|
New
Hampshire race recap
June 30, 2008
No. 17
DeWALT FORD FUSION RECAP:
KENSETH AND No. 17 DEWALT TEAM EXPERIENCE DISAPPOINTING DAY AT
NEW HAMPSHIRE
|
Race Summary
Start: 9th
Mid-race: 16th
31 to go: 11th
Finish: 18th
High: 9th
Low: 25th
Fastest Laps: 2
Laps in top 15: 179
Laps: 284/284
Led: 0
Status: Running
Points: 109
Earnings: $122,241
Points Summary
Race Total: 109
Season Total: 2001
Ranked: 13th,
15 behind 12th |
M att Kenseth came to New Hampshire Motor Speedway
on the heels of six consecutive top-10 finishes. The driver of the
No. 17 DEWALT Ford wanted nothing more than to continue this streak,
but two late-race cautions and Mother Nature ruined what could have
been another top-10 finish. Kenseth took the green flag in the ninth
position after laying down a lap time of 29.612 seconds during
Friday afternoon’s time trials. Throughout the 284-lap (shortened by
17 laps due to rain) event, Kenseth battled a loose-handling car,
however throughout several adjustments made in scheduled pit stops,
Kenseth had worked his way up to 11th-place. When it looked as
though Kenseth may be in top-10 contention, he was forced to pit for
fuel. Just 13 laps later the race was red flagged and ultimately
called for rain. Kenseth finished 18th and fell from 12th to 13th in
the overall point standings.
French-Canadian Patrick Carpentier started from the pole for
this first time in his NASCAR Sprint Cup career. Kenseth rolled off
ninth, but soon fell back to 12th place, reporting that the No. 17
was experiencing loose handling conditions.
By the first round of green flag pit stops on lap 68, Kenseth had
fallen back to 17th. Crew chief Chip Bolin prescribed four tires
with air pressure adjustments; along with a track bar adjustment, in
hopes of remedying the handling problems. After the pit stop,
Kenseth rejoined the race scored in the 15th position.
Throughout the race and a series of scheduled pit stops, Kenseth
continued to battle a loose handling car and the No. 17 team would
continue to make adjustments. However nothing really seemed to help,
though Kenseth continued to make gains on the track. By lap 203 he
was running 13th and turning lap times comparable to the leaders.
On lap 216, Bolin directed Kenseth to conserve fuel. Rain was in
the forecast and Kenseth’s No. 17 was 10 laps shy of making it to
the end of the 301-lap event on fuel.
The fuel mileage strategy would be altered as an accident that
sent all the leaders to the pits happened on lap 271. Kenseth
entered the pits in 10th place for two tires and fuel. However, when
the race restarted with just 23 laps to go he was scored in the 19th
position, as not all competitors opted to pit.
Kenseth would do his best to make up ground, however rain began
to fall and the race was red flagged and ultimately called on lap
284.
“We didn’t run as good as I hoped,” said Kenseth. I thought the
car was better than that and it really wasn’t, plus we could never
get track position. We couldn’t get on pit road and the way the race
played out; we just couldn’t do anything except for about what we
did. With the rain and all, some people pitted and some people
didn’t. I think we did the right thing. We did what all the rest of
the guys in front of us did and it just didn’t work out.”
When the race was called for rain and the field was frozen, Kurt
Busch was declared the winner. Michael Waltrip, J.J. Yeley, Martin
Truex Jr., and Elliott Sadler completed the top five.
The disappointing 18th-place finish for the DEWALT crew at New
Hampshire puts the No. 17 team 13th in point standings — just 15
points out of 12th-place Chase contention.
NEXT UP:
Coke Zero 400 •
Daytona International Speedway • Saturday, July 5
New
Hampshire Friday interview
June 27, 2008
An interview with MATT KENSETH — No. 17 DeWalt
Ford Fusion
IT MUST FEEL GOOD TO BE BACK IN THE TOP 12. “Yeah. We’ve
still got a lot of work to do, a lot of races left, I think, before
the cutoff and we slipped in right now, but we certainly have our
goals set a lot higher than where we are.”
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST IMPROVEMENT? “Honestly, it’s been a
little bit of everything. It’s been improving in every area. If we
look at all the problems that we’ve had this year and sit down and
kind of analyze them, we’ve had a little bit of everything. We’ve
not put together some stuff not right. I’ve made some mistakes
driving. We’ve just had a little bit of everything happen, so we’ve
been able to try and fine-tune the whole program. I think everybody
is working better together right now as a unit. I think we’re
getting better on pit road. The car is getting prepared better. I
think Chip and I have been able to communicate a little bit better
and, hopefully, I’ve been able to give them a little better
information to get our cars running better.”
HOW MUCH OF A CHALLENGE HAS IT BEEN SWITCHING FROM ROBBIE?
“It hasn’t really been a challenge necessarily for Chip and I. I
think there are some different parts to his job compared to what he
was used to doing has maybe been a little bit of a challenge for
him, but our communication and everything has been good. A lot of it
has been my fault. This car is a lot different than the other car
that we used to have and I needed to try to work harder to
understand it and give him better feedback so he could help me get
the car to drive the way I wanted it to.”
IS 12TH A HURDLE OR IS IT MEANINGLESS AT THIS POINT? “It’s
not meaningless. I think the points from Daytona all the way to
Richmond, every one counts. It’s not meaningless, but the cutoff is
not today, so we certainly want to keep trying to move our way
forward. Certainly we’ve got goals to try to win races and get in
there farther and get up in the points farther and get some cushion
on 13th.”
WHAT AREAS DO YOU NEED TO WORK ON TO SOLIDIFY YOUR SPOT?
