Getting to Know Matt Kenseth

You’re most recent memory of Matt Kenseth may be of him getting booted out of the way in the final corner of the Daytona 500, but the driver of the No. 20 Dollar General Toyota has certainly created many more over the course of his 17-year NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career.

Matthew Roy Kenseth, born and raised in Cambridge, Wisconsin, got started in racing a little later than most drivers in the top circuit do. He did not get his first experience behind the wheel until the age of 16. He and his father Roy purchased a 1981 Camaro Sportsman when Matt was 13, and Matt agreed to work on the car while his father drove it until he was old enough to drive. When Matt turned 16 he was cleared to get behind the wheel at Madison International Speedway. In just his third event, Kenseth would take the victory for his first racing win.

Kenseth continued to race around the Wisconsin short tracks and eventually bought a late-model car from NASCAR journeyman Rich Bickle at the age of 19. He would win his first event in that car at Slinger Speedway and won the track Rookie of the Year award. He joined the ARTGO Midwestern late-model series and would become the youngest winner in that series.

After graduating high school, Matt Kenseth spent four years working for a late-model performance parts company while continuing to fund what had become a struggling short-track program. In 1994 and 1995, Kenseth would win back-to-back track championships at Wisconsin International Speedway and at Madison. He became a Wisconsin star beating the likes of Dick Trickle and Robbie Reiser.

In 1996, Kenseth moved to the South and took a Hooter’s Pro Cup Series ride from Carl Wegner and finished third in points in his rookie campaign, and made his debut in the Busch Series, finishing 22nd at Charlotte. The Wegner ride would soon fall through because of a lack of sponsorship. He would soon get a call that would forever change his racing career.

Former Wisconsin competitor Robbie Reiser called Kenseth to drive for his Busch Series ride middle way through the 1997 season. He would debut in the No. 17 at Nashville and finish 11th. The season ended with seven top 10s and a second place in the Rookie of the Year in 21 starts. The 1998 season would become Kenseth’s big break in NASCAR. A full-time Busch Series campaign brought three victories, his first coming at Rockingham where he bumped Tony Stewart out of the way on the final turn for the victory.

Matt Kenseth also made his debut in the Cup Series in 1998, filling in for Bill Elliot in the No. 94 car while Bill was attending a funeral. Kenseth finished a surprising 6th place, garnering the attention of the Cup garage. Matt drove another full season in the Busch Series in 1999, earning four victories and a third place points finish, while racing in 5 Cup Series events in the No. 17 Roush Racing Ford.

This performance would earn him a full-time Cup Series ride in 2000 with Roush with sponsorship from Dewalt. In his first season, Kenseth would earn a surprising first win in the Coca-Cola 600 and end the season by wrapping of the Rookie of the Year award, besting Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the award. The crew chief for the No. 17 team was the man whom Kenseth had become very acquainted with, owner and fellow competitor Robbie Reiser.

The 2001 was a struggle for the No. 17 bunch, failing to return to Victory Lance, but Kenseth would end the season strong to catapult into the 2002 season. That season brought Kenseth to stardom, earning a series-best five victories and a top 10 points finish.

The cards would then fall in all the right places for Kenseth and the No. 17 team in 2003. After earning an early win at Las Vegas, Kenseth would lead the points standings for the rest of the season with unprecedented consistency. He would wrap up the championship in the penultimate race at Rockingham, finishing the season with 11 top 5s and 23 top 10s. The consistency that brought the team the championship brought some controversy. Competitors and fans were highly critical of the ability to win the championship with just one win and wrapping up the championship before the final event. This was a predominant reason for the implementation of the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2004.

Kenseth would earn Chase berths in every season through the 2008 campaign, including a second place points finish in 2006, a season where he came into several incidents with Jeff Gordon, including Gordon shoving Kenseth after the Food City 500 at Bristol. Kenseth’s signature victory would come in 2009, when he would win the Daytona 500 in the most recent rain-shortened 500. He and new crew chief Drew Blickensderfer would win he next race at Fontana, but would come back down to Earth and fail to earn a Chase berth for the first and only time in Kenseth’s career.

2009 was also Kenseth’s final season with Dewalt on the hood of his No. 17 Ford, with Crown Royal moving over from the No. 26 team for the 2010 season. He would fail to reach Victory Lane in that season, but finished 5th in the final standings. Kenseth would earn six more victories for Roush Fenway Racing, including a second Daytona 500 victory in the jet-dryer and rain marred 2012 Daytona 500. It was announced later in he 2012 season that Kenseth would move to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013, replacing Joey Logano in the No. 20 Home Depot/Dollar General Toyota.

The first season in the No. 20 brought Kenseth great success. He would earn a career high seven victories in the No. 20 Toyota and battle Jimmie Johnson through the Chase that season, coming up just short in the final race at Homstead, finishing second yet again.

Kenseth has four children, a son, Ross, from an early relationship, and three daughters, Kaylin, Grace, and Clara, with his wife Katie Kenseth. Ross has himself risen up the racing ranks and made starts in the Xfinity Series and Truck Series in 2015. Matt and Katie co-authored a children’s book on bullying in 2014.

2014 was a consistent campaign for Kenseth, but for the forth time in his career, he would fail to reach Victory Lane during the entire season. The season was a down season for JGR as the team earned just two victories. JGR would undergo a 360 change in 2015, with each of its drivers (including new addition and Kenseth’s former RFR teammate Carl Edwards) would earn at least two victories, including five for Kenseth. JGR earned a Cup Series-best 15 wins in the season.

Kenseth’s 2015 campaign will forever be remembered for his feud with Joey Logano. It came to fruition with Logano spinning Kenseth with five laps to go during the Chase race at Kansas and going on to take the win. The two exchanged interview and Twitter bickering. Another on-track incident occurred at Talladega, where the two made contact entering pit road. The feud came to a boiling point at Martinsville, when Kenseth re-entered the track after an incident and deliberately wrecked Logano (the leader) in the closing laps. This brought great cheer from the crowd and great controversy. It essentially ended Logano’s Chase hopes and Kenseth was suspended for the next two events. Kenseth has been no stranger to feuds, having previously having incidents with Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Kevin Harvick. Here’s a look at what unfolded at Martinsville:

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In total, Kenseth has earned 65 victories across the top two NASCAR touring series’, an IROC Championship, two Daytona 500 victories, an All-Star race win, and one Sprint Cup Championship. At the age of 44, he still appears to be in peak form and will continue to be a fierce competitor for years to come.