Contract Status: Sponsor: 2009; Driver: at least thru 2011; Manufacturer: 2013
2009 Sponsor Schedule, DeWalt is the sponsor unless noted:
2009 Races [3] that USG Sheetrock is scheduled to be the primary sponsor:
Las Vegas - Mar 1
Chicago - July 11
Phoenix - Nov 15
2009 Races [4] that Carhartt is scheduled to be the primary sponsor:
California - Feb 22
Michigan - June 14
New Hampshire - Sept 20
Charlotte - Oct 17
2009 Races [4] that R+L Carriers is scheduled to be the primary sponsor:
Charlotte - May 24
Daytona - July 4
Atlanta - Sept 6
California - Oct 11
#17 Team Past News and Rumors
(NOTE: some older links may not work)
- R&L returns to sponsor Kenseth: The #17 Ford of Matt Kenseth will carry the green and gold colors of R+L carriers this weekend at Daytona. The scheme will highlight R+L Global Services. It will be the second of four races this season with R+L Carriers as the primary on the #17 Ford. Kenseth has carried the R+L Carriers paint scheme 11 times since 2006. In his 11 previous starts in the #17 R+L Carriers Ford, Kenseth has achieved 11 top-12, nine top-10, and four top-five finishes. Kenseth will not be racing the same car that he won with in the Daytona 500. That car (RK-631), which was actually Kenseth’s third car that weekend, was left behind and can be seen at the Daytona Experience up until next season. The team will bring a brand new chassis (RK-658) to the race this weekend.(RFR). See the scheme on my #17 Team Scheme page.(7-1-2009)
- Kenseth looking to Sweep: #17-Matt Kenseth will be looking to complete a rare sweep of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Daytona International Speedway. He will look to join Fireball Roberts (1962), Cale Yarborough (1968), LeeRoy Yarbrough (1969) and Bobby Allison as the only Daytona 500 champions to also win the Independence Day holiday classic in the same year.(DIS)(7-1-2009)
- Chris Wimmer holds off Kenseth to win All-Star Challenge: Chris Wimmer not only won Tuesday night’s All-Star Challenge, he also earned praise from NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader Tony Stewart. Wimmer passed Cambridge native and 2003 Cup champion Matt Kenseth with 11 laps left to clinch victory in the 100-lap super late model race in front of approximately 6,000 fans at Madison International Speedway. “I don’t know much about him, but it doesn't’t take long to figure out how good he is,” Stewart said of Wimmer. “Obviously, you go beat Matt Kenseth like that, it’s a big deal.(Wisconsin State Journal)(7-1-2009)
- Latest on Roush Fenway Racing having to trim a team: The five-car stable of Roush Fenway Racing (#16-Greg Biffle, #99-Carl Edwards, #17-Matt Kenseth, #6-David Ragan, #26-Jamie McMurray) must be trimmed to four vehicles for the 2010 season. According to Brian Corcoran, executive vice president of Fenway Sports Group, a decision should take place by August because of sponsorship obligations. An alternative is for one of the drivers (most likely Ragan or McMurray) to switch to Yates Racing, the current home of #96-Bobby Labonte and #98-Paul Menard. Roush has an existing partnership with Yates. “Should be an interesting 45 days,’’ Corcoran said. Corcoran also noted that Roush is still in discussions with DeWalt, the primary sponsor of Kenseth’s #17 Ford. Currently, DeWalt may not have the funds to continue primary sponsorship of the #17 next season.(Boston Globe)(6-29-2009) Comment here
- Kenseth to be honored at Daytona: #17-Matt Kenseth’s signature, right footprint and hand prints will now have their place in the history of Daytona International Speedway. During the upcoming Coke Zero 400 Weekend Powered By Coca-Cola, Kenseth on Friday, July 3 at 11:30am/et will participate in a question and answer session with the race fans inside Daytona 500 Experience motorsports attraction and then proceed outside where he will have his 3x3 cement block with his signature, hand prints and right foot print placed into the Daytona 500 Champion’s Walk of Fame. Kenseth, the winner of the 51st running of the Daytona 500 earlier this year, put his right foot, autograph and handprints into the cement during his Champion’s Breakfast car induction ceremonies. Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig and Daytona 500 Experience General Manager Kim Isemann will assist Kenseth in placing the block into Daytona 500 Champion’s Walk of Fame, which is located just outside the “Official Attraction of NASCAR.” Winning drivers of the Daytona 500 since 1996, the first year of operation for Daytona 500 Experience, have their hands, right foot and signature immortalized in cement in the Daytona 500 Champion’s Walk of Fame. Tickets for the Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola on Saturday night, July 4 start at $40. Tickets are available online at daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.(DIS)(6-29-2009)
