Matt Kenseth

Birthday: 03/10/1972
Hometown: Cambridge, WI , United States

YEAR-BY-YEAR CUP SERIES RECAP

2011 -- Finished fourth in series points. ... Improved Loop Data Driver Rating 13 points over 2010. ... Seeded fourth for seventh run in Chase for NASCAR Sprint Cup. ... Won three races, his most since 2006. ... Won at Texas-1, Dover-1 and Charlotte-2. ... Average finish of 12.2. ... Won career-best three poles, at Las Vegas, Chicagoland and Phoenix-2. ... Career-best average start of 14.2. ... Three DNFs, including a "payback" dumping by an incident with Brian Vickers at Phoenix-2, hurt title hopes. ... Completed 97.8 percent of laps attempted. ... Led 875 laps, best total since 2007. ... Had fourth-best bonus point total, 34. ... Was in top-five in six key Loop Data categories.

2010 -- Finished fifth in series points. ... Seeded 11th for sixth run in Chase. ... Started season with five consecutive top-10s, never fell out of Chase position all season. ... Ended season working with veteran crew chief Jimmy Fennig, with three consecutive top-10s. ... Best start second (Martinsville-1, Talladega-1), average start 19.4. ... Best finish second (Atlanta-1, Texas-2), average finish 12.8. ... Average Driver Rating 85.6. ... Running at finish of every race. ... Sixth in Percentage of Laps Run on Lead Lap (91.54 percent of 10,778 laps).

2009 -- Finished 14th in series points. ... Failed to qualify for the Chase for the first time since its inception in 2004. ... Held the 12th and final Chase spot entering the final regular season race at Richmond, but finished 25th and fell to 14th. ... Won the first two races of the season (Daytona, Auto Club), with first-time crew chief Drew Blickensderfer, but had just five top fives in the ensuing 34 races. ... Became just the fifth driver to open a season with consecutive wins. He joined Marvin Panch (1957), Bob Welborn (1959), David Pearson (1976) and Jeff Gordon (1997).... Kenseth passed Elliott Sadler on the last lap of green-flag racing and waited out a rain delay that became a rain-shortened victory in the Daytona 500. The race was halted after 152 laps.

2008 -- Finished 11th in series points. ... Top finish was second at Dover on Sept. 21. ... Had five top-10 finishes during the Chase. ... Ended streaks of winning at least one race in six consecutive seasons and finishing in the top 10 in the standings in six consecutive seasons.

2007 -- Finished fourth in series points. ... Has finished in the top 10 in the standings for six consecutive seasons, tied with Jimmie Johnson for the most. ... Won two races -- Fontana (February) and Homestead. Has won at least one race in six consecutive seasons. ... Finished season with 13 top-fives and 22 top-10s. ... Led a lap in 20 different races, leading the most in four of them.

2006 -- Finished second in series points. ... Won four races -- Fontana (February), Dover (June), Michigan (August) and Bristol (August). ... Won back-to-back races (Michigan and Bristol) for the second time in his career. ... Tied for the series high with 15 top-five finishes. ... Only spent one week outside the top 10 (finished 15th in season-opening Daytona 500). ... Was either first or second in points for 27 of 36 weeks. ... Led 1,132 laps, second among all drivers.

2005 -- Finished seventh in series points. ... Led a career-high 1,001 laps ... With 12 races to go before the Chase, rallied from 24th place in the standings and 320 points out of 10th to make the cutoff.

2004 -- Finished eighth in series points. ... Finished with two wins. Won back-to-back races early in the year at Rockingham (February) and Las Vegas (March). ... His win at Rockingham was a photo finish with Kasey Kahne. ... Began the Chase in fifth place and finished eighth. ... One of only four drivers to be ranked in the top 10 all season.

