Phoenix International Raceway, November 5th-7th, 2004
NASCAR Busch Series: Bashas’ 200, 1:30PM, November 6
Matt Kenseth
Team: No. 17 Waste Management Ford Taurus
Owner: Jack Roush
Crew Chief: Cully Barraclough
Chassis: JR-44 (new chassis)
Kenseth on racing at Phoenix International Raceway:
“I’m really excited about getting to run this new car for our new sponsors, Waste Management. I’ve been doing hospitality for them all year and everyone involved with their program has a lot of enthusiasm for this debut. I want to get them a victory in their first race and I think Phoenix is a track where this can happen for us. We have to run a smart race, keep up with the changes and do our best as a team. I guess you could say that Roush Racing and Waste Management have the exact same goals.”
Crew Chief Cully Barraclough on racing at Phoenix International Raceway:
“This is a winning race team and I think we’re capable of getting the job done any time we get on the track. Like Matt, I’m pretty excited about this new deal. I know those folks at Waste Management are really pumped up about watching how well we do on Saturday. I can say right now that we’ll be bringing our ‘A Game’.”
Fast Facts:
Jack Roush has more NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victories (four) at Phoenix International Raceway than any other car owner.
Matt Kenseth finished 41st at Atlanta Motor Speedway one week ago. He has 16 top-10 finishes in 33 starts in 2004. Kenseth has now been inside the NASCAR Top-10 for 68 straight weeks—the longest active streak.
Kenseth has four starts at Phoenix with one win (2002), two top-fives and three top-tens.
Last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kenseth won the Busch Series race (his third this year), then went out and won the final IROC Race (his second of the four events), handing him the 2004 Crown Royal IROC Championship and a $1 million payday.
This week marks the debut of the No. 17 Waste Management Ford in the Busch Series for driver Matt Kenseth. He will race this car in 14 events in 2005.
Kenseth will make his first start in the No. 17 Waste Management Ford Taurus on Saturday, November 6th. Last year’s Winston Cup Champion will be competing in 14 select events for the Waste Management Ford in 2005.
Kenseth is no stranger to success in the Busch Grand National Series. Since 1996, Kenseth has made 159 total starts, with 17 victories and 8 career pole positions. He finished runner-up for the championship in 1998 and third in the championship chase in 1999, his last full year on the Busch Grand National circuit. In the 2004 season, Matt Kenseth has 13 starts, three wins, seven top-five and eight top-ten finishes.
The Waste Management sponsored car will mark Matt Kenseth’s 160th start in the Busch Series.
