Matt Kenseth posts 12th-Place finish at Richmond
RICHMOND, VA (May 14, 2005) — Having fought a loose racecar last weekend at Darlington, Matt Kenseth had the opposite problem this weekend at Richmond, driving his tight racecar to a 12th-place finish under the lights in the Chevy American Revolution 400 Saturday night.
The No. 17 DEWALT crew kept busy during the two-hour practice session on Friday, making adjustments to the car. Kenseth ended up qualifying in the 26th position early Friday evening. Rolling off 26th, Kenseth remained towards the back of the pack in the early going of the event, dealing with his tight racecar. When the first of nine caution flags flew on lap 63, Kenseth brought the No. 17 down pit road for some adjustments and service.
Having received an air pressure adjustment and four fresh tires, Kenseth restarted the race in the 20th position on lap 68. When the No. 17 came down pit road again during the third caution period on lap 126, Kenseth had worked his way up to 16th-place. The DEWALT crew pulled a rubber out of the left rear and made a track bar adjustment on the No. 17, getting the racecar back on the track in the 16th position for the restart on lap 133.
Kenseth was unable to move up through the field, radioing to his crew that his No. 17 “took forever to get going,” and was still a little tight. During the fourth caution period on lap 164, Kenseth brought the No. 17 in for attention from the crew, who made air pressure and wedge adjustments. Restarting in the 15th position on lap 170, Kenseth continued to deal with a tight racecar that was not responding to the crew’s adjustments.
When the fifth caution flag flew on lap 233 with Kenseth running in the 17th position, Kenseth elected to pit late in order to lead a lap and gain five valuable points in the Nextel Cup standings. When Kenseth finally came down pit road, the DEWALT crew pulled a rubber out of the left rear and put a rubber into the right rear in an effort to free up the car. The No. 17 restarted the race in the 24th position on lap 242.
During the next hundred laps, Kenseth worked his way into 14th place, coming in for adjustments during the caution period on lap 331. The No. 17 received four new tires and a track bar adjustment in just 12.9 seconds and restarted the race in the 11th position with 61 laps to go. Kenseth was able to remain near the top ten as the remaining laps clicked off, and ended up finishing in the 12th spot.
“Well, this week we had the exact opposite problem that we had last week. The car was tight all night and I just couldn’t get it to cut like I wanted it to. The guys kept working on it, trying to get it freed up, but it just never would turn like I needed it to,” said Kenseth after the race, “We’ll keep working on it. We were able to get a top-fifteen finish out of it, but I know we’re capable of better.”
With his 12th-place finish at Richmond, Kenseth gains three spots in the Nextel Cup standings, moving up to the 21st position.
The No. 17 DEWALT Ford will compete in the Nextel All-Star Challenge next Saturday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.