NASCAR Cup

BUSCH: Phoenix II: Matt Kenseth preview

FAST FACTS * Matt Kenseth's average finish of 20.8 at Phoenix International Raceway ranks ninth among the 10 tracks in the Chase. * Kenseth will run the USG Sheetrock paint scheme for the third and final time in 2006. * PIR is one of four ...

Edited: Apr 16, 2008, 12:40 AM

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FAST FACTS

* Matt Kenseth's average finish of 20.8 at Phoenix International Raceway ranks ninth among the 10 tracks in the Chase.

* Kenseth will run the USG Sheetrock paint scheme for the third and final time in 2006.

* PIR is one of four tracks in the Chase where Kenseth has scored victories during his Cup career. The other three are: Dover, Charlotte and Texas.

* In his last visit to each of the remaining two tracks, Kenseth has scored finishes of: third at Phoenix in April, and third at Homestead last November

* Despite notching a win in 2002 at PIR, Kenseth's average finish there is just 20.8; third only to Homestead (25.5) and Sonoma (22.0) as statistically his worst track.

* Kenseth will be racing the No. 17 Pennzoil Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Busch Series on Saturday. For his career, Kenseth has notched five top-ten finishes in seven starts in the Busch Series at Phoenix.

Kenseth on racing at Phoenix International Raceway: "I enjoy racing a
Phoenix. We've had some ups and downs there but it's a good track and we've had our share of success. It's one of the tracks we've won at and that will give us a little bit of confidence going in. Hopefully this weekend will add to that confidence. We can definitely use some momentum. It's getting down to crunch time and that means no more mistakes. A mistake at this point could cost us big time. We have to stay focused on our team and our performance and let everything else fall where it may. All we can do is our best and we'll just see how it turns out."

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Phoenix International Raceway:
"We're bringing the same car we ran at Phoenix earlier this year. We have to get our cars running better and give ourselves a chance on Sunday. We can't keep pulling out top-15 finishes from cars that can barely run in the top 25. We're very fortunate to finish where we did in Texas. We didn't run anywhere near as good as we finished, but I have to credit the guys on the team. They never quit and we found a way to get a respectable finish. We feel pretty good about the car we're bringing this weekend. We can't afford anything less than our best in these next two races if we're going to have a chance to win it all."

Kenseth on racing in the Busch Series at Phoenix International Raceway:
"I'm looking forward to going to Phoenix with Jimmy and the guys. We had a rough time at Texas, which is really the first time in a long time where we haven't been competitive. We'll be looking to bounce back in a big way this weekend. Phoenix was one of the first races this season that Jimmy and I were together. I think Texas the week before was actually our first race together. We were decent but I feel confident we'll be better this time around. Phoenix is a good track. It's unique and a lot of fun. The corners drive so much differently from one another and you better have a good handling racecar or you're in for a long day, but, of course, that's pretty much any where we go. We've only got two more races and this team has run too good all year long not to win another one. We've won once, but we've come close several other times. Hopefully we can give ourselves a chance this weekend."

Crew Chief Jimmy Fennig on racing at Phoenix International Raceway:
"Last weekend in Texas was a tough one for our No. 17 Pennzoil Ford Fusion team. We've put that behind us and are ready to put forward a solid effort in Phoenix. We had a top-10 finish here in the spring and we are looking to improve on that this weekend."

-credit: roush racing

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