win at a
superspeedway and I think he had a shot
at it, it’s just that the caution fell
at the wrong time.”
ANY OVERHEATING
TROUBLE TODAY? “I think if you noticed
throughout the race, a lot of guys would
start overheating in the middle of the
race and with all the bump-drafting
that’s going on out there, it really
depends a lot on how our grilles are
radiused and the tape is tight trying to
get as much out of the car as you can,
but if you screw up the radius in the
front of the car, it makes the thing
want to overheat. That’s why a lot of
cars were having trouble as the race
went because the front noses were
getting beat up. Right before the race,
I think we were 200–210 in practice
yesterday. I opened up the tape just a
little bit just for that reason because
we struggled with that in the past and
we didn’t really have any trouble with
it at all today.”
Talladega Race
Recap
October 2,
2005
Kenseth survives Talladega,
Finishes 3rd;
Moves to 7th in Championship standings
TALLADEGA, AL (October 2,
2005) — Everyone was calling it the
wildcard of the 2005 Chase for the
Championship — Talladega Superspeedway —
where anything can happen. Matt Kenseth
and the No. 17 DEWALT Ford team not only
survived the wildcard, but contended for
the win until the very last lap and
brought home a third-place finish.
Early
in the weekend, Kenseth and the DEWALT
team felt they had brought the best
speedway car they had built in a long
time. With strong practice times and a
qualifying effort of 11th, everyone was
anxious to get the 500-mile event
underway. Rolling off the starting grid,
Kenseth quickly moved up through the
field and by lap 9 was leading the race.
He gained five bonus points for leading
and remained in the top-ten for most of
the day.
There were two “big ones” on
this balmy Sunday afternoon, the first
one coming on lap 19. This incident
involved several cars, including fellow
championship contender Jimmie Johnson,
as well as championship contender and
teammate Mark Martin. Kenseth avoided
any contact and came down pit road
during the caution period to receive
right side tires and fuel. He restarted
the contest on lap 27 in the lead once
again.
Just six laps later, the second
caution of the day slowed the field for
debris and Kenseth elected to come down
pit road and receive left side tires.
Kenseth continued to run in the top-ten
until the next “big one” stunned the
field and the fans when it erupted on
lap 65. This wreck involved fellow
championship contenders Jimmie Johnson,
Rusty Wallace, and Greg Biffle, another
Roush teammate. Once again, Kenseth
avoided the melee and came down pit road
during the caution period to receive
four tires and fuel. He restarted the
event on lap 70 running in the 12th
position.
By lap 83, Kenseth had once
again assumed the lead. Just four laps
later, championship contender and
teammate Kurt Busch blew a right front
tire, which sent him into the wall,
bringing out the sixth caution of the
afternoon. Kenseth came down pit road to
get four fresh tires and restarted
seventh, as many competitors elected to
take only two tires during their stops.
Kenseth quickly moved back up to the
front, and again took the lead on lap
184 with only four laps to go. An
appearance in Victory Lane was beginning
to look likely for Kenseth and the
DEWALT crew before a late caution was
brought out on lap 185 when Ken Shrader
lost a tire and hit the wall. When the
race restarted on lap 189 for a
green–white–checkered finish, Kenseth
was a sitting duck. He managed to hold
off the eager competitors behind him
going into the last lap but then got
shuffled back. While the front pack was
shuffled around, a final caution flag
waved for a Kyle Petty spin and the race
ended under yellow with the No. 88 of
Dale Jarrett going to Victory Lane. Matt
Kenseth finished third.
“It is somewhat
of a relief to have this one behind us,”
said Kenseth, after the race. “We led
some laps and finished third. You’ve got
to be pretty happy with that. Some other
people had trouble like we had last
week, so, hopefully, it’ll get us caught
up in the points a little bit. It’s just
disappointing when you restart in the
lead on the last lap and finish third.
You want to be leading everywhere at the
end with two laps to go, except for
here, I think. I wasn’t very good at
restarts to get through the gears. I
knew it was going to be tough and I saw
them all gang up behind me after the
restart. I just didn’t know where to
block next, so once I did get shuffled
back three-wide there. I could have gone
with the No. 88 or the No. 20 and I gave
the No. 88 a nice push. That was my best
chance to get by and that’s pretty cool
that DJ won. I’m disappointed that we
lost the lead there at the end, but
happy with our day overall.”
With his
| |
