| | | | | | GETTING STRONGER RECENTLY | Kenseth carries momentum into Michigan race weekend | |
| | SceneDaily Staff Matt Kenseth and his Roush Fenway Racing team have mounted a recent rally and are on the verge of breaking back into contention for one of the 12 spots in the field for the Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup that will determine the 2008 champion.
Kenseth has gone from 204 points outside the top 12 to just 34 points beyond that group in a matter of five weeks. Four consecutive top-10 finishes usher him into Michigan International Speedway, site of this weekend’s Lifelock 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race.
At Michigan, Kenseth has two wins, the most recent coming in August of 2006, and he was fourth last fall.
The 2003 Cup champion is optimistic his recent change in fortune can continue this weekend.
“I look forward to going to Michigan,” he said. “That’s for sure one of my favorite tracks. It’s up in the Midwest, and we’ve had good cars there in the past. Like any track, success at Michigan is about having good cars.
“Michigan is not a super difficult track to drive if you have a car handling the way it needs to handle, so we’ve just been able to get the cars to drive like I need them to drive to be able to run good at that track. We’ve always had good engines, good aerodynamics and good handling cars there, and that is what you need. I’m sure this trip will be a little different with the new cars, but I’m sure we’ll be able to figure it all out. Michigan is just a big ole sweeping track, and if you can get your car to handle the right way, it’s a lot of fun.”
Kenseth and his crew are obviously pleased with the recent climb in performance, and the driver said that the team has made a lot of
improvements that have enabled them to make this move.
Crew chief Chip Bolin can see the impact the recent swing has had on his team.
“These past four races have been extremely important for us in building momentum,” he said. “We just need to keep working and keep improving our cars’ performance in order to give us a shot in the Chase. The guys at the shop have done a great job building these cars, and our pit crew is doing better and better each week, so I’m happy with the job our guys are doing. But, we’ve got to get our cars to perform better, and that falls on me.”
| | Posted June 12, 2008 , 5:36 pm EST
Last Updated June 13, 2008 , 7:27 pm EST | | | | | | | | | | |
