After finishing 2nd in the last race of the 2013 NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series season, Matt Kenseth finished second in the championship
standings, 19 points behind now reigning six time champion, Jimmie Johnson. Kenseth
gave it his best shot, but in the end could not clinch his second championship
despite his stellar year. After 36 races, he finished with seven wins, 12 top
fives and 20 top tens. In addition, his overall average finish this season was
12.1, which is his fourth best in a full time season.
Statistically, he has been stronger this year than in his
championship-winning season in 2003 where he won with only one victory, 11 top
tens and 25 top tens. Kenseth only led 345 laps that season compared to 1,639
laps in 2013.
Kenseth did not have a great start to the 2013 season as he
finished 37th in the season opening Daytona 500 after his engine blew with 51
laps to go. Fortunately he quickly rebounded and visited victory lane three
times in a span of nine races. Kenseth continued posting wins and good finishes
all throughout the regular season.
As the Chase approached, the veteran driver was turning
heads. Many felt he was a legitimate threat to compete and possibly beat
Johnson in the Chase - the five time champion’s forte.
Kenseth didn’t disappoint as the Chase began, winning the
first two races at Chicogoland Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The
battle between Johnson and Kenseth stayed close throughout the Chase. At one
point, the drivers were tied at the top of the championship point standings
heading into the eighth Chase race at Texas Motor Speedway.
It looked to be a battle down to the last lap at Homestead but
at Phoenix International Raceway, the complexion of the contender’s competition
changed completely. Kenseth’s car was unruly during the whole race and stayed
behind 20th position for the last half of the race.
Kenseth was 19 points behind Johnson in the standings going
into Homestead. The No. 20 team’s only chance of claiming the championship this
year was if Johnson had major adversity in the race. The adversity never came,
making Johnson a six time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. Despite not being
the one with his name engraved on the trophy, Kenseth was still very pleased
with the season.
“It was just an unbelievable year for us really” Kenseth
said after the race at Homestead, “Obviously, we wanted to finish off and win
the championship as good as we ran all year, but couldn’t be more proud of the
whole Dollar General/Home Depot Toyota team. They did a spectacular job all
season…”
The 40 year old seems to be defying the odds as he is experiencing
his most successful season later in his career. With his new team at Joe Gibbs
Racing, it seems like his career has been rejuvenated. Could the driver of the
No.20 Home Depot/Dollar General Toyota continue his success for a few more
years? It is certainly possible. Kenseth’s new home at JGR seems to be a great
fit with his crew chief Jason Ratcliff and No.20 team.
“…I think that's part of the key, is our relationship.”
Kenseth said of Ratcliff a few months ago, “I guess we hit it off right away
from first time we met, kind of talked about things from the first time we went
to the racetrack together.”
“Definitely it's a team effort. The whole organization
there, everybody that works on those cars, engines, gets them to the racetrack,
pits them, it's the whole thing. It's been a good combination.”
As the 2014 season quickly approaches, look for Kenseth to
be a top contender once again. His success this year may mark the beginning of
what we will see from him in the next few years.
