Matt Kenseth Racing Schedule Info
Wednesday, June 29:
Autograph session at Home Depot, Orlando, Fla.
Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart will sign autographs at Home Depot #266, 6130 East Colonial Orlando, FL, from 6–8 pm. Wristbands required, handed out starting three hours before start of event.
Click for more info.
Saturday, July 23, 2005: Jennerstown Speedway in Pennsylvania
Kenseth completes Jennerstown NASCAR field
(Apr. 18, 2005) — Former NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth will complete the field for the special July 23 ‘Race of Champions’ contest set for Jennerstown Speedway.
Kenseth, who won the NASCAR title in 2003, joins Ken Schrader, Sterling Marlin, and Kasey Kahne for the event at the half-mile paved Somerset County oval. The NASCAR quartet will race super late model cars in exhibition, following a 75-minute autograph session with the fans.
Kenseth is a great addition to our ‘Race of Champions’ field,” said Jennerstown General Manager Larry Mattingly. “Even though he is a Nextel Cup champion, Matt still races on the smaller tracks every time he has an opportunity. It should be a great race. All four of the announced drivers are former short-track champions.
Mattingly also reports that the July 23 race is shaping up to be the biggest event in the 75-year history of the facility. “Our ticket pre-sale has already exceeded our previous record by far,” he said. “Jennerstown can accommodate 10,000 spectators, and we are anticipating a sell out. Tickets are still available, but they are going fast.”
Advance tickets may be purchased on-line at: www.jennerstown.com, or by calling the track office at 814 629-6677.
Sunday, July 31, 2005: Oxford Plains Speedway in Oxford, Maine
Kenseth returning to Banknorth 250 at Oxford Plains Speedway
OXFORD, Maine — Last year’s third-place finish in the nation’s most lucrative single-day short track race wasn’t good enough for Matt Kenseth’s taste.
Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR Nextel Cup champion from Cambridge, Wis., has announced that he will return to Oxford Plains Speedway to compete in the Banknorth 250 for the second straight year.
The 32nd annual summer classic, which will pay more than $25,000 to the winner, is scheduled for Sunday, July 31. “We’re thrilled to have a proven, championship racer of Matt Kenseth’s caliber at the Banknorth 250 again this season,” Speedway owner Bill Ryan said. “Matt showed last year that he came here with no other intentions but to win, and I know his great run to the front that night left him hungry for more.”
As was in the case in 2004, Kenseth will drive a car furnished by Whorff Motorsports of Topsham, Maine. Team owner Bill Whorff Jr. and his son, Jeremie, compete every weekend in the Oxford Networks Pro Stock division at OPS.
In his first encounter with the historic, 3/8-mile oval, Kenseth turned 90 laps in three rounds of qualifying and failed to make the grid. But Kenseth made the most of his past NASCAR champion’s provisional starting slot, using his trademark patient driving style to sift his way through the field into a trophy position in the main event behind Oxford veterans Ben Rowe and Ricky Rolfe.
I had a great time at the Banknorth 250 last year. Racing from the back of the pack to third was a thrill. I’m hoping now that I’ve become a little more familiar with the track that I can help Whorff Motorsports get to victory lane on July 31st. — Matt Kenseth
Kenseth joined the late Scott Fraser and local favorite Tracy Gordon as the only drivers to crack the top three in the Banknorth 250 after starting last in the field. Fellow Cup competitor Kurt Busch qualified for last July’s race through a consolation event and finished 13th.
By competing in the Banknorth 250, Kenseth was the eighth champion of NASCAR’s premier series to earn that distinction. Busch became the ninth when he won the inaugural Nextel Chase for the Championship last fall.
Busch finished 13th in his initial Banknorth 250. Like many fans and teams throughout the region, Kenseth is eager to see if other Nextel Cup veterans will join him this summer. Sunday, July 31 is a rare off day for Nextel Cup.
I cannot wait to find out what other Nextel Cup drivers might race in the 250 this year. It was a blast racing with my teammate Kurt Busch last year. I’ve had a lot of other drivers in the garage area tell me they’ve heard about this race, and I tell them they have to see it and compete in it themselves. –Matt Kenseth
Kenseth represents the powerful Roush Racing team, an organization that includes fellow Nextel Cup drivers Busch, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle and Craftsman Truck Series competitors Ricky Craven and Todd Kleuver.
After enjoying several triumphant seasons in the American Speed Association and NASCAR Busch Series, Kenseth and crew chief Robbie Reiser moved to Cup in 2000. Driving his familiar DeWALT Ford, Kenseth won the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., that year and earned series Rookie of the Year honors.
Kenseth won more races than any driver on the circuit in 2002 and ran away with the championship in ‘03, mathematically clinching the title on the next-to-last weekend of the season.
The Banknorth 250 will punctuate an action-packed three day race weekend at OPS, all presented by New England Dodge Dealers. All tickets to Sunday’s race are reserved and are now available by calling the Speedway office at (207) 539-8865.
Oxford Plains Speedway is a 3/8-mile oval located on Route 26 in Oxford, Maine. With main grandstand seating for 13,000, it is the largest spectator sports facility in the state. For more information about the track or the Banknorth 250 weekend schedule, please call the Speedway office or check out the Web at www.oxfordplains.com.