May 24, 2008
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600
September 14, 2007
September 14, 2007
September 14, 2007
Matthew Roy Kenseth (born March 10, 1972 in
Cambridge, Wisconsin) is a stock car driver. Matt
drives the #17 DeWalt Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series for Roush Fenway Racing.
Kenseth made an agreement with his father Roy that
Roy should buy a car and race, and Matt would work
on the car until he was old enough to race. Matt
began stock car racing in 1988 at the age of 16, and
won the feature in his third night of racing. He
started racing at Columbus 151 Speedway and
Jefferson Speedway near Cambridge. After graduating
from Cambridge High School, Kenseth worked for four
years selling and shipping parts for Lefthander
Chassis, a late model racecar chassis manufacturer
just south of Wisconsin in Illinois. Kenseth made a
name for himself while driving at several Wisconsin
tracks for Mike Butz in the #8 late model, beating
nationally known drivers such as Dick Trickle and
Robbie Reiser. He won the 1994 Slinger Nationals at
Slinger Super Speedway. He won the 1994 and 1995
track championships at Wisconsin International
Raceway. He also won track championships at Madison
International Speedway, including the 1994 late
model track championship over Robbie Reiser.
Kenseth's last shop in Wisconsin was at Gerry
Gunderman's American Speed Association shop, who was
also Alan Kulwicki's last shop in Wisconsin before
moving to NASCAR. Kenseth decided to go south to the
USAR Hooters Pro Cup series in 1996 and nearly won
the series championship as a rookie.
In 2000, Matt married Katie Martin, also from
Cambridge, Wis. Matt has one child, a son, Ross,
from a previous relationship. Ross races a legends
car in Wisconsin, and has started late model racing.
Matt and Katie have two cats, one named Lars after
Lars Ulrich of Metallica (Kenseth's favorite band),
and one named Charlotte after the site of Kenseth's
first Winston Cup win. The Kenseth cats have been
featured in NASCAR pets calendars to raise money and
awareness for Humane Societies and animal charities.
Matt has also been featured on a READ poster for the
American Library Association. In addition, he is a
licensed private pilot with multi-engine and
instrument ratings. The Kenseths currently reside in
North Carolina.
Kenseth operates a racing museum in his hometown of
Cambridge, Wis., which features cars, trophies,
firesuits, helmets, and other memorabilia from his
amateur and professional career. His sister, Kelley
Maruszewski, manages the museum and its retail store
while also running his official Fan Club.
Matt Kenseth's favorite NFL football team is the
Green Bay Packers.