- What's up with Roush's five teams? Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith on the team cutting from five teams to four after this season (as mandated by NASCAR to meet its four-car limit): “We’re still messing with the sponsorship pieces,’’ Smith said. “We’re still not sure how it’s going to lay out. We thought we’d be done by now but we’re not.’’ One of the teams will move to Yates next year, Smith said. Smith also was asked about the status of signing Jamie McMurray to a contract extension: “Jamie wants to stay. We’d like him to stay. We’re hoping we can have sponsorship around Jamie before he has to decide how much longer he can wait. We’ve been working together. Hopefully we’ll have that worked out pretty quickly before he has to turn his attention to the marketplace.’’(Virginia Pilot)(6-22-2009) Comment here
- Danica to Roush? Danica Patrick will be in a Jack Roush NASCAR Ford next season, bank on it. Well, don't bet the ranch, but there is a growing sense that that is the momentum on the issue, if the sexy Indy-car star does make the leap into stock car racing, as she has hinted. And in the NASCAR garage here at Infineon Raceway Roush himself pondered the Danica option Friday. Patrick herself has been talking around the NASCAR possibility for several weeks now but insists she won't be making any announcement of where she'll be racing next season until this fall [after the IRL's finale in Oct]. Last weekend Geoff Smith, head of Roush Fenway Racing, talked about the Danica Patrick option. What does Roush himself think about her as NASCAR stocker? "I don't know enough about her to know how much time she'd have to spend in the Nationwide series or Truck series," Roush said. "I'd say, as a minimum, two years in the Nationwide series would be required…and at the same time she could run six or seven Cup races, to maintain her rookie status. It just depends on how badly she wants it," Roush says of any Patrick move into NASCAR. Patrick has some big advantages, Roush points out: "I don't know of any problems with Danica Patrick. If a female is going to make it in NASCAR in the foreseeable future, it will be Danica Patrick.(mikemulhern.net)(6-20-2009) Comment here
- Sponsor search for 2010: We've been hearing for months that sponsors, including those at top teams such as Hendrick Motorsports, won't fully commit past this season. Team owner Rick Hendrick made that clearer on Sunday when he indicated that Kellogg's and Carquest may not return in their full capacity in 2010. "Our sponsors are coming back," Hendrick said after Martin won at Michigan. "We don't know to what extent. That's the question. As you go along with this economy companies are taking longer to get their budgets in line. They're not a year out, or not even eight months like they have been in the past. We're in good shape. We have a lot of sponsors inside our company that we're talking about, you know, splitting up the car. So look for the guys that are on it to be back, but there will probably be someone new along there with them." That not only goes for the #5, but the #24 of Jeff Gordon and #88 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. also could have more partners next season. Jimmie Johnson and Lowe's appear solid on the #48. The same sort of restructuring is going on at other organizations such as Roush, which is trying to find multiple partners to lessen the load of DeWalt [of #17 Matt Kenseth].(ESPN Insider)(6-18-2009) Comment here
- Carhartt returns to the #17: The #17 Ford Fusion of Matt Kenseth will again carry Carhartt paint scheme this weekend at Michigan. Kenseth took the checkered flag at California in the last Carhartt race. Carhartt will serve as the primary two more times this season at New Hampshire in Sept. and Charlotte in Oct.(RFR), see images of the scheme on my #17 Team Schemes page.(6-10-2009)
- Kenseth's expecting: #17-Matt Kenseth and his wife, Katie, are due to have a baby soon, Kenseth said Thursday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The child will be the first for the couple, though Kenseth has a son from a previous relationship. Matt Kenseth said the baby is due in about a month and a half. “It’s been an exciting time in our life,” Kenseth said. “Obviously, it’s going to be an exciting time in our life. It’s going to be a lot different. [Son] Ross is going to be 16 on Monday, and we’ll have a baby in about a month and a half, so that’s going to be interesting.” Kenseth said he didn’t know if the child would be a boy or a girl.(SceneDaily)(5-22-2009) Comment here
- R+L Carriers on the #17: The #17 Ford will carry the green and gold colors of R+L carriers this weekend for the Coke 600. It will be the first of four races this season with R+L Carriers as the primary on the #17 Ford. Kenseth has carried the R+L Carriers paint scheme 10 times since 2006.(Roush Feneway PR), see an image of the car on my #17 Team Schemes Page.(5-20-2009)
- Roush Fenway Racing increases pledge to be more sustainable: It’s been 40 years since Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day and on this day of ecological awareness, Roush Fenway Racing is upping their pledge to promote more sustainable operations and better environmental management. Always a leader in the sport of NASCAR on and off track, Roush Fenway has been working with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to reinforce its position as a leader in environmental stewardship in the industry.
