Matt Kenseth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Matt Kenseth |
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Kenseth at Sonoma Raceway in 2024
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| Born | Matthew Roy Kenseth March 10, 1972 Cambridge, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 152 lb (69 kg) | ||||||
| Achievements | 2003 Winston Cup Series Champion 2004 IROC Champion 2009, 2012 Daytona 500 Winner 2000 Coca-Cola 600 Winner 2013 Bojangles' Southern 500 winner 2004 Sprint All Star Race Winner 2012, 2014 Budweiser Duel Winner 2015 Sprint Unlimited Winner 1994, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2019 Slinger Nationals Winner (Most All-Time) |
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| Awards | 2000 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year NASCAR Hall of Fame (2023) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) |
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 697 races run over 22 years | |||||||
| 2020 position | 28th | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (2003) | ||||||
| First race | 1998 MBNA Gold 400 (Dover) | ||||||
| Last race | 2020 Season Finale 500 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| First win | 2000 Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last win | 2017 Can-Am 500 (Phoenix) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 288 races run over 19 years | |||||||
| 2015 position | 89th | ||||||
| Best finish | 2nd (1998) | ||||||
| First race | 1996 Red Dog 300 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last race | 2015 Kansas Lottery 300 (Kansas) | ||||||
| First win | 1998 GM Goodwrench Service Plus 200 (Rockingham) | ||||||
| Last win | 2014 Ford EcoBoost 300 (Homestead) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Pinty's Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| Best finish | 67th (2002) | ||||||
| First race | 2002 Canada Day Shootout (Cayuga) | ||||||
| First win | 2002 Canada Day Shootout (Cayuga) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of November 8, 2020. | |||||||
Matthew Roy Kenseth (born March 10, 1972) is a former professional stock car racing driver from America. He currently works as a competition advisor for Legacy Motor Club in the NASCAR Cup Series. Kenseth also raced part-time in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX). He holds the record for the most wins at the Slinger Nationals race at Slinger Speedway.
Kenseth started his racing journey on smaller tracks in Wisconsin. He won championships at Madison International Speedway, Slinger Super Speedway, and Wisconsin International Raceway. Later, he moved up to bigger touring series like ARTGO and American Speed Association. Eventually, he joined the NASCAR Busch Series (now called Xfinity Series) full-time. He finished second and third in the series standings during his time there.
Kenseth then moved to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2000. In 2003, he won the final Winston Cup championship. As the champion, he also won the International Race of Champions (IROC) series in 2004. Kenseth won the Daytona 500 twice, in 2009 and 2012. He is the last driver to race in a NASCAR Cup Series event across four different decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s). His son, Ross Kenseth, also became a racer.
Early Life and Racing Start
Matt Kenseth was born in Cambridge, Wisconsin. When he was young, he made a deal with his father, Roy. His dad would buy a race car, and Matt would work on it until he was old enough to drive. Kenseth started stock car racing in 1988 when he was 16. He raced at Madison International Speedway.
He said his first car was a 1981 Camaro. "On the third night out I won a feature," Kenseth remembered. His father, Roy, saw his talent early. "Matt was smooth. I knew then he was going to be a racer," Roy said. In 1989, Matt finished second in points and won eight races at Wisconsin Dells.
In 1990, Kenseth bought a late model car from Rich Bickle. He won his only race that season at Slinger Super Speedway. He also won the track's rookie of the year award. After high school, Kenseth worked for a race car chassis company. In 1991, he became the youngest winner in the ARTGO series at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway.
The year 1992 was tough for Kenseth. He won three races but had many engine problems. He almost quit racing. But with a loaned engine, his team improved. In 1993, he built a new car and won eight races at Madison. He also started racing for Mike Butz's team. They began winning features and finished third in points at Wisconsin International Raceway.
Becoming a Short Track Star
The years 1994 and 1995 were big for Kenseth. He became known as a top short track driver in Wisconsin. He beat famous drivers like Dick Trickle and Robbie Reiser. In 1994, he raced 60 times in three different cars. He won championships at Wisconsin International Raceway and Madison. He also won the Slinger Nationals race at Slinger Super Speedway.
In 1995, he won championships again at WIR. He also finished second at Madison. Mike Butz's wife, Patty, said, "We knew by 1995 that Matt had too much talent to be with us for very long."
In 1996, Kenseth moved to the Southern United States to race in the Hooters Series. He planned to race in the Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Series before going full-time in the Busch Series in 1997. He finished third in the Hooters Series as a rookie. Kenseth made his Busch Series debut at Lowe's Motor Speedway, finishing 22nd. He was disappointed because they couldn't find a main sponsor. At the end of the season, his team closed. Kenseth then joined Gerry Gunderman's American Speed Association team.
NASCAR Career Highlights
Starting in Busch Series (1997-1999)
In 1997, a driver named Tim Bender got hurt. This led crew chief Robbie Reiser to hire Kenseth. Reiser knew Kenseth was a good driver and understood race cars. In their first race, Kenseth qualified third and finished 11th. He got two top-5 finishes that season.
Kenseth tried to race in a Winston Cup Series event in 1998. He drove for Roush Racing at Talladega but did not qualify. Later in 1998, he filled in for Bill Elliott at Dover. Kenseth finished sixth, which was a very impressive debut. He also won his first Busch Series race on February 22, 1998. He finished second in points that season. In 1999, Kenseth and his team joined Roush Racing for some Cup Series races.
