Matt Kenseth Is Quietly Having A Solid Summer
By Cole Mentzel
Summer is nearing an end and everyone in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is getting ready for the Chase and trying to lock up their positions in the standings. The summer is arguably one of the most important stretches of the NASCAR year because of how different all the tracks are and how important every race can be.
This summer has filled up the NASCAR world with excitement at all of the unique tracks such as Pocono, Sonoma, Indy and Daytona. Though the Chase grid hasn’t changed much over the summer, there is one Chase driver who has been racing well and doing it with consistency.
That driver is Matt Kenseth.
After 7 wins in 2013, none in 2014 was a disappointment. He’s won twice so far this season (Bristol and Pocono) and those wins are really impacting his racing. The summer period for NASCAR usually starts somewhere in June and that’s exactly when we saw Matt Kenneth heat up.
More from Kyle Busch
- NASCAR: Darrell Wallace Jr. calls Kyle Busch’s comments stupid
- NASCAR responds to Kyle Busch’s marketing campaign remarks
- NASCAR: Does Kyle Busch have a point, or is he just complaining?
- NASCAR: Ryan Blaney rips Kyle Busch for his recent remarks
- NASCAR: Kyle Busch not thrilled with young driver marketing campaigns
June 7th, Pocono: After a 39th place finish at Dover just a week before, Kenseth knew he had to get back on track and he did just that at the first Pocono race of the season. Finishing 6th moved him up two positions in the standings and gave him some momentum heading into a long day at Michigan due to rain.
June 14th, Michigan: From the beginning of this race, things just never went right. Rain caused 4 red flags and kept everyone, including race fans, waiting the whole day. Despite the race not even being completed, NASCAR was able to call it since they had passed the halfway point. Kenseth happened to be in 4th at the time so he came away with another top 10 finish that helped him move up another spot in the standings.
June 28th, Sonoma: Sonoma is a track that you either love or hate as a NASCAR driver. Drivers always come into road courses knowing they could be in for a tough day. Even though he started 3rd, Kenseth ended up finishing 21st.
July 5th, Daytona: Daytona saw Kenseth’s mini slump continue. The race was delayed until 11:30 eastern time and ended at roughly 3:00 in the morning, providing for some interesting tactics. Rain was the factor again and the race ended in a devastating wreck. Kenseth was involved in a wreck of his own during the race and went on to finish 23rd.
July 11th, Kentucky: Kenseth’s short-lived summer slump ended in Kentucky as he notched a solid 5th place finish in a race where he started 16th. This is generally a tricky track since there have only been 5 Sprint Cup races in Kentucky. From here on out, Kenseth rode this momentum to earn him three more top 10 finishes.
July 19th, New Hampshire: A solid 6th place finish at the Magic Mile boosted Kenseth up to 7th in the standings, where he’s stayed since then. This race was one of the first races of the season where the heat started to really kick in. Temperatures in the area were in the 90’s causing cars to become extremely hot. A few drivers ended up needing medical assistance after the race was over.
More from Beyond the Flag
- NASCAR Cup Series: New team set to compete in 2024
- NASCAR: Will Kevin Harvick’s major record ever be broken?
- NASCAR: Surprising name continuously linked to new seat
- Formula 1: Top Red Bull threat identified for 2024
- NASCAR driver at risk of missing the Daytona 500?
July 26th, Indy: New Hampshire proved to just be the beginning of the hot races as Indy was slightly hotter, but that wasn’t stopping Matt Kenseth. Under a new lower downforce aerodynamic package, including a 9-inch spoiler, Kenseth finished in 7th, continuing his streak of top 10 finishes.
August 2nd, Pocono: This was arguably the most bizarre race of the season for most drivers in the top 20. Matt Kenseth was a good distance away from the lead with just a few laps to go as a hot Kyle Busch was streaking towards another win. In the last lap and near the last turn, Busch ran out of gas. Kenseth eventually caught him and ended up with his 2nd win of the season. After the race, he stated that he “never thought” he would win at Pocono.
Whether it’s just from experience or solid cars, Matt Kenseth is having a very solid summer. He got hot at the right time and has been building on his momentum, even though he had a few down weeks.
Kenseth has already punched his ticket to the Chase so he is able to take some risks and try some new things to try to get himself and his car ready for it. Whatever he’s been doing, it’s working and it will be interesting to see if he can keep it up. Watch out, because Matt Kenseth is doing all of this and more with the spotlight focused on other drivers. He could surprise you in the Chase this year.