Through the team’s current efforts, they recycle almost 96% of every race car. In 2008, the team recycled over 66 tons of waste
(plastic, paper and metal); reduced the overall amount of waste produced by more than 11 tons; reduced storm water run off by 1.51M gallons; and saved 2.10M gallons of water by not using potable water for irrigation.
As a next step, Roush Fenway Racing pledges to meet or exceed its corporate environmental target of an overall 10% improvement in indoor air quality; reduction of water consumption; increase in waste reduction and recycling; and improvement in energy usage over the next 18 months. The team has commissioned an independent energy audit through Electricities and the Carolina Consulting Group in cooperation with the City of Concord (N.C.) to further identify opportunities to reduce its power consumption. These efforts are applauded by the NRDC.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(4-22-2009) Comment here
- Kenseth takes fan on test drive: Chuck Fountain, of Plymouth, Minn., got the test drive of his life Tuesday when reigning Daytona 500 champion Matt Kenseth took him for a ride around his hometown in a 2010 Ford Fusion and 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. Fountain earned the visit from Kenseth after his name was drawn as part of Ford Racing’s yearlong “We Race. You Win.” national on-line sweepstakes. Each time a Ford driver wins a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points event this season, one lucky fan and a guest will win an all-expenses paid trip to Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway from Nov. 20-22. During the race weekend, one of those fans will win the grand prize of a 2010 Ford Fusion. Kenseth’s visit and test drive was a one-time only event, and was a bonus Fountain appreciated. “It’s been an experience I’ll never forget. I feel very fortunate,” said Fountain. “Getting that first-hand experience really is what it’s all about. You can read an article about the Fusion in a magazine or on the Internet, but having that experience and hearing it from the experts, that’s really interesting. I know driving down here on (Route) 169, Matt was showing on the Fusion how the blind spot warning indicator on the side mirrors works. I had never seen that before. That was fascinating. He knows that car. He’s got one on order, for crying out loud.”(Ford Racing Site)(4-17-2009)
- Pit road shakeups for Roush? Could there be a few shakeups in the pit crews at Roush Fenway Racing? Officials haven't said anything, but co-owner Jack Roush spent a lot of time in meetings this past week trying to figure out why his teams are having so much trouble on pit road. That usually means changes for the man known as "Cat in the Hat." Carl Edwards went from first to 11th after a crucial mistake on his final pit stop with about 30 laps remaining in Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway. Greg Biffle believes pit road mistakes, at least one by him, has cost him a shot at two wins this season. Even Matt Kenseth had problems at Texas. He was second coming onto pit road on lap 252, but left in 15th after a lug nut problem on the right rear tire. Nobody is publicly blaming anybody as Kyle Busch did in a Nationwide Series race last month when a pit road mistake cost him a victory. But there are concerns.(ESPN Insider)(4-10-2009)
UPDATE: Roush Fenway Racing driver Carl Edwards said small changes made this week to his Sprint Cup pit crew were designed to help his #99 team be able to compete for the Cup title this year. Edwards said Friday at Nashville Superspeedway that one crew member was replaced, and a team spokesman said it was front tire changer Corey Quick.(Scene Daily)(4-11-2009) Comment here
- Blickensderfer makes surprise appearance to support Dad: Macon Meridian coach Jack Blickensderfer wishes he hadn't been so hard on his son, Drew, growing up. Drew Blickensderfer wouldn't have had it any other way. "He never let me win at anything," the younger Blickensderfer said. "I can remember playing basketball against him on the driveway as a kid, and he would block every one of my shots. He was hardcore when I was on the baseball diamond and he was hardcore when I wrestled. He was just trying to instill that competitive desire in me." That competitive desire has paid off for Drew Blickensderfer three times in the last three months. In mid-December, he was named crew chief for #17-Matt Kenseth's NASCAR Sprint Cup team. And in February, he won his debut race with Kenseth — the Daytona 500. A week later, in California, Kenseth won again. Father and son shared another special moment Friday. Drew Blickensderfer surprised his dad by flying in from Charlotte, N.C., to watch Meridian's 51-47 Class 1A state semifinal victory over Annawan.