“We’ve got to keep being consistent. We have to keep from making
mistakes. We’re really close, but we just need to get a little
better. I think at Michigan we had a car that performance-wise was
capable of winning and that’s really the first time since Vegas that
we had a car that was a serious contender to win the race. It all
starts there. If we can bring cars to the race track that are
prepared and are fast enough to go up there and run in the top five
and contend for wins, if you don’t make mistakes, the rest of it
will kind of take care of itself on average.”
HAS THIS COMEBACK BEEN ANYMORE TAXING THAN PAST YEARS? “Not
yet, but there’s so much racing to do. I don’t know where we’re
gonna be a week from now or five weeks from now. There’s a lot of
time left. Honestly, I wasn’t and I’m not really concerned about our
points position. I was more concerned with how we were running and
how we were operating and me getting in wrecks like we were at
Richmond and running in the back. I was more concerned about all of
that stuff because if you fix all that stuff, usually you’ll get
better finishing positions and the points will take care of
themselves. So, really, I was more concerned about getting the whole
thing rolling and getting everybody’s attitudes good and the
momentum rolling and getting a spring in everybody’s step and get
working together like we know we’re capable of doing.”
WHY DON’T WE SEE DRIVERS WITH TEAMS FOR LONGER THAN 10 YEARS?
“I don’t know. I can’t really speak of anybody’s situation except
for mine. As far as mine goes, I’ve always been really happy being
at Roush Fenway Racing. Fortunately, they’ve been happy enough with
me to hold onto me. I’ve had a great group of guys, a great team,
our sponsor has been there the whole time. We’ve been able to keep a
lot of that stuff together for the 10 years that we’ve been there
and that’s been the biggest difference for me. I don’t know as a
driver why you would ever want to make a change unless you were 100
percent sure it was gonna be better, or was fairly sure you were
gonna better yourself and you were gonna be able to run better.
Really, all the years that I’ve been there, I can’t think of a time
where I’ve ever asked Jack for something that we needed to make our
race cars run faster, or we needed to make things better at the shop
and he hasn’t given it to us or given it to me. He always gives us
whatever we need to be competitive and, as a driver, that’s all I’ve
ever wanted. If they give you everything you need to go run good,
what else could you want?”
HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT TO SEE GREG RE-SIGN? “Well, I think it
was really good. I think it frees up some space in the paper and
websites and stuff because there have been about 15-20 articles
written about his contract in the last 14 months, so I’m glad I
don’t have to read that for a couple more years (joking). But,
seriously, Greg is a good friend of mine. I enjoy having him as part
of the team. We work really well together. We both like our cars set
up similarly, it seems like, so we’re always able to talk about
things and make our stuff better, and we have a good time racing
together.”
DO YOU ENJOY RUNNING HERE? “This hasn’t necessarily been
one of my favorite tracks or I haven’t felt like it’s one of my
strongest tracks, but yet if you look at our stats, our finishes
have usually been pretty good. It’s always been a challenge. It’s a
challenge to pass here, although they’ve made it better over the
years after they re-configured the track a while back, so it’s just
one of those tracks that’s a challenge. It’s a little bit unique and
it’s one that makes us work hard, that’s for sure.”
ANY DIFFERENCE THE FIRST RACE HERE KNOWING YOU COME BACK TO START
THE CHASE AT THIS SAME PLACE? “Not really. Where we are in
points and what we’re doing, we don’t do anything different. We
bring what we think is our best car every week. We work on it as
hard as we can to go run good that day and try to win that day and
learn as much as we can, so we don’t really do anything different
thinking that far ahead.”
WHAT ABOUT DAYTONA AT DAY AND NIGHT? “I think it’s not really
that different. In July, generally the track is really slick — even
at night really because it’s usually pretty hot there — so the 400
from the 500 is not really that big of a change. The cars might be
grouped up a little more. The race might have a little more action
to it, but, really, how far the tires drop off and how your car
handles and how slick the track is really dictates how the racing is
and how much side-by-side and two- and three-wide racing they have.
A lot of times it will get so slick there in the summer that you
have to kind of run single-file until you get new tires on or you
get a caution to bunch them up.”
New
Hampshire Race Preview
June 25, 2008
New
Hampshire Motor Speedway •
Loudon, N.H.
LENOX Industrial Tools 301 • Sunday,
June 29 • 12:30 pm/e TNT Sprint Cup chassis — #17
DeWALT Ford Fusion
• Primary —
RK-606 (Raced Pocono in June of this year, started 13th, finished
7th)
Matt Kenseth’s
NHMS
performance summary:
| Date | S | F | Laps | Led | Reason |
| 09/16/07 |
30 |
7 |
300/300 |
0 |
Running |
| 07/01/07 |
30 |
9 |
300/300 |
2 |
Running |
| 09/17/06 |
25 |
10 |
300/300 |
1 |
Running |
| 07/16/06 |
24 |
14 |
308/308 |
0 |
Running |
| 09/19/05 |
4 |
3 |
300/300 |
0 |
Running |
| 07/17/05 |
16 |
10 |
300/300 |
0 |
Running |
| 09/19/04 |
5 |
2 |
300/300 |
0 |
Running |
| 07/25/04 |
31 |
4 |
300/300 |
0 |
Running |
| 09/14/03 |
19 |
7 |
300/300 |
7 |
Running |
| 07/20/03 |
1 |
3 |
300/300 |
1 |
Running |
| 09/15/02 |
17 |
10 |
207/207 |
0 |
Running |
| 07/21/02 |
6 |
33 |
299/300 |
77 |
Running |
| 11/23/01 |
16 |
4 |
300/300 |
0 |
Running |
| 07/22/01 |
21 |
16 |
300/300 |
0 |
Running |
| 09/17/00 |
38 |
17 |
298/300 |
0 |
Running |
| 07/09/00 |
22 |
19 |
272/273 |
0 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth New Hampshire totals:
| | Races | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Laps Led | Poles | |
Cumulative |
16 |
0 |
5 |
11 |
0 |
88 |
Matt Kenseth on racing at
New Hampshire:
“We usually
have good finishes at New Hampshire, but it seems like we’re
never that competitive. I don’t really know why that is. It
seems like every time we go there, we’ll run around 12th to 15th
all day, but we usually do a good job with pit strategy and have
good stops, so we’ll come away with a seventh or 10th-place
finish. Hopefully, we can do a little better than that this
weekend.