2003 -- Won the series championship. ... Finished with one win, 11 top-fives and a series-high 25 top-10s. ... Only two DNFs, the first at Kansas in the season's 30th event, and the second at Homestead in the season finale, after clinching the series crown. ... Spent 35 of 36 weeks in the top 10; his only week outside it coming after a 20th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500. ... Assumed the points lead after a fourth-place finish at Atlanta, the season's fourth race, and held it for 33 consecutive weeks. ... Clinched the title following a fourth-place finish at Rockingham in Week 35.

2002 -- Finished eighth in series points. ... Won a series-high five races (Texas, Phoenix, Michigan, Rockingham and Richmond), a career-best. ... Finished with 11 top-fives and 19 top-10s. ... Pole-sitter at Dover spring race.

2001 -- Finished 13th in series points. ... Finished fourth at Michigan, Talladega, New Hampshire and Phoenix for his only top-fives. ... Qualified inside the top 20 just six times and none better than 13th. ... Team won the World Pit Crew Competition championship at Rockingham in October.

2000 -- Finished 14th in series points. ... Won Raybestos Rookie of the Year title over Dale Earnhardt Jr. ... Won the circuit's longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, at Charlotte for his first career win. ... Followed that performance with a second-place finish the following weekend at Dover.... Posted 11 top-10 finishes including the Daytona 500.

1999 -- Finished 49th in series points. ... Drove five races for Roush Racing in preparation for his rookie season. ... Scored his first career top-five finish at Dover, where he finished fourth. ... Also ran at Michigan, Darlington, Charlotte and Rockingham in second half of season.

1998 -- Finished 57th in series points, driving in only one race. ... Drove the No. 94 Ford in place of Bill Elliott at Dover so Elliott could attend his father's funeral. ... Finished sixth in the race.

PREVIOUS RACING HISTORY

In 2011 won 26th career NASCAR Nationwide Series race in his only start. ... Won the 2004 International Race of Champions (IROC) competition by winning the final two races in the four-race schedule. ... Has 26 career NASCAR Nationwide Series wins in 248 starts. ... Won at least one Nationwide Series in 11 of 13 seasons between 1998 and 2009. ... Finished third in 1999 Nationwide Series standings with four wins and two poles. ...Was second in 1998 Nationwide Series points race with three victories. ... First Nationwide Series win came at Rockingham. ... First Nationwide Series ride in April 1997 was with a team owned by Robbie Reiser, his crew chief in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for eight years. ... Started just 21 Nationwide races in 1997 and finished second in the Rookie of the Year race. ... Was running second in the 1997 American Speed Association standings when he left for the Nationwide Series. ... Began his short-track career at age 16, winning his first feature in his third race while he was still a high-school junior. ... Won 10 features in his first two seasons at tracks around Wisconsin and had 46 super late model victories over the next three seasons. ... Won 1993 Alan Kulwicki Memorial race at Slinger Speedway and track titles at Madison International and Wisconsin International tracks the following year. ... Won another track title at Wisconsin International in 1995 and had 15 wins in 60 races. ... Made his NASCAR Southeast Series debut in 1995, finishing in the top three in three of four starts. ... Won one race and finished third in the 1996 Hooters ProCup Series. In 1991 became youngest driver to win an ARTGO Racing Series feature, breaking mark set previously by his former Roush Fenway Racing teammate Mark Martin.

NOTEWORTHY

Worked on father's race car for three years before starting to drive it. "My dad made me a deal when I was 13," Kenseth said. "He would buy a race car and drive it if I would work on it and keep it up. Then, when I turned 16, I could drive the car. It was hard work but it was also a great experience and really prepared me to do more than just steer the car." ... Avid Green Bay Packers fan who exchanged helmets with quarterback Brett Favre at a 2003 Monday Night Football game at Lambeau Field. ... Operates fan club headquarters from the free admission Matt Kenseth Museum at 700 Kenseth Way, Cambridge, WI 53523. ... Son Ross Kenseth is attending Clemson University and is in the formative stages of his own racing career, supported by his father and grandfather. ... Active on Twitter: @Matt_Kenseth17.