NASCAR Talk

Sure, it may be the off season for the NASCAR drivers and their teams, but it seems like they never really get time off with sponsor obligations and all of the other fan appreciation, team events, and self promotional appearances they have to do. There are lots of events and television appearances coming up for some of your favorite drivers, so I thought maybe we’d take some time today and list what the upcoming scheduled appearances are for the Sprint Cup drivers the rest of this month.

Of course, the following line ups and events are subject to change and you should contact the venue in order to make sure the drivers are still participating before traveling or attending.

“Paula’s Party” on the Food Network welcomes Greg Biffle to the show on Friday December 21st at 9 PM ET.

Matt Kenseth and his former crew chief Robbie Reiser will be signing autographs on Saturday December 22nd at the Matt Kenseth Fan Club Store in Cambridge, Wisconsin. You must have a wristband in order to get an autograph. 600 wristbands total will be given out beginning at 9 AM CT and autographs are scheduled to begin at 12 PM CT. The actual store will not open until 10 AM CT on that day. For more information about this event, please visit the Official Matt Kenseth Website at MattKenseth.com.

Competing in the Rumble Series indoor races at the Fort Wayne Expo Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana will be Tony Stewart. The races will be on Friday December 28th and Saturday December 29th.

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver apperances December 2007, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle

Name : Matt Kenseth
Car #: 17
Series : Sprint Cup
Sponsor : DEWALT NANO Technology
Manufacturer : Ford
Car Owner : John Henry
Team : Roush Fenway Racing
Crew Chief : Robbie Reiser
Birthday: March 10,1972
Hometown: Cambridge, Wis.
Resides: Mooresville, N.C.
Personal: Married (Katie) with son (Ross)

Matt Kenseth may have ended #4 in the points for the Nextel Cup championship this year, but he sure finished on a strong note when he won the final race at Homestead Miami Speedway to send his crew chief off on a high note (Robbie Reiser is moving up the ladder at Roush Fenway Racing to a VP position).

Matt started off racing at the age of 16 after helping his dad work on the car for three years in his native Wisconsin. By the age of 19, he was racing with such legends in late model cars as Dick Trickle on the Wisconsin tracks. He soon set a record for being the ARTGO Challenge Series winner in history (which, ironically, was an honor previously held by Mark Martin). He also became the youngest winner of the Miller Genuine Draft National championships in 1994.

In 1997, fellow Wisconsin racer Robbie Reiser asked Matt to drive his Reiser Enterprises Busch car. Matt finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings with only 21 starts. The following year saw him finish second in the Busch Series points and also drive his way to a 6th place finish in his first ever Cup race for Bill Elliott. Catching the eye of Jack Roush, Kenseth was asked to drive 5 races the following year for Roush Racing.

In 2000, Matt became a full time Cup driver and easily won the Rookie of the Year honors. In 2003, Kenseth stayed atop the point standings in the Cup series for 34 weeks and cruised to a championship title (the first for Roush Racing). He has competed in the Chase for the Championship every year since they changed the point system.

Matt Kenseth Websites:
Roush Fenway Racing
Matt Kenseth Official Site
NASCAR.com Driver Page

If you know a great Matt Kenseth Website that should be added to the list, please leave a comment below!

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver Bios, Matt Kenseth Bio

Do you remember just a couple of years ago when all five Rousch Racing teams made the Chase for the Championship? The organization was lauded for its teamwork and how the company could keep all five superstars happy. Well, it’s now 2007 and it looks like that idealistic view of Roush Fenway Racing is just a distant memory.

Only 2 of the Roush Fenway teams made the Chase this year, and it seems that has led to some tension in the garage, and as of Sunday’s race in Martinsville, on pit road after the race. While SPEED TV’s camera’s rolled, Carl Edwards confronted Matt Kenseth about something that clearly made him extremely irritated. There was no audio at the skirmish, but the television cameras caught Edwards forcibly pushing Kenseth against the pit wall and poking at his chest as he angrily laid into him. At the end of the discussion, Carl Edwards threw a fake punch in Kenseth’s direction, which caused Kenseth to visibly flinch. After Edwards walked away, Kenseth returned to his interview with Bob Dillner. Edwards has since apologized for his behavior, and Matt Kenseth has gone on record saying that Edwards has always been a loose cannon with some serious mood swings. It was mentioned they hadn’t had a conversation in probably six months.

That leads me to the purpose of this post. What in the world has happened to Roush Fenway Racing? Greg Biffle is clearly not happy in his situation, Edwards and Kenseth are apparently feuding, Jamie McMurray is hardly on the radar, and rookie David Ragan has had to come into this and try to fend for himself. There was a time when the term “Roush Racing” would get respect and envy of other teams trying to compete with the powerhouse. Now it’s not much more than a hot mess. Will they be able to get back to the top? What do you think it will take to make things work again? Is there much of a choice other than dumping some of the drivers and rebuilding? Let me know what you think in the comments.

NASCAR, Roush Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth fight