Joining the younger Blickensderfer were his brother Matt, who drove in from Cincinnati, and two aunts who traveled from Texas and Ohio.(see full story at the Peoria Journal Star), on Saturday night Macon Meridian won the Class 1A boys basketball state title.(3-15-2009) Comment here
- Kenseth battles ill-handling car: #17-Matt Kenseth battled and ill-handling race car for the majority of Sundays 325-lap Kobalt Tools 500, but managed a 12th-place finish in the fourth race of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Despite never finding adequate grip on the long run, and having to battle their way back onto the lead lap, Kenseth and the #17 DeWalt Ford Team were poised for a top-10 finish before running short on fuel with five laps to go in the race.(RFR PR)(3-9-2009) Comment here
- Roush Fenway looking for sponsors: Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith should only be negotiating to renew the one NASCAR Sprint Cup sponsorship he has open – the #17 Ford and DeWalt – for 2010. But Smith’s organization is working on helping nearly all of its Cup sponsors (#26-Crown Royal, #16-3M and #99-Aflac) find other companies willing to pony up the money to buy some races for 2010 and beyond even though they have contracts obligating them for the entire season. Smith said the companies have requested help, and it’s imperative in these economic times that the organization find more sponsors willing to share some of the costs. DeWalt, whose contract is up after the 2009 season, has also indicated it wants a partner. The only sponsor that has not requested a partner is UPS [for #6 David Ragan]. A new sponsor could be on one of those cars by the end of 2009 if there is a commitment for future years, Smith said.
Even though Roush Fenway can have only four Cup teams next year, it also is responsible for sponsorship for Yates Racing, so it is continuing to court companies to sponsor Cup teams. On an initial call, Smith said the organization will offer anything open in its portfolio. The one thing his company won’t do is to stagger sponsorships on a car because the organization has to commit to a salary for the driver and needs the sponsorship to back it up. Smith said that car owners must realize that they need to spend money on sales. He said he has “a whole team” making cold calls about sponsorship.(SceneDaily)(3-9-2009) Comment here
- Kenseth goes for a record NO GO: #17-Matt Kenseth won the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway of Southern California. He became just the fourth driver to win the Daytona 500 AND then the next race of the season:
Richard Petty, (1973) Daytona & Richmond, 23rd at Rockingham in 3rd race
Cale Yarborough, (1977) Daytona & Richmond, 6th at Rockingham
Jeff Gordon (1997), Daytona & Rockingham, 4th at Richmond
Also Kenseth is the fifth driver to win the first two races of the season
Marvin Panch (1957), Lancaster & Concord, 3rd at Titusville
Bob Welborn (1959), Fayetteville & Daytona Qual Race [points race then], 41st Daytona 500, started from pole
David Pearson (1976), Riverside & Daytona 500, 29th at Rockingham
Jeff Gordon (1997), Daytona & Rockingham, 4th at Richmond
no driver has won the first three races of the season and no driver has won the next two races after the Daytona 500. The last driver to win three races in a row was Jimmie Johnson in 2007 when he won four in a row at Martinsville, Atlanta, Texas, Phoenix late in the season and during the Chase.
SPONSORS? and no driver has won three straight races at all in the modern ear [1972-present, many teams didn't have sponsors like they do now before then] with three DIFFERENT sponsors: DeWalt at Daytona, Carhartt at Auto Club and USG at Las Vegas. See the list of drivers who have won 3 or more races in a row on my All-Time/Active Wins page.(2-26/28-2009)
UPDATE: #17-Kenseth lost an engine early in the race and finished 43rd at Las vegas.(3-1-2009) Comment here
- Roush could tie record: Even if #17-Matt Kenseth fails to win Sunday, his four Roush Fenway Racing teammates could help match another Cup Series record. Only two owners / teams have won the first three races of a season. Owner Peter DePaolo's team won the first three races of 1957 (two wins by Marvin Panch, one by Fireball Roberts) and Petty Enterprises won the first three races in 1963 (two wins by Jim Paschal, one by Richard Petty).(NASCAR.com)(2-28-2009) Comment here
- Kenseth's win means 2nd race fan headed to Homestead: Matt Kenseth’s back-to-back season-opening wins in his #17 Ford makes for back-to-back winners in Ford’s “We Race. You Win” national sweepstakes. For the second week in a row, a lucky fan will be notified this week about their trip to Ford Championship Weekend. The sweepstakes, announced January 22, awards one fan every time a Ford NASCAR Sprint Cup driver wins a points race this year. That lucky fan and a guest will win an all-expenses paid trip to Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the race weekend, one of those fans then will be selected as the grand prizewinner of a 2010 Ford Fusion. Kenseth’s first career Daytona 500 victory automatically created the contest’s first winner. His win in Fontana enables a second fan to win a trip to Ford Championship Weekend in Homestead, FL (Ford PR). More information about the contest on my Racing Contests page.(2-23-2009)
- Teams looking for sponsors: The most important part of Sunday's Auto Club 500 was not what happened on the track but what took place in the garage, the suites and elsewhere. Some teams had prospective sponsors at Auto Club Speedway as they look to find additional funding. Teams looking for sponsors range from Roush Fenway Racing to Richard Petty Motorsports to Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and others. Richard Petty Motorsports is trying to find sponsorship for #44-AJ Allmendinger beyond the nine races it has for him this season. De Cordell, chief sales and marketing officer, says the team also is looking for a primary sponsor for about six races on #43-Reed Sorenson's car and a major associate sponsor for #9-Kasey Kahne. Cordell said the team had two potential sponsors at Sunday's race, including one that came about after RPM's Daytona 500 performance where it placed three of its four cars in the top 10.
