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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
ALL-STAR: In The Hunt - Matt Kenseth
Matt Kenseth brings a history of success to NASCAR's Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway...
Jared Turner  |  Posted May 20, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Matt Kenseth hasn't won since the second race of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Matt Kenseth, No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion
First All-Star start: 5/19/2001
Best finish: 1st (2004)
How he made the race: Won 2009 Daytona 500

Editor’s Note: Eighteen drivers are guaranteed to start in the May 22 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, which will be televised live on SPEED, starting at 7 pm Eastern. Following is the final profile in the series of 18 featuring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers locked into the field.

Good luck finding a driver who has been a more consistent frontrunner in the Sprint All-Star Race than Matt Kenseth.

While Kenseth doesn’t have as many All-Star wins as some of his compatriots in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the Roush Fenway Racing driver is historically a force to be reckoned with when the prestigious non-points-paying event rolls around.

Consider that in nine All-Star appearances dating back to 2001, Kenseth has four finishes of third or better, six top-10s and just one DNF in the now $1 million-to-win affair.

Kenseth won the event in 2004 and finished second last year after losing the lead to Tony Stewart in the final three laps. He captured the pole in 2002 and 2007.

Not surprisingly, the 2003 Cup champion is ready for the curtain lift on the 2010 Sprint All-Star Race, which SPEED will televise live from Charlotte Motor Speedway at 7 p.m. ET Saturday.
Matt Kenseth celebrates his win in the 2004 Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

“To be a part of the All-Star Race and that group of drivers is always cool, and to do it at Charlotte is a lot of fun,” Kenseth said. “The race pays a lot of money and it’s a short race without any points attached to it, so it’s always really exciting. There is really nothing on the line; you just race for fun and the money.”

It should come as no surprise that Kenseth likes the All-Star Race being held in Charlotte. The 1.5-mile track played host to Kenseth’s first Cup victory as a rookie in the 2000 Coca-Cola 600, and the facility has remained one of Kenseth’s strongest.

The Wisconsin native has 10 top-10s in 21 points-paying starts at Charlotte despite not reaching victory lane in a points race at CMS since his initial win a decade ago. In fact, Kenseth hasn’t won a Cup race anywhere since triumphing at California’s Auto Club Speedway in the second outing of 2009.

His losing streak currently stands at 46 races – a drought that technically won’t end even if he’s soaking in champagne at the conclusion of the All-Star Race.


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