“Our entire program has definitely improved and I feel like
we’re making a lot of gains, especially after our top-10 finish
last weekend at Sonoma. But we still aren’t quite where we need
to be to keep up with some of those guys. There are four or five
teams running really well right now, and if we’re going to have
a shot, then we have to continue to improve. I’m still really
proud of Chip and the guys for all of their hard work each week
and I know that if we all continue to do our jobs, we’ll be
fine.”
Crew Chief Chip Bolin on
racing at
New Hampshire:
“We’ve been preparing this car for awhile now. We built it
especially for Pocono and had a really decent run with it there,
so I feel like we have a good piece. The 99 was pretty fast the
last time we went to Loudon and we were able to learn some
things from what they did. So, hopefully we’ll unload and be
competitive from the get-go.
“Team 17 has done an incredible job of fighting their way
back into the top 12. I’m pleased with our improvements and look
forward to continuing to build on our consistency. The Chase is
just around the corner and is really what it’s all about. The
reason that the guys on this team do what they do and work as
hard as they do is to win a championship. There really isn’t any
other goal on this team, so now’s the time for us to step up and
perform and really bring out the ‘A Game.’ I feel like our team
is as good as any out there and if we can continue to get these
cars better and better then we’ll have a good shot at this.”
New Hampshire Fast Facts
 In honor of the Boston Celtics 17th NBA title, Kenseth’s
No. 17 will carry a special congratulatory decal. The No. 17
crew will also don pit caps to celebrate the occasion.
On Wednesday, June 25, Kenseth along with his
Roush Fenway Racing teammates and the Boston Red Sox, will
celebrate Roush Fenway Day at Fenway Park.
Matt Kenseth will make his 17th NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series start at New Hampshire International Speedway in this
weekend’s Lennox 300.
In 16 starts at NHIS, Kenseth has achieved 11
top-10 and five top-five finishes and has led a total of 88
laps.
Kenseth’s average start at NHIS is 19.1; however
his average finish of 10.5 ranks among the best of active NSCS
drivers.
With six consecutive top-10 finishes, Kenseth and
crew have made their way back into the top 12 in point
standings.
Infineon recap
June 23, 2008
No. 17
DeWALT FORD FUSION RECAP:
KENSETH CAPTURES CAREER-BEST FINISH AT SONOMA
|
Race Summary
Start: 33rd
Mid-race: 24th
11 to go: 14th
Finish: 8th
High: 8th
Low: 36th
Fastest Laps: 0
Laps in top 15: 41
Laps: 112/112
Led: 0
Status: Running
Points: 142
Earnings: $142,841
Points Summary
Race Total: 142
Season Total: 1892
Ranked: 12th,
516 behind 1st |
Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 DEWALT Ford
Fusion made his ninth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Infineon
Raceway this weekend. In his previous attempts at the 1.99-mile
Sonoma, Calif.-track, Kenseth had failed to achieve a top-10 finish,
making Infineon Raceway the only track on the NASCAR circuit that he
was unsuccessful at completing that fete. However, all of that
changed in Sunday’s Toyota Save Mart 350. After struggling to find
speed during the weekend’s practice sessions and qualifying a less
than stellar 33rd, Kenseth and company, led by crew chief Chip Bolin
knew strategy and smart racing would be the key to a strong finish.
And, throughout the 112-lap (extended by two laps for a
green-white-checker-finish) event, that’s exactly what they did en
route to an eighth-place finish — Kenseth’s career best at Sonoma.
Kasey Kahne led the 43-car field to green on a warm Sunday
afternoon in California’s wine country. Kenseth in the yellow No. 17
DEWALT Ford Fusion followed in 33rd position and settled in for a
long day of twists and turns. Though Kenseth was able to gain
several track positions by his first pit stop on lap 29, passing was
difficult and he was scored in 27th place and struggling to make
gains.
Still a determined Kenseth drove smart and by his second and
final pit stop on lap 68 he had worked his way up to 22nd position.
In the ensuing laps, Kenseth’s consistency on the track paid off and
by lap 75 he was running comfortably in the top 15.
Late-race cautions, including a multi-car spin on lap 106,
collected several of the race leaders and moved Kenseth into the top
10 for the lap 109 restart. However, the race was again stalled by
caution before lap 109 was completed and the stage for the green,
white, checkered restart was set.
When a green, white, checkered restart got the field going again,
Kenseth was scored in 10th place. In the final laps of the event,
Kenseth held off teammate Carl Edwards while managing to gain two
spots on the track. When the checkers waved, Kenseth crossed the
finish line in eighth place.
“I feel like we won,” said Kenseth after completing his
career-best finish at Infineon Raceway. “This is the only track on
the circuit that we never had a top-10 at, and we fixed that today.
That’s my best finish ever here. I drove hard and got a good finish
and we moved up in points. And that’s what it’s all about. The
bottom line is really you do the best you can every week, and try to
finish as high as you can and try to lead laps and do all that and
the points take care of themselves — the higher you finish, the more
points you get. So, really, it’s not a strategy, when you race hard
and try to be smart and do the right things and hopefully get some
good finishes and get back in it.”