Earnhardt Ganassi Racing continues to search for sponsorship for #8-Aric Almirola and #1-Martin Truex Jr. Steve Lauletta, team president, says Almirola has sponsorship for about 10 races. Lauletta says Truex needs to add a sponsor for about six races. Lauletta said the team received two calls about prospective sponsors this week after the Daytona 500 where Truex won the pole, and had a couple of potential sponsors at the race. The team also is planning to announce a sponsorship agreement next week between its NASCAR teams and car owner Chip Ganassi's IndyCar program. Lauletta estimates the team worked on that deal for 14 months.
Roush Fenway Racing also is looking for future sponsorship and benefited from Matt Kenseth's victory at Daytona. While the organization has primary sponsors for all five cars, each of those sponsors are open to joining other companies on the cars, says Robin Johnson, executive vice president, business development for Roush Fenway Racing.(Roanoke Time)(2-23-2009) Comment here
- Kenseth wins at California: #17-Matt Kenseth won the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway for his second win in a row, his third at Fontana, and the 18th of his career. He is the first driver to win the season's opening two races since Jeff Gordon in 1997.
#24-Gordon was second followed by #18-Busch, #16-Biffle, #2-Busch, #11-Hamlin, #99-Edwards, #14-Stewart, #48-Johnson, and #83-Vickers. #88-Earnhardt, Jr. blew an engine and finished 39th. #29-Harvick also blew and engine and finished 38th, the first time he was not running at the end of a race in 82 races. There were 19 lead changes among 11 drivers and 5 caution flags for 43 laps. Four of the cautions were caused by light rain showers.
See race results, laps led and more on my California Race Results page.
See drivers and owners points standings on my Drivers/Owners Points after Daytona page.(2-22-2009)
- Kesenth's spotter has permanent Daytona 500 memory: While Matt Kenseth's spotter has already gotten a tattoo to honor the Roush Fenway Racing team's victory in last weekend’s Daytona 500, don't expect the driver to follow suit. While Kenseth spent the past week touring various cities as part of a post-victory media blitz, Mike Calinoff decided to mark the occasion in a different way - and one that Kenseth actually unintentionally encouraged. Calinoff, who left Kenseth's team a few years ago but returned as Kenseth's spotter this season, celebrated the group's 2003 championship in the same way. Calinoff said that the $250, multicolored tattoo took two hours and was painful to get put on, but that he is glad that he did it. "It was worth it,” he said. “I'd do it again tomorrow." Calinoff admits that he could be the only spotter commemorating a big win in this way, but he doesn't regret it at all.(Scene Daily)(2-21-2009) Comment here
- Kenseth Enjoys Victory Tour Through San Francisco: Daytona 500 champion Matt Kenseth learned how to crack a Dungeness crab, enjoyed world-class chocolates and was given a magnum of Sonoma Valley wine on Wednesday in San Francisco.
