Matt Kenseth
1.5-Mile Lowe's Motor Speedway
Concord, N.C.
Race Schedule
Sunday, May 27
NNCS: Coca-Cola 600 - 5:00 PM Eastern - Fox
FAST FACTS
Matt Kenseth has scored four career victories at Lowe’s Motor Speedway; 2000 Coca-Cola 600, 2004 All-Star Race, and two Busch Series wins.
Kenseth’s win in the 2000 Coca-Cola 600 was the first of his Cup Series career and the first and only time a rookie has won the event.
Chassis number RK-323, that Kenseth will pilot in Sunday’s event, ran last weekend in the All-Star race (leading 36 laps and finishing seventh) was the workhorse for the No. 17 team in 2006, racing in 10 events and scoring two wins, five top fives, and seven top 10s.
Kenseth’s average finish in the NEXTEL Cup Series this season is 8.5, second only to Jeff Gordon.
Kenseth has completed every lap so far in 2007, one of only two drivers to do so (Jeff Gordon).
Kenseth and the No. 17 team will be flying the R+L Carriers colors this weekend for the first of four races in 2007; Daytona, Fontana, and Martinsville being the other three.
Kenseth has five top-five finishes in seven starts in the Coca-Cola 600 including the win in 2000.
Kenseth made his first career NASCAR Busch Series start at LMS in May of 1996, driving a Chevrolet for Wegner Racing; he finished 31st.
Matt Kenseth – NNCS Advance
Team: No. 17 R+L Carriers/DEWALT Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Robbie Reiser
Chassis: RK-323 Ran at the All-Star race last weekend; led 36 laps, finished seventh
Also in ’06: ran 10 times with two wins, five top fives, and seven top 10s
RK-340 Tested Las Vegas, Jan. ‘07
Last ran: Pocono, Jun. ’06, finished fifth
Kenseth on racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
“You know, I’ve always enjoyed the track at Charlotte. It’s a little quirky, but it used to be one of those tracks where tire wear was a factor, it was all about handling and if you could get your car to handle a little better, then you could really pass some guys and race your way up through the field. But, the tire we race there right now is so hard, it’s the same tire we had last spring and we couldn’t really race then and I don't think it's going to be better now. You just get incredibly tight whenever you get behind someone.
“Charlotte will always be a special place for me. It’s where I got my first Cup win, we won the All-Star race there in ’04 and we’ve picked up a couple of Busch wins too. We were pretty close to picking up a win last Saturday, but I got a little too aggressive on pit road. I’m not saying we could’ve won, but we were one of the better cars when in clean air.
“The promising thing for us was that the car was pretty competitive, at least the most competitive it’s been in a while on Saturday and we’re taking it back there this weekend. If we can get it to turn a little bit better we might have something for them on Sunday.”
Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
“The All-Star race weekend was a pretty good motivator for these guys. They kicked off things on Friday evening by helping Matt win the pole with an excellent pit stop. To me, that’s the real pit-stop competition; when you’ve got to click off a good four-tire stop on a live car, with your driver, with everyone watching and your time depending on it, that’s the real deal and our guys did real good.
“The race itself was promising for a lot of reasons. The team was good, but more promising was how well the car ran. It wasn’t nearly as good in traffic, but out in front it looked like it could run with anybody. We were so pleased with that car that we decided to turn it around for this weekend.
“The 600 is a tough race. It’s long and takes a great amount of concentration from the driver and the crew. We’ve had some pretty good success in this race and hopefully that will continue this weekend. We feel like the car will be decent and we feel confident that we have one of the best drivers and pit crew, so if we take care of business on Sunday, we should be around with a shot at the end.”
