Matt Kenseth

At 52 years old, Matt Kenseth has this physical status:

Matthew Roy Kenseth (born March 10, 1972) is an American former professional stock car racing driver.

He appeared in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for the first time, leading the No. 82. Roush Fenway Racing's 6 Ford Fusions.

After a career with Roush Fenway Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, he had stepped away from full-time racing following the 2017 season. Kenseth began racing in Wisconsin on short tracks and gained track championships at Madison International Speedway, Slinger Super Speedway, and Wisconsin International Raceway.

Robbie Reiser, his long track rival, progressed to the ARTGO, American Speed Association, and the Hooters Late Model touring series before finding a full ride in the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) for his former Wisconsin short track rival Robbie Reiser, finishing second and third in the standings. Kenseth also advanced in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series).

In 2000 and 2003, he captured the Rookie of the Year title and the championship in 2003.

Kenseth was selected to compete in the International Race of Champions in 2004 as the reigning champion and he captured the season championship.

He won a rain-shortened Daytona 500 in 2009 and subsequently emerged as the Daytona 500 champion in 2012.

Ross Kenseth's father is he is the father of the boy.

Personal life

Kenseth is the son of Roy and Nicola Sue Kenseth. Kenseth was a boy in the 1850s when his ancestors immigrated to Wisconsin. Tosten Kjenset-degard came from County Oppland in Norway and settled in Deerfield, Wisconsin.

Kenseth married Katie Martin, a Cambridge graduate, in 2000. Ross Kenseth, Kenseth's son, has come from a previous marriage. Matt and Katie have four children: Kaylin Nicola, born on July 6, 2009, two days after Kenseth finished eighth in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona; Grace Katherine, born on February 22, 2011, two days after the Auto Club 400, and Mallory Karen, born on December 20, 2017. Ross rode in legendary cars and late models in Wisconsin, as his father did. Ross will compete in ARCA and NASCAR later this year. When Ross' wife Amber gave birth to Lexi, a boy, Kenseth became a grandfather on July 15, 2018. Colt Matthew, Kenseth's grandson, was born on April 8, 2021.

Kenseth completed the 2022 Boston Marathon and finished 141st overall and 141st in the Men's 50-54 division, a time of 3:01:40.

Kenseth is a fan of Metallica, and he named his cat after drummer Lars Ulrich. He is also a Green Bay Packers fan.

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Early life and career

Kenseth was born in Cambridge, Wisconsin. Roy should buy a car and race, and Matt will race until he was old enough to compete. Kenseth began racing in 1988 at the age of 16 at Madison International Speedway. "My dad bought a car when I was 13 years old and raced it at Madison," Kenseth said. "Neither of us knew much and it was a learning experience." He continued to run in 1988 and 1989. "My first car, and maybe even a sportsman," Todd Kropf's 1981 Camaro was the winner of the Madison and Columbus 151 Speedway championships. I won a feature on the third night out. I ran 15 features in 1983 and two of them were a hit. "Matef's first night out in the Kropf race Matt won a heat race," Kenseth's father Roy said. "He won the feature by stopping two of the best drivers at the track, Pete Moore and Dave Phillips, for 20 laps." Matt was a hit. "I knew then that he was going to be a racer." On Saturday nights at Wisconsin Dells, he ran for the points championship. He came in second in points and eight features. He ran about half of the Golden Sands Speedway and half at Columbus 151 Speedway on Friday nights. He acquired a late model from Rich Bickle in 1990. Kenseth took the lead and won his first race of the season when track champion Tony Strupp had a flat tire. He came in sixth in season points and was voted track's rookie of the year award. Kenseth participated in fifteen ARTGO events this season and fought in 40 features. Kenseth worked for four years for Left-hander Chassis, a late model racecar chassis manufacturer just south of the Wisconsin-Illinois border after graduating from Cambridge High School this summer. In 1991, he won the ARTGO contest at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway to become the youngest champion in the series's history. He defeated Joe Shear and Steve Holzhausen while still holding off Steve and Tom Carlson for the victory. Kenseth's 1992 was a difficult year. He won three races and had more engines than he could count. After the season, he was able to stop racing. "I felt we were stuck," he said. "I wasn't learning" as a result. At the end of the year, my dad and I had some serious discussions. We had to find the money for a good cause or I told him I would rather not race." For the season-final race at La Crosse, Kipley Performance loaned a motor to Kenseth, and the team did a good job. Kenseth created a Kipley engine in 1993, which was used to build a new car. He won eight features and finished second in the points at Madison. Kenseth was offered the opportunity to race his late model, but the pair took some time before they started winning awards. They were also champions of the final short track series race at Madison, La Crosse, and I-70 Speedway at the end of the season. In the points Butz's car at Wisconsin International Raceway, he came in third.

Kenseth was a short track star in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. When traveling on several Wisconsin tracks, Kenseth earned a nickname for himself, defeating nationally known drivers such as Dick Trickle and Robbie Reiser. In 1994, he rode 60 times in three different cars, winning track championships in both Wisconsin International Raceway (WIR) and Madison on Thursday nights and Madison on Friday nights. Kenseth took on Reiser in Madison and captured 12 of the 17 features at the track. At Slinger Super Speedway, he won the 1994 Slinger Nationals. In 1995, he starred at WIR and Runner-Up in Madison, as well as winning the Red, White, and Blue state championship series at WIR. "We knew Matt had too much talent to be with us for very long" by Butz's wife Patty Butz "We knew by 1995 that he didn't have enough time to be with us for so long."

Kenseth was planning to cross the country to compete for engine builder Carl Wegener in the Hooters Series Late Model championship in 1996. The aim was to run five Busch Series races, five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races, and five Busch Series before stepping full-time into the Busch Series in 1997. He came in third place in the Hooters Series, almost winning the series championship as a rookie. Kenseth made his Busch Series debut in 1996 at Lowe's Motor Speedway for Wegner, finishing 22nd after starting 30th in a car rented from Bobby Dotter. Kenseth was dissatisfied with their inability to obtain significant sponsorship. "It was just like 1992," Kenseth said. "Plans just didn't work." I was hoping that it would be different. I had migrated and was adjusting to being a thousand miles from home." The Wegner/Kenseth team had departed at the end of the season, but Kenseth's American Speed Association team, which was also Alan Kulwicki's last store in Wisconsin, was involved in NASCAR. In 1997, the team competed together for two races before Kenseth received a phone call from a former competitor.

Motorsports career results

(Bold) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time) is the highest in the world. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. – The most laps led.)

1 Ineligible for series championship points is still in progress.

(key)

(Bold) (Bold – Pole position) is the most important) (Most laps lead) – More laps led.)

(key) – Most laps led. Heat 1 champion is 1 in a heat. Heat 2 champion Mike Tyson is the first individual to win.

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