Kenseth, who won NASCAR's Great American Race on Sunday, celebrated his historic win with a Victory Tour Through the Streets of San Francisco on-board a motorized cable car, complete with a California Highway Patrol escort. Kenseth, and his wife Katie, enjoyed a first-class tour of San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and visiting legendary Fisherman's Grotto No. 9 at Fisherman's Wharf. Kenseth learned how to cook and crack a Dungeness crab under the guidance of co-owner Anthony Geraldi. The tour continued to Ghirardelli Square where the Kenseths received a large basket of gourmet chocolates and were treated to ice cream sundaes. The cable car ride culminated at Willie Mays Plaza at AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, where Kenseth greeted race fans and the Northern California media. Giants Vice President Russ Stanley presented Kenseth with an official team jersey, complete with Kenseth's name and car number on the back. Kenseth was also surprised at the press conference by a visit from Tony Moll, a Sonoma native who is an offensive lineman on Kenseth's favorite NFL team, the Green Bay Packers. Raceway President Steve Page also presented Kenseth with a commemorative magnum of Sonoma Valley wine. "This was a really fun day and I'm amazed at all of the fans out here," said Kenseth. "I got to see a lot of San Francisco from the front of that cable car and experience a little of everything, so it was great." The appearance also marked the Official Countdown to the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at Infineon Raceway, June 19-21 (Father's Day weekend). Race day is just 124 days away. Tickets are now available for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. Be sure to call 800-870-RACE or visit infineonraceway.com.(Infineon Raceway)(2-19-2009) Comment here
- R&L Carriers to sponsor Kenseth for four races: R&L Carriers is an associate sponsor for #17-Matt Kenseth. For a total of four races this season (May 24-Charlotte, July 4-Daytona, Sept. 6-Atlanta and Oct. 11-California), Kenseth’s Ford will prominently display the green and yellow colors of R&L as well as the company’s logo, according to Donald R. DeLuca, vice president and general counsel for R&L. For the remainder of the Sprint Cup season, R&L Carriers brand will be located on either the rear quarter panel or on the TV panel. This is the final year of a three-year contract R&L has with Kenseth.(Wilmington News Journal), see images of the #17 Team Schemes page for the image of the scheme.(2-17-2009) Comment here
- Daytona 500 Champ - Matt Kenseth's Appearances this week:
MONDAY FEB 16 -- Daytona & NYC
8:00 am -- Daytona USA Induction
10:00am -- Owner Interview for Sirius radio
10:10am -- ESPN First Take LIVE
10:20am -- Crew Chief Interview Sirius
10:30am -- The Dan Patrick Show Radio Call In
10:40am -- Driver Interview in Sirius Booth
5:45 pm -- FOX Sports Radio: The Drive with Chris Myers LIVE Interview
7:15 pm -- Fast Talk radio show
MONDAY EVENING The Late Show with David Letterman -- check your local listings, usually 11:35pm/et CBS
TUES FEB 17 -- NYC
a.m. -- Good Day NY (Local FOX)
9-10am -- LIVE w/ Regis and Kelly Television -- check your local listings
2:30 pm -- FOX Business Channel TV
WED FEB 18 - San Francisco (all times local)
11:00-11:25 am -- In Studio with Ronn Owenns Show on KGO 810 AM
1:15 pm -- LIVE Interview with KNBR Radio live at press conference
San Francisco fans — Victory Tour on Wednesday
THURS FEB 19 - Los Angeles (not at the speedway)
11:10-11:30 am -- Fan Q&A with Gillian Zucker
11:50-1:00 pm -- Autograph Session with Fans
(MattKenseth.com)(2-16-2009)
- Kenseth’s Winning #17 Inducted Into Daytona 500 Experience: The victory celebration of the 51st annual Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race continued Monday morning as Matt Kenseth’s #17 DeWalt Ford was inducted into the Daytona 500 Experience – the Official Attraction of NASCAR –during the annual ConAgra Champion’s Breakfast. Kenseth, owner Jack Roush and crew chief Drew Blickensderfer participated in a fan forum inside the attraction and received their winning Daytona 500 leather jackets from Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig. The three were joined by the rest of the #17 Roush Fenway Racing crew to continue the tradition of signing the car, which will be on display inside the attraction until the 52nd annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 14, 2010. “To win the 500 is really cool,” said Kenseth, who also unveiled the logo for next year’s Daytona 500 to the media attending the event. “It’s pretty cool that the 17 group and team that Jack and Robbie (Reiser, former crew chief, current GM of Roush Fenway Racing) assembled was able to win that first championship and first Daytona 500.”
“The first 14 times that I came to Daytona for road racing I always took a trophy home – every time,” said Roush, referring to his Rolex 24 success. “As we started coming with the Cup cars and it didn’t happen right away, I kind of put it out of my mind and decided that I was snake-bit – that I had already had more success than I deserved and I would be denied this one.” Not wanting to jinx his chances of a victory, Kenseth was not prepared for this week’s whirlwind media tour in New York City and California. He had to fly back home after last night’s race to pack before returning to Daytona for this morning’s celebration. “I wasn’t prepared for it kind of on purpose,” Kenseth said. “One year I was thinking, ‘They take you all these places, don’t want you to go home afterwards, you’re gone all week – so I’ll bring some extra clothes.’ That was my worst 500 I think we’ve ever had. “I told (wife) Katie if it happens and we win, I’ll worry about it then. So I had to worry about it last night. They’re not going to let us go home until after California, so I needed to go home for a few hours.”