Kyle Busch pulled away from runner-up David Gilliland, en route
to his fifth victory of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and Casey Mears completed the top five.
The sixth consecutive top-10 finish by Kenseth boosted him from
14th to 12th in overall point standings.
Next week, Kenseth and the No. 17 crew will head to Loudon, New
Hampshire for the . TNT television and PRN radio affiliates will
carry the live race broadcast beginning at 2:00 p.m. (EST).
NEXT UP:
Lennox 300 •
New Hampshire Motor Speedway • Sunday, June 29
Infineon post-race quotes
June 22, 2008
MATT KENSETH — No. 17 DeWalt Ford Fusion (finished 8th)
A TOP-10 FINISH ON A ROAD COURSE MUST MAKE YOU VERY HAPPY. “I
feel like we won. This is the only track on the circuit that we
never had a top-10 at, and we fixed that today. That’s my best
finish ever here — and Dale Jr., too, that was pretty fun racing him
at the end. I think that’s both of our first top-10s — I think it’s
the only track neither one of us had a top-10 at, so that’s pretty
cool that we drove hard and got a good finish.”
YOU’VE NOW MOVED INTO THE TOP 12. IS IS TOO EARLY IN THE
SEASON FOR YOU TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT BEING IN THE TOP 12? “I
don’t know if it’s ever too early to look at it — you always look at
it on the way home, especially if you’re moving up to see where
you’re at and see what happened. But, the bottom line is really you
do the best you can every week, and try to finish as high as you can
and try to lead laps and do all that and the points take care of
themselves — the higher you finish, the more points you get. So,
really, it’s not a strategy, when you race hard and try to be smart
and do the right things and hopefully get some good finishes and get
back in it.”
Infineon Race Preview
June 12, 2008
Infineon
Raceway •
Sonoma, Calif.
Toyota/Save Mart 350 • Sunday,
June 22 • 3:30 pm/e TNT Sprint Cup chassis — #17
DeWALT Ford Fusion
• Primary —
RK-597 (Recently tested Road Atlanta, has never raced)
Matt Kenseth’s
Infineon
performance summary:
| Date | S | F | Laps | Led | Reason |
| 06/24/07 |
27 |
34 |
109/110 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/25/06 |
9 |
17 |
110/110 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/26/05 |
24 |
11 |
110/110 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/27/04 |
5 |
20 |
110/110 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/22/03 |
4 |
14 |
110/110 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/23/02 |
6 |
39 |
90/110 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/24/01 |
20 |
21 |
112/112 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/25/00 |
38 |
32 |
110/112 |
0 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth Infineon totals:
| | Races | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Laps Led | Poles | |
Cumulative |
8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Matt Kenseth on racing at
Infineon:
“For the longest time I
really dreaded coming to a road course, but I guess it’s kind of
like anything else, the more you do it, the more comfortable you
feel, and I don’t dread it nearly as much as I used to. We’ve
gotten a little better with our road-course program, but more
importantly, I think I’ve got a better feel for that type of
racing as I get more experience.
“The main thing is track position. We need a good qualifying
effort, which, ironically, Sonoma seems to be one of our best
tracks in terms of qualifying, which, come to think of it, is
kind of backwards from how we are on the ovals. But, this is
probably the best I’ve ever felt about our chances at a road
course this weekend. Hopefully, we can get a good qualifying
spot and keep our track position all day and maybe end up with a
top 10.”
Crew Chief Chip Bolin on
racing at
Infineon:
“There are two things important about Sonoma: one is to stay on
the track and the other is to get REALLY good fuel mileage. Road
course racing has nothing to do with how good your car is;
rather you just have to be able to go a lap farther than the
rest.
“It’s all about track position when it comes to road courses.
We need a good qualifying position and then it usually comes
down to pit strategy and solid stops. Everyone works the pit
strategy on road courses backwards, meaning that they figure how
many laps they can make it on a fuel run and then count the laps
backwards from the end to determine the soonest they can pit in
order to stay in their window and make it to the end on fuel.
The last thing you want to do is have to pit in the last 10 or
15 laps and lose 20 or 30 positions, because there’s always a
lot of cars on the lead lap and passing is so hard, there’s no
way you’re going to be able to make it up.”
Infineon Fast Facts n
Matt Kenseth’s fifth consecutive top-10 finish
last weekend at Michigan has inched him a bit closer to ‘Chase’
contention. Kenseth is currently 14th in point standings, just
14 points out of 12th place.
n
King of Comebacks… In June of 2005, Kenseth was 320 points out
of ‘Chase’ contention and battled to make the ‘Chase’ where he
ultimately finished ninth. Kenseth is one of only two drivers to
make the ‘Chase’ since its inception in 2004.
n
Kenseth will make his ninth start at Infineon Raceway in this
weekend’s Toyota/Save Mart 350. In his previous starts,
Kenseth’s best finish is 11th.
n
Infineon Raceway is the only track that Kenseth has yet to score
a top-10 finish during his Cup career.
n
Kenseth’s average finish at Infineon Raceway is 23.5 -
statistically being his worst track.
