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Kicking it with Kenseth, Part I
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(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Between New Hampshire and Dover, Matt Kenseth boomeranged out to Southern California for a day at Auto Club Speedway ahead of the October race weekend. Matt took some time out of his busy appearance schedule to discuss some issues and topics regarding his racing, outlook, and a season that went sideways.
On the outside looking in
Anytime a former Champion misses the Chase for the first time it is big news. With the news, that Kenseth ended Richmond in 14th place and on the outside looking in, he can’t escape the inevitable line of questioning.
“It’s not like it was a huge surprise…I could see it coming for the last three months. We haven’t run competitively. I don’t know when our last good run was…it was probably Dover in the Spring,” Kenseth reflected. It was apparent that he is optimistic about this week’s race at the Monster Mile.
“It’s kinda weird not to go to New York and be part of that. Last year we missed the top ten because we decided to run out of gas at Homestead. We finished 11th and missed going to the banquet, which was weird – the first time since 2001 that we didn’t make the top ten in points. This is the first time we haven’t made the top 12 in points.”
Focus and team orders
What’s done is done, and Kenseth shifts his focus to getting himself turned around and helping his teammates, which brings up a recent topic of discussion – team orders.
“There are subtle things that I’ve seen happen or could happen, but nothing really like that,” Kenseth commented in regards to the debate that was ignited by John Force weeks ago. “If I’m leading Homestead and I’m not in the Chase, and Carl, running second, is the one going for the Championship…I’ll get fired before I pull over and not win the race…That’s not going to happen.”
“Really, helping your teammates happens during the week at the shop, [and] it comes during practice, sharing information. There’s nothing you can do really to help your teammate on the track…except for maybe Daytona or Talledega."
A season of frustration
“It’s been a long time since February.” The first month of the season was promising for the 17 team. They kicked off the season with a win at the Daytona 500 and backed it up with a trip to Victory Lane in Fontana. “It’s probably one of the most frustrating years in my career…” Kenseth reflected and changed the tenor of the discussion, “but we got two wins this year.”
“I’ve never been one to dwell on past accomplishments because, if you do that too much, it takes your focus off what you’re trying to accomplish today and any future accomplishments.”
For more information on Southern California Motorsports, check out:
Kicking it with Kenseth, Part II (moving forward and beyond the track)
Kenseth and ACS show the importance of reading with book donation
Race fans get the chance to decide a NASCAR green flag
Ryan Newman to make a pit stop for story time
Early Chase races are stacked in Johnson’s favor
Janelle Jalbert is a fan of a variety of racing formats and equally enjoys the history of the sport. Janelle grew up in an auto mechanic’s family and swears that there is carb spray running through her veins. She can be reached via email for both comments and story ideas. You can follow Janelle as the Southern California Motorsports Examiner on Twitter as @SoCalMotorsport and become a fan of the Southern California Motorsports Examiner Facebook page.
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