Among the media duties Kenseth will perform this week include appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman on Monday night and Live with Regis and Kelly on Tuesday morning. “As a kid, I always watched Letterman with my dad,” Kenseth said. “Of any TV show I could ever be on, I’ve always wanted to be on Letterman. The first two times I’ve been on there we’ve done the Top 10 list and I’ve never got to meet him or talk to him. This time I think I get to sit down and talk to him so I’m looking forward to that.”(DIS PR)(2-16-2009)
- Kenseth wins the Daytona 500: #17-Matt Kenseth won the 2009 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, his first Daytona 500 win and Roush Fenway Racing's first Daytona 500. Kenseth started 39, the farthest back a driver has ever started and won at Daytona. The race was called due to rain after 152 [of 200] laps. The win is Kenseth's 17th of his career. #29-Harvick finished 2nd followed by #44-Allmendinger, #33-Bowyer, #19-Sadler, #6-Ragan, #55-Waltrip, #14-Stewart, #43-Sorenson and #2-Busch. Pole sitter 31-Truex Jr. finished 11th. 2008 Cup Champion, #48-Johnson finished 31st. Last years Daytona 500 winner, #39-Newman, was never a factor and finished 36th. #18-Busch led the most laps with 88, was caught up in the 'big one' and finished 41st. There were 8 cautions for 36 laps and 10 drivers led a lap with 11 lead changes. The race is scheduled to re-air on SPEED, Thursday, February at 12:00pm/et.
See race results, laps led and more on my Daytona Race Results page.(2-15-2009)
- Roush Fenway Racing Pledges 'Green': With the country under new leadership and the start of a new race season upon us, Roush Fenway Racing announces their pledge to sustainability and environmental protection. Always a leader in the sport of NASCAR on and off track, Roush Fenway Racing will continue current environmental initiatives and look into new initiatives to “go green” in 2009. There are many aspects of the sport which will not change in the immediate future when it comes to environmental impact. However, the environment is a topic that’s important to many of our sponsor partners as well as the world, so in an effort to be good stewards of the planet, Roush Fenway Racing continues to seek ways to be environmentally conscious from materials in their daily operations, to the expansion and construction of facilities. Roush Fenway Racing currently recycles oil, solvent, steel, tires, aluminum, paper and plastic bottles and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Ian Prince, Roush Fenway’s LEED certified person on staff, oversees the operations of Roush Fenway’s 25-acre campus with three buildings totaling over 190,000 Sq. ft. All the building have innovated LEED building design features including (but not limited to) solar shades on southern exposure to reduce solar heat gain and glare, reducing the amount of artificial building cooling required; interior lighting controlled by individual occupancy and photoelectric sensors to reduce electrical usage; motion activated plumbing fixtures to reduce potable water use; and rain and storm water run off captured and contained for landscape irrigation reducing the need for potable water. As a point of interest, Roush Fenway uses no city water they have their own wells and storm water reclamation. In addition, Roush Fenway has proposed an emission reduction program to LED retrofit the shop Metal Halide lighting resulting in a 530 Megawatt savings of electricity each year. The use of Building Integrated
Photovoltaic laminates that will produce 13,710kWh per year of electricity for 20 years to be sold back to the utilities companies is also being proposed. But that’s not where the effort ends. Roush Fenway Racing Sprint Cup standouts Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle
are purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (REC’s) as part of their commitment to sustainability and environmental protection.(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(1-25-2009)
- New Crew Chief for Kenseth? UPDATE: Nationwide Series pit boss Drew Blickensderfer has been promoted to head the team. Chip Bolin, who held the position last year, will go back to work as an engineer at Roush Fenway Racing. Although Blickensderfer started 2008 as crew chief for Roush's #17 Nationwide Series team, he swapped places with Pierre Kuettel and joined Carl Edwards' #60 team. The pair went on to win seven of the final 19 races.(FoxSports)(12-16-2008)
UPDATE: Roush Fenway Racing has named Drew Blickensderfer crew chief for Matt Kenseth’s #17 DEWALT Sprint Cup team for the upcoming 2009 season. “We are really looking forward to Drew coming on board with the #17 DEWALT team,” said Kenseth. “Drew brings a great work ethic and high level of enthusiasm to our team. He has been waiting for the opportunity to become a crew chief in the Sprint Cup Series and I know he’ll make the most of it. I had the chance to work with Drew for a couple of years in the Nationwide Series and he is one of the hardest working guys in the garage. He has a passion for the sport, and I know he will be a great addition to our #17 team.” Blickensderfer served the past three seasons as a crew chief in Roush Fenway’s highly successful Nationwide Series program. He helped guide Danny O’Quinn to a Raybestos Rookie title in 2006, before teaming with Kenseth in the Nationwide Series for the next year and a half. The duo earned three victories in the series, before Blickensderfer