Kenseth to Make 100th Busch Start at Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. -- Matt Kenseth is solidifying his name within the NASCAR Winston Cup Series ranks in 2000, but fans can still get their fill of Kenseth in the Busch Series as he pilots the Visine Chevrolet. Consistently finishing at the top of the class and recording nine wins in three years, Kenseth marks a career milestone on Friday night when he takes the green flag for the 100th time in a Busch Series event.

“It’s hard to believe I’ve hit 100 starts in the Busch Series already,” Kenseth said. “It really does feel like just yesterday I was getting ready for my first race.”

The first time Kenseth entered a Busch Series event was May 1996 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (now Lowe’s Motor Speedway) for Wegner Racing. Kenseth started in 37th place and finished 31st.

In April 1997, Kenseth received a phone call from fellow Wisconsin-born competitor Robbie Reiser to pilot his No. 17 Chevrolet.

“I was fortunate to get the opportunity from Robb (Reiser) to drive after Tim Bender got hurt,” Kenseth said. “He took a chance on putting me in the car but the team did a great job in putting cars together and all of us got along, which reflected in our performance on the track.”

The No. 17 ledgers tell the story of their strong track performance with nine wins, 40 top-five and 61 top-10 finishes in 99 starts. According to NASCAR, Kenseth ranks third in points accumulated (13,321) in his first 99 starts compared to other drivers in their first 99 starts. He also ranks third in wins (9), top-five finishes (41) and top-10 finishes (61). Kenseth is rated second in laps led (1,511) and fourth in average finish (12.0).

“My most memorable moment would have to be winning our first race in Rockingham in 1997,” Kenseth said. “We didn’t even have full-time sponsor until after that race. We’ve come a long way in a short amount of time and this team continues to be one to watch.”

Kenseth finished second during the May event at Richmond International Raceway but hopes this weekend will be different.

“We ran really well here in the spring but just couldn’t get around Mark (Martin). It’ll be a tough field of cars again but if we can get around that 60 car this Friday we could have a shot.”