By Mark Spoor, Turner Sports Interactive
March 11, 2004
2:46 PM EST (1946 GMT)
Much like he was throughout the 2003 campaign, Matt Kenseth is once again the talk of the Nextel Cup Series.
Kenseth, who won his second consecutive Nextel Cup race last Sunday at Las Vegas, will be the subject of a feature piece on Sunday's NASCAR on FOX prerace show from Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The defending Cup champion took a lot of heat for winning the title with just one win in 2003. He says that kind of talk doesn't bother him.
"I've learned it's always something," Kenseth said. "It would be hard for anybody to argue that we didn't have a dominant car at Rockingham, and all you saw in the headlines was that the caution didn't fall right, that we weren't on the lead lap and we shouldn't have won.
"But I'd rather have 'em talking about me because we're doing so good than something else, I guess," Kenseth added, grinning.
Kenseth also holds the points lead one week earlier than he did last season. He leads the pack by 88 points heading to Atlanta, where he finished fourth last March and 11th last October.
Hot spots: Darrell Waltrip will give viewers another installment of his "Hot Spot" feature this week, outlining a part of Atlanta Motor Speedway that could present drivers with some problems.
Which way did he go: During the latter stages of Sunday's race, a comment was made that Scott Riggs had spun his No. 10 Chevrolet. Yet viewers did not see the car spun around -- live or even on replay.
Strange.
Quote of the week: "We need about 20 more miles to each one of these races." Kasey Kahne after finishing in the runner-up spot for the second consecutive Nextel Cup race.
Ask The Producer: This week's question comes from Will Reynolds in Nashville:
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Why did you change the font that you use for your leader ticker that scrolls driver's positions across the top of the screen? I think it's hard to read.
NASCAR on FOX producer Neil Goldberg explains:
"Will, Fox Sports took on a new graphics look starting with the NFL season. As we have implemented this into racing we have made adjustments to make things more readable for the viewer. I hope you find this as well in future telecasts."
Let your voice be heard: Each week, we'll pick one question to ask the producer of the NBC/TNT telecast. Why did they do things this way? Why did they talk to that driver? Any question that eats at you could be answered right here in the Viewer's Guide.
Send your questions to the e-mail box in this piece.
The Rant: This week, two users debate whether TV coverage of NASCAR is better now, or before the most recent TV contract, when ESPN covered Cup events.
Jeremy Blood of Hartford, Vt. fires first:
Who cares whether NBC or FOX is better? They're both much better than any networks before the new TV deal. Remember Bob Jenkins?
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Denise Midgett of Jacksonville, Fla. likes her racing old school:
I've watched racing for well over 25 years now and I have to say that even though this TV package has gotten more ratings than ever before, the two networks do a pathetic job focusing on the real aspects of the racing (the drivers, crews & owners) and instead focus on their sponsored gimmicks which add no value to the race viewer's experience.
I have to say that I miss ESPN's coverage,even though it tended to be shortened, because they understood racing and what race fans wanted to see.
Get in on the action: In "The Rant," we'll pick two e-mails each week to argue both sides of a TV coverage issue, be it a commentator's comment, a driver's comment, a pre-race feature -- basically anything you want to spout off about.
Come with an intelligent, passionate argument and you may see your take on NASCAR.com.
Again, since we're into the season now, please keep your e-mails to television coverage issues.
On to this weekend's schedule:
Site: Hampton, Ga.
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval, 24-degree banking in turns. Frontstretch: 2,332 feet, Backstretch: 1,800 feet)
Race distance: 325 laps, 500.5 miles
TV: Bud Pole Qualifying: SPEED 3 p.m. ET Friday. Happy Hour: FX. 11 a.m. ET Saturday. Race: FOX, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.
 | Last year |  | Labonte passes Gordon and hangs on for the win
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|  | Jeff Burton and Jimmie Johnson have problems
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Last year: Bobby Labonte dominated the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500, leading 172 of 325 laps.
Last race: Kenseth got his second Cup win in a row Sunday, dominating the UAW DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas for the second straight year.
Potential storyline: Other than the considerable love that will be shown to Kenseth, look for some attention to be paid to Bobby Labonte, who leads active drivers with six Atlanta victories.
Point to ponder: A total of 13 Atlanta races have been won from the pole, the most recent being Bobby Labonte in 1996.
Speaking of poles, Ryan Newman won the Bud Pole for both Atlanta races last year.
Site: Hampton, Ga.
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.54-mile oval, 24-degree banking in turns. Frontstretch: 2,332 feet, Backstretch: 1,800 feet)
Race distance: 134 laps, 200 miles
| NCTS Preview |  | Crawford and Lester tell you about Atlanta
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TV: Race: SPEED, 1 p.m. ET Saturday.
Last year: Inaugural event
Last race: Carl Edwards won the crash-filled Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 13.
Potential storyline: Dennis Setzer notched his 21st consecutive top-10 finish at Daytona, a streak that began May 30, 2003 at Dover. He's just three shy of Jack Sprague's record of 24, a string that opened on July 27, 1997 and ran through July 18, 1998.
Point to ponder: On Saturday, Atlanta Motor Speedway will become the 42nd different venue to host a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.
Mark Spoor is an associate producer of NASCAR.com. The Domino's Viewers Guide appears each Thursday during race weeks.
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