moved over to Carl Edwards’ #60 team midway through the 2008 season. There, he helped guide the Edwards’ team to seven wins in their last 19 races and a second-place finish in the Nationwide Series point standings. With the addition of Blickensderfer, Chip Bolin – who served as the crew chief on the #17 Sprint Cup team in 2008 - will return to his previous post as team engineer, where he was instrumental in helping guide the team to a Cup championship in 2003. “Chip has been one of the biggest assets to this team since the beginning,” said Kenseth. “Both as an engineer and crew chief, he has been instrumental in our championship run in 2003 and our making the Chase every year since. We are looking forward to adding Drew to the mix and everyone on this #17 DEWALT team is committed to working together and to running up front next season.”(Roush Fenway Racing PR)(12-17-2008) Comment here
- Laid off Roush Fenway crewman sues team: A former Roush Fenway Racing fabricator and over-the-wall crew member is suing the team for money he alleges he is owed for being laid off prior to the completion of his three-year contract. Nick Bailey, signed a three-year deal in October 2006 to run through the 2009 season, according to the complaint and portions of his contract filed recently in North Carolina Superior Court in Charlotte. He initially worked in the Truck shop at Roush as well as on the pit crew for the #16 Nationwide team. He was then transferred to Roush’s ARCA team in April 2008. At the time he was laid off Nov. 10 , 2008, his base salary was $1,050 per week, according to the complaint. He also was eligible for bonuses depending on the performance of the team and the pit crew. Bailey is asking for $63,000 – his salary from Nov. 10, 2008 through Dec. 31, 2009 – and for whatever bonuses it is determined he deserves. Roush Fenway Racing President Geoff Smith confirmed that Bailey had been laid off as part of a reduction in the company work force but declined further comment.(SceneDaily)(12-12-2008) Comment here
- No major layoffs at Roush: Jack [ROush] said he would have to "displace" half a dozen employees involved with his test program as a result of NASCAR banning testing at its sanctioned tracks in 2009. But his core staff -- those involved with his Sprint Cup and Nationwide team operations at his race shop in Concord, N.C. -- "will remain intact," he said.(Detroit Free Press)(11-21-2008) Comment here
- Kenseth re-signs with Roush Fenway: Roush Fenway Racing announced that it has re-signed 2003 Sprint Cup Champion Matt Kenseth to a multi-year contract. Kenseth has been with Roush Fenway since 1998 and has claimed 16 Sprint Cup Series wins and 24 Nationwide Series wins in addition to Roush Fenway’s first Sprint Cup championship. “It’s been a great 11 years at Roush Fenway Racing,” said Kenseth, driver of the #17 DeWalt Ford. “I appreciate everything Jack and DeWalt have done for me over the years. We’ve had a lot of success together including a championship and I’m really proud of that. I’m looking forward to the next few years and winning another championship with Roush Fenway.” Roush Fenway Racing owner Jack Roush was elated with the news stating, “Matt Kenseth is a champion in every sense of the word and John Henry and I are proud to have him in our stable of drivers. Over the last 11 years Matt has been a leader in our organization and a voracious competitor on track, and to know that he will continue on in that role with Roush Fenway is gratifying.”(Roush Fenway Racing PR), no terms or exact length was announced, Kenseth was signed thru 2010.(11-20-2008) Comment here
- Roush Fenway must lose team by 2010: Roush Fenway Racing will have to decrease its number of Nextel Cup teams from five to four by the start of the 2010 season, team president Geoff Smith said Saturday. NASCAR announced in 2005 that it would limit organizations to four fulltime Cup teams and that it would work with Roush to get down from four to five. Originally, the agreement was that once Roush lost a sponsor and driver at the same time, it would have to get down to four. "That [original discussion] triggered a loop that made the shrinkage date unpredictable, so it was [changed to] very simply, when the 2010 season starts, you'll have four," Smith said. "We have to be at four at the start of 2010, regardless of what happens to us in the interim, if we lose a driver, lose a sponsor."
Smith indicated that his contracts are solid through the 2009 season. He also said in the perfect world, Roush would sell one of the teams. "We've got three more years to sell one of our teams off," Smith said. "Hopefully, we can retain some business with that sale."(SceneDaily.com)(3-24-2007)
- Artwork by Garry Hill: "NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge 2004" - Matt Kenseth In The Roush Racing Ford
Battles Past A Sliding Ryan Newman For The Lead On His Way To Victory In The NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge Race
At Lowe’s Motor Speedway May 22, 2004. Garry Hill is pleased to present the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge 2004.
The artwork captures the defining moment of the event as Matt Kenseth takes the lead from Ryan Newman. 500 prints and 50 artist’s proof prints have been produced each signed and numbered by NASCAR licensed artist Garry Hill. Since 1987 Garry Hill has had the distinct honor and privilege of creating the artwork to commemorate the annual all-star race. More info at garryhill.com.(5-20-2005)
