Matt Kenseth Daytona preview

Matt Kenseth: Rookie No More

Matt Kenseth's Performance Summary at Daytona: <pre> Date Start Finish Laps Money Status 2/20/00 24th 10th 200/200 $198,196 Running 7/1/00 22nd 20th 160/160 $55,480 Running </pre> Matt Kenseth:

Kenseth on the off-season: "This DEWALT Racing team did some fine-tuning during the off-season. We placed a lot of focus on the engine department in order to find more horsepower; practicing pit stops to be more efficient; and the body shop to improve overall aerodynamics."

Kenseth on 2001: "This year we are going to focus on our qualifying package. I've never been a great qualifier, so hopefully we can improve on that this year.

Kenseth on the "Sophomore Jinx": "I'm not a superstitious person. I don't believe in the jinx. Tony Stewart won 6 races in his sophomore year. That was the most races won overall so I'm not worried about that."

In proud recognition of Matt Kenseth capturing the Raybestos Rookie of the Year title, DEWALT Industrial Tools has designed a special paint scheme for Speedweeks and the Daytona 500. The all-yellow car will feature the Raybesos Rookie of the Year logo on the hood. The paint scheme is the first of as many as four different paint schemes for the 2001 season commemorating DEWALT's launch of new tools.

During off-season testing at Daytona International Speedway, Kenseth posted the fastest stand-alone time for the total off-season test. Kenseth posted an average lap speed of 182.217 mph/49.377 seconds on the 2.5-mile tri-oval.

Matt Kenseth will be using the newly developed Head and Neck Support device for Daytona. The device is utilized to decrease the chance for head and neck injuries in the event of an accident. Kenseth stated, "It takes a while to get used to wearing, but the advantage of wearing the HANS is you have a much better chance of survival in a wreck. There is nothing that compares to that when something can increase your chances of walking away from an accident. I guess if there has to be a disadvantage, it would be that no one wants to be the first to wear it. Roush Racing is very committed to driver safety, so I'll be wearing the HANS."

Jon Howland has recently been named Motorsports Manager of DEWALT Racing. Howland formerly headed up DEWALT's marketing efforts as he managed the Lowes account for DEWALT. Howland's goal is to utilize the sponsorship of the No. 17 team to accelerate the growth of DEWALT Power Tools and Accessories. The racing sponsorship is an integral part of DEWALT's product launch strategy for 2001.

<pre> WINSTON CUP PERFORMANCE SUMMARY

Year    Owner                   Races   Wins    Top 5   Top 10  Poles   Money Won
1998    B. Elliott               1      0       0        1      0       $42,340
1999    M.Martin/ Roush          5      0       1        1      0       $143,561
2000    M. Martin/ Roush        34      1       4       11      0       $2,150,764
Total                           40      1       5       13      0       $2,336,665

-Amy Walsh