Michigan recap
June 16, 2008
No. 17
DeWALT/Carhartt FORD FUSION RECAP:
KENSETH CAPTURES THIRD-PLACE FINISH AT MICHIGAN
|
Race Summary
Start: 16th
Mid-race: 2nd
20 to go: 2nd
Finish: 3rd
High: 1st
Low: 21st
Fastest Laps: 26
Laps in top 15: 199
Laps: 203/203
Led: 41
Status: Running
Points: 170*5
Earnings: $155,066
Points Summary
Race Total: 170
Season Total: 1750
Ranked: 14th,
14 behind 12th;
463 behind 1st |
Matt
Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 DEWALT/ Carhartt Ford Fusion, started
Sunday’s LifeLock 400 in 16th position after rain cancelled Friday’s
time trials at Michigan International Speedway and owners point
standings set the field for Sunday’s 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series race. By lap 20 Kenseth had maneuvered his way into the top
five and was looking as though his Ford Fusion would be the one to
beat. Throughout the 203-lap event (extended by three laps for a
green-white-checker finish) Kenseth kept the No. 17 out front,
turning 26 of the race’s fastest laps and leading four times for 41
laps. Despite the commanding performance, long green flag runs made
fuel mileage the determining factor in the race. With just over 10
laps to go Kenseth, leading the race, and the other frontrunners
were forced to pit for fuel. After a quick stop for two tires and
fuel Kenseth rejoined the race in 17th position on lap 189. By lap
197 Kenseth had sailed up to fifth place however a late-race caution
set the stage for the green-white-checker finish. Dale Earnhardt
Jr., who did not pit for fuel, was the leader when the green flag
waved for the final time. Shortly after the green flag waved for the
three-lap sprint to the finish caution fell once again, freezing the
field and Earnhardt Jr. captured the win. Kenseth finished third.
Points leader, Kyle Busch led the 43-car field to green at on a
warm Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn, Mich. Kenseth in the black No. 17
Carhartt Ford Fusion followed in 16th position. By the first caution
on the third lap Kenseth had put the No. 17 into 13th place and was
reporting his Ford was “fairly neutral.” It was a quick caution and
crew chief Chip Bolin directed Kenseth to stay out and by lap 20 the
No. 17 was running in fifth place.
The first cycle of green-flag pit stops ensued around lap 34. In
hopes of leading a lap Bolin kept Kenseth on the track until lap 38,
however a pit stop was needed and Kenseth entered the pits in third
place. After a quick routine stop for four tires and fuel, Kenseth
rejoined the race and continued his march to the front.
The second round of green-flag pit stops commenced on lap 78 and
Brian Vickers was the race leader. When everyone had put on tires
and filled up with gas, it was Kenseth out front on lap 81.
By lap 90, Kenseth led with Vickers in second, almost five
seconds back. The third caution of the day, this one for debris on
the track, slowed the action at 92 laps and Kenseth once again saw
pit road. In just under 12 seconds, the No. 17 crew bolted on four
tires and filled the Carhartt Ford with fuel. Kenseth exited the
pits in second place, just behind Carl Edwards, as Edwards only took
on two tires. The race resumed on lap 96 with Edwards in front, but
Kenseth regained the lead on lap 114.
Continuing to dominate, Kenseth held the lead through another
cycle of green flag stops. However during a routine stop, under
caution on lap 146 when Kenseth pitted for just two tires and fuel a
NASCAR official hindered his exit from the pits and cost team 17
several track positions. Kenseth was scored in fifth position on lap
151 when green flag racing commenced.
Disappointed in the incident, Kenseth returned to the track
determined to make up ground. Still, another pit stop would be
required to finish the race, since Kenseth was just four fuel laps
short of making it to the end. On lap 188, Kenseth brought the No.
17 down pit road for a final stop for two tires and fuel. He
rejoined the race in 17th place. By the lap 197 caution that set the
stage for the green-white-checker finish, Kenseth was running
eighth.
Since several competitors were forced to pit for fuel under this
caution period Kenseth took the final green flag in fifth place.
Though he was able to gain two positions in just under two laps,
another caution would fall, freezing the field and third place would
be the best Kenseth could do.
“It was good,” said Kenseth just after the LifeLock 400. “Our car
was pretty decent all day. It felt like we were a little off, but
our speed was really good all day. I thought it was a real fun race.
I thought it was exciting, three- and four-wide racing, and track
was real challenging today, so I thought that was a good time. But I
thought we just kind of got beat on the pit deal again. We had an
official in front of our car when we stopped for two tires and that
cost us two spots leaving the pits, and that really hurt us. Then,
we had a little miscue on our final two-tire stop and that hurt us a
little bit, too. Just didn’t quite work out. There was a lot of
different strategies, and some guys could make it to the end and
some couldn’t, and we were just not exactly in the right place to
capitalize on it.”
Earnhardt Jr. broke a 76-race winless streak by winning the
LifeLock 400. Kasey Kahne followed in second. Kenseth was third,
Vickers was fourth and Tony Stewart finished fifth.
The fifth consecutive top-10 finish by Kenseth boosted him from
15th to 14th in overall point standings, just 14 points out of 12th
place.
NEXT UP:
Toyota/Save Mart 350 •
Infineon Raceway • Sunday, June 22
Michigan Race Preview
June 12, 2008
Michigan International Raceway •
Brooklyn, Mich.
