Matt Kenseth – NSCS Advance
Team: No. 17 DEWALT Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Chip Bolin
Chassis: RK-582, a brand new car

QUOTES
Kenseth on racing at Talladega Superspeedway:
“We haven’t been all that consistent this year. We wrecked at Daytona, did okay at Fontana, had some issues at Vegas, just seems like we haven’t really been hitting our potential yet this year. We’re a good team with great resources and the capabilities of running well each week; we’ve just not been living up to our potential so far. So, for Talladega I’m hoping that our situation will turn around and we’ll start getting the consistent top-five, top-10 finishes we’re capable of.

“Talladega is just one of those unknown tracks. You could lead 190 laps, then get wrecked or lose the draft and end up finishing 43rd. Last time we raced there it was a single-file line for most of the race and not a lot of fun. It’s hard to say what the race will be like this time. Everyone’s made a lot of progress with the new cars, so hopefully the racing will be better this time around. My hopes for the DEWALT team are make sure we’re there at the end to get a good finish.”

Crew Chief Chip Bolin on racing at Talladega Superspeedway:
“In the fall race at Talladega last year a lot of cars laid back for most of the race in hopes of avoiding “the big one.” Yes that strategy may be the smart thing to do, but that is not an option for team 17. Matt is a fierce competitor and that plan does not suit him, or his racing style. So our plan of attack this time is to simply stay out of trouble. If you have a fast car, you can make your own luck at Daytona, because the faster cars will work their way to the front and be able to stay out of trouble. Talladega is pretty much a case of 43 cars riding around hoping no one will wreck you because the handling of the car is a nonissue. For me, the racing at Talladega isn’t my most favorite. I just hope we can make it to the end without trouble and get a solid top-10 finish.”