Rookie Year and Championship (2000-2003)
In 2000, Roush Racing started a full-time Cup Series team for Kenseth. He won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year title, beating Dale Earnhardt Jr.. Kenseth made history by winning the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte as a rookie. He finished 14th in the standings. In 2001, he finished 13th. His pit crew won the Unocal 76 World Pit Crew Competition. In 2002, Kenseth won five races, more than any other driver that year. He finished 8th in the standings.
In 2003, Kenseth won the NASCAR Winston Cup title. He won one race at Las Vegas and then led the points for 33 weeks. This broke a record set by Dale Earnhardt. Kenseth secured the championship at Rockingham. He had 25 top-10 finishes that year. He was the fifth different champion in five years.
Continuing Success (2004-2010)
In 2004, Kenseth won the International Race of Champions (IROC) championship. He also won two NASCAR Nextel Cup races and the NASCAR All-Star Race. He finished eighth in the final standings. In 2005, Kenseth won at Bristol and finished 7th in points. He led a career-high 1,001 laps that season.
In 2006, Kenseth won two races early in the season at California Speedway and Dover. He also won at Bristol Motor Speedway. He finished second in the Driver's Championship. He won two Busch Series races at Phoenix and Homestead. In 2007, Kenseth won the Auto Club 500 and the Ford 400. He finished fourth in the series standings. He also won two Busch Series races.
In 2008, Kenseth did not win any races. He finished 11th in points. He did win a Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In 2009, Kenseth won the Daytona 500 in a rain-shortened race. He also won the next race at Auto Club Speedway. He set a new track record for the pole at Darlington. Kenseth was involved in a scary crash in the Nationwide Series where his car flipped multiple times, but he was unharmed. In 2010, Kenseth did not win a race but finished fifth in the standings. He won a Nationwide Series race at Darlington.
Moving to Joe Gibbs Racing (2011-2017)
In 2011, Kenseth ended a long winless streak by winning at Texas Motor Speedway. He also won at Dover International Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. He won a Nationwide Series race at Charlotte.
Kenseth started 2012 by winning his second Daytona 500. It was announced that he would leave Roush Fenway Racing at the end of the season. He later joined Joe Gibbs Racing for 2013. Kenseth won two more races in 2012, at Talladega and Kansas Speedway.
In 2013, Kenseth won his first race for Joe Gibbs Racing at Las Vegas. He won on his birthday, which is a rare achievement. He won at Kansas, but his win was briefly taken away due to a car issue. After an appeal, the win was given back. Kenseth won at Darlington and Kentucky. He also won at Bristol. He won the first two playoff races at Chicagoland and Loudon. He finished second in the championship with seven wins, a career best. He also won two Nationwide Series races.
In 2014, Kenseth won a qualifying race for the Daytona 500. He did not win any main races but still made it far in the playoffs. He had some on-track disagreements with other drivers, including Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart. Kenseth finished seventh in the standings. He won his final Nationwide Series race at Homestead.
In 2015, Kenseth won the 2015 Sprint Unlimited race. He ended a 51-race winless streak by winning at Bristol. He also won at Pocono and Michigan. He won the final regular-season race at Richmond. Kenseth won his fifth race of the year at New Hampshire. He was eliminated from the playoffs after a crash at Talladega.
In 2016, Kenseth led many laps in the Daytona 500 but finished 14th. He was involved in a barrel-roll crash at Talladega but was okay. Kenseth won at Dover, ending a 17-race winless streak. He also won at New Hampshire again. He finished fifth in the points standings.
In 2017, Kenseth raced without a main sponsor for some races. He still made the playoffs. Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Erik Jones would replace him in 2018. Kenseth said he would take time off. In his second to last race with JGR, Kenseth won at Phoenix. This ended another 51-race winless streak. He finished seventh in the points standings.
Return to Racing (2018-2020)
In April 2018, Roush Fenway Racing announced Kenseth would return part-time. He shared the No. 6 Ford with Trevor Bayne. He raced seven times. Kenseth finished 36th in his first race back at Kansas after a crash. He earned a top-10 finish at Phoenix and finished sixth in his final race for Roush at Homestead.
In July 2019, Kenseth returned to racing in a Super late model at the Slinger Nationals. He won the race, extending his record to eight wins.
In 2020, Kenseth replaced Kyle Larson in the No. 42 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing. He finished 10th in his first race back at Darlington. He had a season-best second-place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Ross Chastain was announced as his replacement for 2021. Kenseth finished 25th in his final race at Phoenix. He later said he was almost certain he would not race full-time in NASCAR again.
Hall of Fame and Advisor Role (2023)
In 2022, it was announced that Kenseth would be part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2023. In 2023, he was also inducted into the Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Racing Hall of Fame. On October 10, 2023, Kenseth joined Legacy Motor Club as a competition advisor.
Personal Life
Matt Kenseth is the son of Roy and Nicola Sue Kenseth. In 2000, he married Katie Martin. They have four daughters. Matt also has a son, Ross Kenseth, who followed him into racing. Matt Kenseth is also a grandfather.
In 2022, Kenseth ran the 2022 Boston Marathon. He finished 3,576th overall. Kenseth had a fan museum in Cambridge, Wisconsin, which closed in 2017.
Kenseth is a fan of the band Metallica. He even named his cat after their drummer, Lars Ulrich. He also supports the Green Bay Packers football team.
Images for kids
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2007 Busch Series car