Lifelock 400 • Sunday,
June 15 • 12:30 pm/e TNT Sprint Cup chassis — #17
Carhartt Ford Fusion
• Primary —
RK-564 (Last outing: Atlanta, March 2008; started 38th, finished
8th)
Matt Kenseth’s
Michigan
performance summary:
| Date | S | F | Laps | Led | Reason |
| 08/21/07 |
21 |
4 |
203/203 |
31 |
Running |
| 06/17/07 |
26 |
42 |
78/200 |
0 |
Accident |
| 08/20/06 |
3 |
1 |
200/200 |
87 |
Running |
| 06/18/06 |
20 |
13 |
129/129 |
0 |
Running |
| 08/21/05 |
13 |
3 |
200/200 |
9 |
Running |
| 06/19/05 |
21 |
4 |
200/200 |
0 |
Running |
| 08/22/04 |
5 |
8 |
200/200 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/20/04 |
18 |
7 |
200/200 |
1 |
Running |
| 08/17/03 |
33 |
9 |
200/200 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/15/03 |
21 |
4 |
200/200 |
0 |
Running |
| 08/18/02 |
21 |
11 |
200/200 |
17 |
Running |
| 06/16/02 |
20 |
1 |
200/200 |
26 |
Running |
| 08/19/01 |
33 |
4 |
162/162 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/10/01 |
31 |
15 |
200/200 |
10 |
Running |
| 08/20/00 |
28 |
8 |
200/200 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/11/00 |
23 |
17 |
193/194 |
0 |
Running |
| 08/22/99 |
25 |
14 |
200/200 |
0 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth
Michigan totals:
| | Races | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Laps Led | Poles | |
Cumulative |
17 |
2 |
7 |
11 |
181 |
0 |
Matt Kenseth on racing at Michigan:
“I look forward to going to Michigan. That’s for sure one of my
favorite tracks. It’s up in the Midwest and we’ve had good cars
there in the past. Like any track, success at Michigan is about
having good cars. Michigan is not a super difficult track to
drive if you have a car handling the way it needs to handle, so
we’ve just been able to get the cars to drive like I need them
to drive to be able to run good at that track. We’ve always had
good engines, good aerodynamics and good handling cars there and
that is what you need. I’m sure this trip will be a little
different with the new cars, but I’m sure we’ll be able to
figure it all out. Michigan is just a big ol’ sweeping track and
if you can get your car to handle the right way it’s a lot of
fun.
“The past few weeks my team has really made a lot of
improvements and I feel like were getting better and better each
week. Hopefully this weekend will be no different and we can
continue making gains in the standings.”
Crew Chief Chip Bolin on
racing at Michigan:
“We’re bringing our Atlanta car to Michigan this weekend. It
probably wasn’t Matt’s favorite car so far, but he started 38th
and finished eighth in it there, so I feel confident in it.
“These past four races have been extremely important for us
in building momentum. We just need to keep working and keep
improving our cars’ performance in order to give us a shot in
the Chase. The guys at the shop have done a great job building
these cars and our pit crew is doing better and better each
week; so I’m happy with the job our guys are doing. But, we’ve
got to get our cars to perform better, and that falls on me.”
Michigan Fast Facts n
Matt Kenseth will make his 18th NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series start at Michigan International Speedway this weekend in
the LifeLock 400.
n
In 17 starts, Kenseth has achieved two wins, seven top-five, and
11 top-10 finishes.
n
Kenseth’s average starting position at MIS is 21.3; however his
average finish is 9.7. His average finish at Michigan is third
best all-time among drivers with two or more starts there.
n
Since the beginning of 2000, Matt Kenseth has collected more
top-five finishes and top-10 finishes on the two 2-mile ovals
(Fontana and Michigan) than any other Cup driver during that
span.
n
Until Kenseth’s uncharacteristic DNF in the June of 2007 race at
Michigan, he had never finished worse than 17th in 16 starts at
the two-mile oval.
n
The No. 17 will carry the black and silver paint scheme of
Carhartt this weekend in the LifeLock 400. This paint scheme
will also be run at New Hampshire in September and Charlotte in
October.
n
The No. 17 Carhartt/DEWALT Ford Fusion team will be unloading
RK-564 this weekend at MIS. This car raced Atlanta earlier this
year where Kenseth started 38th and finished eighth.
2008
Cambridge Youth Center raffle
June 10, 2008
T he Cambridge
CAP Youth Center announces the kickoff of its 7th Annual Matt
Kenseth Raffle. The Grand Prize is $1,000 cash. Other prizes include
autographed Matt Kenseth memorabilia such as a leather jacket,
diecast cars, hats, a team shirt, and more! Tickets are $5.00 each,
payable to the Cambridge CAP. Tickets can be purchased from
Cambridge, Wis., area businesses or by calling (608) 423-8045.
Matt Kenseth will draw the winning ticket on June 24th, 2008, at
Madison International Speedway in Oregon, Wis., during a specialty
race featuring NASCAR drivers Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, and Kyle
Busch.
Raffle tickets will be available until the drawing that night. All
proceeds benefit the Cambridge CAP Youth Center. The Youth Center
serves Cambridge youth grades 5–8. Youth participate in supervised
recreational activities, homework club, fun-nights, and community
volunteer opportunities.
About the Cambridge Community Activities
Program
Pocono recap
June 9, 2008
No. 17
DeWALT FORD FUSION RECAP:
KENSETH CONTINUES ROLL OF
TOP 10’s; FINISHES SEVENTH AT POCONO
|
Race Summary
Start: 13th
Mid-race: 9th
20 to go: 22nd
Finish: 7th
High: 1st
Low: 23rd
Fastest Laps: 0
Laps in top 15: 184
Laps: 200/200
Led: 2
Status: Running
Points: 151*5
Earnings: $130,866
Points Summary
Race Total: 151
Season Total: 1580
Ranked: 15th,
34 behind 12th;
504 behind 1st |
M att
Kenseth and the No. 17 DEWALT Ford Fusion team continued their roll
of top-10 finishes this weekend at Pocono Raceway, bringing home
seventh place. Prior to the race at Pocono, crew chief Chip Bolin
decided to build a new car and try something new. When the team
tested the car just two weeks ago at Pocono Raceway, they were happy
with the results from the get-go and brought RK-606 back to race.
