Story originally printed in the Coulee News or online at www.couleenews.com
Published - Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Kenseth on the right track
While Matt Kenseth's surge in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings isn't quite on the level of his 2005 turnaround, the Cambridge native's recent reversal of fortune has put him back in a familiar position: In contention for a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Admittedly, competing for one of the 12 positions in NASCAR's 10-race championship playoff was the furthest thing from Kenseth's mind following a 38th-place finish May 3 at Richmond International Raceway.
Kenseth called that outing the "low point" of his season, and his third straight finish of 38th or worse left him 22nd in the points standings after 10 races.
"After Richmond, that early in the year, mathematically. ... You feel like you are out of it," Kenseth said in a recent interview. "If you're running bad and finishing bad, it doesn't matter where you are in the points."
Following Richmond, Kenseth found himself 204 points back of the 12th and final Chase spot with 16 races to go. A large margin to make up, for sure, but not insurmountable — as he found out in 2005, when he overcame a 320-point deficit over 12 races and qualified for the Chase.
"To be honest, when we were that far behind (in 2005) we weren't focused on getting in the Chase. And we really aren't now," said Kenseth, who will compete with fellow NASCAR stars Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch at tonight's The Swiss Colony All-Star Challenge at Madison International Speedway in the Town of Rutland.
"Is that the goal? Yes. The goal is to get in the Chase and win a championship. But if you go out and be competitive week in and week out, the points are going to add up and you're going to be in.
"The only car you can control is your own. If we can go out and run the way we're capable of running and do the job we're capable of doing, we can get in."
Six races after Richmond, Kenseth — by virtue of six straight finishes of eighth or better — finds himself inside the Chase window. After Sunday's eighth-place run at Infineon Raceway, Kenseth moved from 14th to 12th in the points standings with 10 races to go before the Chase starts.
"You pretty much knew that team would eventually get there," Fox and TNT NASCAR analyst Larry McReynolds said. "His style and that race team's style, it never changes. He's just going to sit there and top-five and top-10 you to death. Leading into the Chase, that's going to prevail."
Said Kenseth, who is one of two drivers to qualify for the Chase every year since its inception in 2004: "We're not home-free yet, and we don't have it totally figured out, but I feel better about it (now) than I felt two months ago. We probably haven't been a huge contender to win, (but) if we can keep doing what we're doing, we're going to be right there."
During his recent stretch of success, Kenseth has avoided the mechanical issues and wrecks that plagued him at points earlier this season.
And Kenseth continues to mesh with new crew chief Chip Bolin, the former team engineer who replaced longtime crew chief Robbie Reiser after Reiser took on expanded responsibilities at Roush Fenway Racing following last season.
"It's a little bit of everything," Kenseth said of his recent string of strong runs. "A lot of it is dotting our I's and crossing our T's with the car. Some of it is luck. Some of it is running better. I think some of it is Chip and I working a little more together, and me putting more effort in with the car and getting a better understanding of the car and helping Chip. I think it's been a little bit of everything. And I think everyone is walking around with a little more spring in their step."
That's because Kenseth and his team are back running — and finishing — the way to which they are accustomed.
"It's not like we've been a team in the basement and are like, 'Oh man, this is cool, we're running good,' " Kenseth said. "We're expected to perform at a high level. ... That's what our team is built around. We've been (competitive) for a long time. We're not a bottom-tier team. We expect to run good. This is how we expect to run. It feels like things are getting back to normal."
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