Pop Secret 400 * North Carolina Speedway * Sunday, November 9, 2003
Matt Kenseth
Team: No. 17 Roush Racing Ford Taurus
Sponsors: DEWALT
Owner: Jack Roush/Mark Martin
Driver: Matt Kenseth
Crew Chief: Robbie Reiser
Chassis Number: MMR-31 * ran at Rockingham in the spring
Kenseth on racing at Rockingham:
"We've run pretty good here the last few times and I really like
the track. I think it's still going to take a really competitive
effort by this DEWALT team to lock things up, but it makes it easier to
imagine after our strong run last week. I feel pretty good about
everything heading into this weekend."
Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Rockingham:
"We've got a good car and some great notes to fall back on this
week. But, I couldn't be prouder of my guys to have put themselves in
the position they have coming into this race. I think it's going to
be a weekend to remember for us."
ROUSH RACING FAST FACTS:
Mark Martin's five poles ties for the most at Rockingham.
Martin raced to his first career victory at Rockingham in the
AC-Delco 500 on Oct. 22, 1989.
Martin has 24 top-10 starts,19 top-10 finishes and 12 top-five
finishes in 34 races at Rockingham.
Martin has finished eighth of better, including one victory, in
seven of the last 11 races at Rockingham.
Martin holds virtually every record in the Rockingham Busch
race, including 11 wins and six poles. Last spring he was named the
Grand Marshal of the Busch race there.
Matt Kenseth now has 24 top-10 finishes in 34 starts, a
league-leading statistic. Kenseth's 2003 Winston Cup point lead is
now 228 points over second place Dale Earnhardt, Jr. with just two
events remaining.
The DEWALT pit crew brings their back-to-back Pit Crew
Championship Titles into this weekend's Unocal 76/World Pit Crew
Competition. They won in 2001 and 2002.
If Kenseth finishes 30th or better in the remaining two events,
he will win the 2003 Winston Cup Championship. If he finishes 18th or
better at Rockingham, he will clinch right here at North Carolina
Speedway on Sunday.
Kurt Busch sits ninth in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
point standings after 34 events, 516 points out of the fifth place and
845 points out of first.
If Busch's recent trend at Rockingham continues, a trip to
victory lane would be in order. He finished third at North Carolina
Speedway one year ago, and second in the fall event earlier this year.
Busch's crew chief Jimmy Fennig is tied for winningest active
crew chief in the Winston Cup Series with 24 wins.
Jeff Burton has won once at this track in the fall in 1999.
Burton has scored six top-10 finishes, including one victory and
five top-fives, in his last nine races at Rockingham.
Burton has completed 98.9% of his laps run at Rockingham.
Burton has led the second most laps at a total of 437, surpassed
only by Dale Jarrett who has led 495.
Burton holds the track race record; on 10-24-99 he ran the race
in just 3hr, 02 min, 55 sec at an average speed of 131.103 mph.