The decision proved to be a good one as Kenseth posted decent times
during each of the weekend’s practice sessions and qualified a
respectable 13th for Sunday’s Pocono 500. Despite the ever-changing
track conditions, the uncertainty in pit strategy and the overall
difficulty passing with the new-style race car, Kenseth, with the
help of the “Killer Bees” pulled off a strong run at the 2.5-mile
Pennsylvania track.
Pole sitter Kasey Kahne led the 43-car field to the green flag
under warm, muggy conditions at Pocono Raceway. Kenseth rolled off
13th and soon reported that he was having trouble turning off of
turn one. In spite of his concerns, Kenseth managed to advance to
12th place by the first caution on lap 28. During the yellow flag
period, Kenseth made his way to pit road for four tires and fuel
along with air pressure and wedge adjustments. After a quick stop,
Kenseth rejoined the race in ninth position set to take the green
flag on lap 31.
Kenseth continued to cruise around in ninth place, unable to make
up any ground because the new-style cars make passing difficult.
Other than the passing issue, Kenseth reported being satisfied with
the overall handling of his Ford Fusion.
On lap 56, Kenseth was scored in ninth place when caution fell
again. Kenseth was back on pit road and pit strategy came into play.
Bolin called for two tires and fuel on this stop and when the green
flag was displayed again on lap 63, Kenseth was running fourth. Just
four laps later, however, rain started to fall and the race was
briefly red flagged.
The clouds and rain altered the track conditions and once racing
resumed, the handling of Kenseth’s Ford changed as well. Another pit
stop on lap 81 allowed the No. 17 crew to tweak the DEWALT Ford. By
the half way point of the race, Kenseth was again running
comfortably inside the top 10.
Throughout the ensuing laps, Kenseth held a top-10 running
position. However he reported that the DEWALT Ford was “wicked
loose.” A caution came on lap 176 allowing Kenseth to pit to correct
the handling problems. Kenseth restarted the race in 22nd place due
to others’ pit strategy, with just 19 laps remaining in competition.
But in true Kenseth fashion, he forged ahead and by lap 188, was
back inside the top 10. In the final laps, Kenseth continued to make
gains and ultimately captured the checkers in seventh place.
Before an estimated crowd of 105,000, Kasey Kahne won the Pocono
500, his ninth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. Brian Vickers,
Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jeff Burton followed to
complete the top five.
The solid finish for Kenseth and the No. 17 team boosted them
from 16th to 15th in overall point standings — closing the gap on
12th place by just 34 points.
Crew Chief Chip Bolin on the Pocono 500:
“We decided before we came up here to test that we were going to
build a new car and try something to come up here, and when we
unloaded it he (Matt Kenseth) really liked the way it drove, so we
brought back and he liked it when we unloaded it. Everybody pretty
much busted their butt there in the month of May to get it built so
we could bring it up here and test it, and I think everybody’s hard
work paid off. I don’t think we’ve ever run that strong at Pocono.
“Points become more and more important every week, and the 9
looks like he’s got his game. He’s actually moved up. And now the
guys we’re chasing are the 07 and the 20, but we’ve still got to get
around the guys that are between us and them. But, it looks like if
we all do what we’re supposed to be doing when we’re doing it, we’ll
be all right.”
NEXT UP:
LifeLock 400 •
Michigan International Speedway • Sunday, June 15
Pocono Race Preview
June 4, 2008
Pocono Raceway •
Long Pond, Pa.
Pocono 500 • Sunday,
June 8 • 12:30 pm/e TNT Sprint Cup chassis — #17
DeWALT Ford Fusion
• Primary —
RK-606 (recently tested Pocono, never raced)
Matt Kenseth’s
Pocono performance summary:
| Date | S | F | Laps | Led | Reason |
| 08/05/07 |
37 |
14 |
200/200 |
1 |
Running |
| 06/10/07 |
24 |
9 |
106/106 |
0 |
Running |
| 07/23/06 |
11 |
14 |
200/200 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/11/06 |
25 |
5 |
200/200 |
3 |
Running |
| 07/24/05 |
30 |
36 |
195/203 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/12/05 |
10 |
32 |
197/201 |
0 |
Running |
| 08/01/04 |
15 |
8 |
200/200 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/13/04 |
15 |
21 |
200/200 |
5 |
Running |
| 07/27/03 |
9 |
13 |
200/200 |
2 |
Running |
| 06/08/03 |
25 |
3 |
200/200 |
10 |
Running |
| 07/28/02 |
22 |
8 |
175/175 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/09/02 |
4 |
35 |
161/200 |
3 |
Running |
| 07/29/01 |
24 |
14 |
200/200 |
3 |
Running |
| 06/17/01 |
31 |
6 |
200/200 |
0 |
Running |
| 07/23/00 |
24 |
5 |
200/200 |
0 |
Running |
| 06/19/00 |
29 |
14 |
200/200 |
0 |
Running |
Matt Kenseth Pocono totals:
| | Races | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Laps Led | Poles | |
Cumulative |
16 |
0 |
3 |
7 |
27 |
0 |
Matt Kenseth on racing at Pocono:
“Pocono is a very challenging track for a number of reasons.
Mostly because it’s the only track we go to with three very
distinct turns. The only other tracks with more than two
distinctly different turns are road courses. You need a lot of
horsepower to get down the long straightaways and you’ll need a
good handling car to carry that momentum through the turns. At
least that part is the same as everywhere else. The principle is
the same at Pocono as anywhere, you have to get through the
center of turn better than the other guys.
“We’ve been running fairly well over the past few weeks and
we’ll be looking to build on that this weekend at Pocono.”
