Know Your Driver: Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth

Name: Matthew Roy "Matt" Kenseth

            Nickname: "Matt the Brat"

Date of Birth: March 10, 1972 (age 43)

Hometown: Cambridge, Wisconsin

Family: Katie, wife; Ross, son; Kaylin, daughter; Grace, daughter; Clara, daughter

First Career Start: September 20, 1998 (Dover)

Car Number and Make: #20 Toyota Camry

Primary Sponsors:

• Dollar General
• Dewalt

Team: Joe Gibbs Racing

Teammates: Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards

Best Career Points Finish: 1st (2003)

Career Victories: 32

Notable Wins:

• Daytona 500 (2009, 2012)
• Coca-Cola 600 (2000)
• Southern 500 (2013)
• All-Star Race (2004)

Description: Smooth, steady, and out of the spotlight. That's the way Matt Kenseth rolls.

Kenseth began his career tearing up Wisconsin short tracks as a teenager in a car that he and his father bought when he was 13. Kenseth was unable to race until he was 16, but once given the chance, he began turning heads, winning many well known short track titles, including the Slinger Nationals in the early 1990s.

By the mid-1990s, Kenseth had broken into the Truck Series and XFinity Series, making several starts in both. However, sufficient sponsorship never materialized for Kenseth to continue running in those two touring series, forcing Kenseth to scramble for a ride of any sort.

Suddenly, in 1997, Kenseth got a call from an old Wisconsin short track competitor, Robby Reiser, a began racing the XFinity car that Reiser was crew chief for. Kenseth was able to begin winning races in the XFinity Series and subsequently earned a full-time Sprint Cup Series ride in 2000. Kenseth would win the Coca-Cola 600 in his rookie season, quite the feat for a rookie.

By 2003, Kenseth was among NASCAR's elite. Despite winning only one race in 2003, the third race of the year at Las Vegas, Kenseth dominated the entire season, scoring 25 top-10s and holding the points lead from the fourth race of the year until the end. This was the last title won under the old season long points season, as the Chase was instituted the following season. Some believe the formation of the Chase was due to Kenseth winning the title with only a single win on the season, meaning that NASCAR wanted to emphasize winning instead of consistency.

Kenseth enjoyed a very solid career with Roush Racing, but ultimately decided to part ways with the organization after 2012, heading for Joe Gibbs Racing. In his first season there, Kenseth enjoyed his most successful season to date, winning a career-high 8 races and finishing second in the points to Jimmie Johnson.

Kenseth is not known for putting himself in compromising positions and picking arguments with other drivers. Yes, there was that one dust-up with Jeff Gordon in '06 and that crazy Brad Keselowski incident last season, but aside from that the guy doesn't make a mistake and is one of the most respected drivers in the garage area.

At 43, it's tough to say how much longer Kenseth will be around NASCAR's top series, but he's still running too damn consistent to justify his retirement. Pretty much the way he's been going about things since the year 2000.

Fun Facts: Kenseth is an avid fan of the heavy metal band Metallica and got to meet the band in the mid-2000s. Also, one of his cats is named "Lars" after the band's drummer, Lars Ulrich.