Crew Chief Chip Bolin on
racing at Pocono:
“We’re bringing a car that we tested here last
week. We’ve put a lot of work into this car and I think we’ve
made some big improvements. Hopefully all of that will prove
true when we unload on Friday. Pocono is a tough track to setup
for because it’s relatively flat and every corner is different.
We’ve seen it come down to fuel mileage in the past, so we’ve
got to do our part to stay on top of pit strategy. There have
been several races this season with really long green-flag runs,
with limited opportunities to catch up to the leader, so a good
stop can be worth four, or five positions on the track that
aren’t that easy to get back. So, like every weekend, we’ll have
to be on top of our game and take care of everything that we
have control over. If we can get the car to turn, I know Matt
can get the job done.”
Pocono Fast Facts n
Matt Kenseth will make his 17th NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series start at Pocono Raceway this weekend.
n
In his 16 previous starts, Kenseth has achieved three top-five
and seven top-10 finishes. He has also completed 3034 of 3085
(98.3%) laps attempted.
n
Pocono is one of 15 tracks (including North Carolina Speedway in
Rockingham) where Kenseth has scored three or more top-five
finishes in his career.
n
Kenseth has led only 27 laps in 16 races at Pocono, the lowest
total number of laps led at any track where Kenseth has nine or
more starts.
n
Kenseth will carry the colors of DEWALT this weekend on his No.
17 Ford Fusion.
n
In the past four races (Darlington, All-Star, Coca-Cola 600 and
Dover) Kenseth has accrued four top-10 and two top-five
finishes.
n
Kenseth and the No. 17 team are currently 16th in overall point
standings, just 95 points out of 12th place.
Dover recap
June 1, 2008
No. 17
DeWALT Nano FORD FUSION RECAP:
KENSETH AND No. 17 DEWALT
NANO TECHNOLOGY TEAM CAPTURE FOURTH-PLACE FINISH AT MONSTER MILE
|
Race Summary
Start: 21st
Mid-race: 4th
40 to go: 4th
Finish: 4th
High: 1st
Low: 22nd
Fastest Laps: 22
Laps in top 15: 389
Laps: 400/400
Led: 1
Status: Running
Points: 165*5
Earnings: $173,541
Points Summary
Race Total: 165
Season Total: 1429
Ranked: 16th,
621 behind first |
Dover photos
Matt
Kenseth and the No. 17 DEWALT NANO Technology Ford Fusion look to be
on an upswing after finishing fourth in Sunday’s Best Buy 400 at
Dover International Speedway — their fourth top 10 in a row and
second top-five finish in the last four races. Though Kenseth only
managed a 21st place qualifying effort during Friday afternoon’s
time trials, he was confident heading into the 400-lap event, as he
posted respectable times during the weekend’s practice sessions and
was comfortable with the setup of the No. 17. Though Kenseth managed
to turn 22 of the race’s fastest laps, long green flag runs
separated the field and Kyle Busch won the race in a dominating
fashion — five seconds ahead of second place.
Roush Fenway Racing driver, Greg Biffle led the 43-car field to
green at the Monster Mile on Sunday afternoon. Kenseth rolled off
21st and by lap 15 he had put the DEWALT NANO Technology Ford Fusion
in 13th place.
Just seventeen laps into the race however, contact in turn two
between David Gilliland and Elliott Sadler triggered an 11-car wreck
that ruined the afternoon for several Chase contenders and forced
NASCAR to red flag the race. Kenseth avoid the melee and when the
race restarted, he made his way to pit road for the first stop of
the day.
Though Kenseth reported that he was pleased with the overall
handling of his Ford Fusion, he said that “it’s getting looser and
looser the longer the run.” With that in mind, crew chief Chip Bolin
called for only air pressure adjustments to Kenseth’s Ford. After
the No. 17 made the adjustments, bolted on four fresh tires and
filled the DEWALT Ford with fuel, Kenseth rejoined the race in 14th
place.
On lap 41, Kenseth broke into the top 10 and by lap 62, when
caution waved for the second time he was running sixth. After a
routine pit stop during the caution period, Kenseth exited the pits
in fourth place.
Kenseth maintained fourth position throughout three cycles of
green flag pit stops. And after his final stop on lap 319, Kenseth
was still scored in fourth place, where he would ultimately finish
the race.
The final laps of the 400-mile event stayed green for 153 laps
and Busch gained a total of five seconds over runner-up Carl Edwards
en route to his fourth win of 2008. Greg Biffle finished third,
while Kenseth was fourth and Jeff Gordon followed to complete the
top five.
The second consecutive solid finish for Kenseth and the No. 17
team did not give them any gains in the point standings. However the
fourth-place finish did close the gap on 12th place and Kenseth is
now only 95 points out.
Roush Fenway Racing put three cars in the top five — Edwards,
Biffle and Kenseth — for the first time since July 2006 at New
Hampshire. All five Roush Fenway Racing Fords finished in the top 15
— Jamie McMurray, 10th and David Ragan 15th.
“It was a good day,” said Kenseth. “We started off and were
pretty fast on the long run and then we kind of got off to the loose
side and we tightened it up and then the track tightened up on us
and we just got too tight in the center. It was a great run for us
though. We’re definitely making progress. We’re moving the right way
here lately and have been getting some good runs put together, so it
feels good to have the DEWALT car at least up in the top five.
“With all of the green flag runs, everyone was chasing their cars
all day. This place is tough. You’ve got to have it all. You’ve got
to be able to get on and off pit road and have pit stops and have it
handling good for those long runs because you typically don’t get a
whole bunch of cautions here to work on it, so we were just a little
bit off, but we were closer than we have been.”
NEXT UP:
Sprint Cup: Pocono 500 •
Pocono Raceway • Sunday, June 8 • DeWALT car
|
