NASCAR
The Top-10 NASCAR Wins for Matt Kenseth
As a newly-minted member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2023, let’s take a look back on the career of Matt Kenseth. One of a long racing lineage from Wisconsin, Kenseth achieved the highest honors in the sport. Lasting over 20 years behind the wheel of a Cup car, Kenseth totaled 39 Cup wins for two fellow Hall of Fame owners. Along with his 29 Xfinity Series wins, here’s a ranking of Matt Kenseth’s top-10 NASCAR wins.
10. 2016 AAA 400
With uncertainties about his career longevity, Matt Kenseth put on a show for his first win of 2016. A massive late restart pileup gave him the lead. After that, driver 20 had to hold off two of the best young talents for the win. Despite a knockdown drag-out fight lap after lap, neither Kyle Larson or Chase Elliott could get by Kenseth. While both champions today, at this time Elliott and Larson were both still going for their first career victory. This win put the Joe Gibbs Racing team into the 2016 Playoffs, where Kenseth finished fifth in points.
9. 2013 Kobalt Tools 400
2013 marked the biggest change of Matt Kenseth’s full-time career, moving from Roush-Fenway Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing. In only his third race with the No. 20 team Kenseth found victory lane at Las Vegas, holding off a hard-charging Kasey Kahne. Only adding onto this win’s importance, it fell on Kenseth’s 41st birthday. Kenseth became only the third driver in Cup Series history to score a birthday victory. This also marked the first of a career-best seven wins for Kenseth in 2013. His first year with JGR would see Kenseth play championship runner-up. Kenseth’s career was defined by two eras: his days in the Roush 17 and his time in the JGR 20. This was the first of many wins he would give Toyota.
8. 2012 Good Sam 500
One of Matt Kenseth’s most unexpected wins, his lone Talladega triumph was a thriller. After a lackluster start to the 2012 Playoffs, the 17 was second at the white flag in overtime. After Tony Stewart threw a bad block that took out 25 cars, Kenseth’s pink Ford was first to the line. A title long shot at that point, Talladega kicked off a run ending with the 17 seventh in standings.
7. 2005 Sharpie 500
The 10-man 2005 NASCAR Playoffs is remembered for including all five Roush drivers. For Matt Kenseth however, this postseason berth was the result of a massive summer recovery. At a dismal 28th in points after eight races, Kenseth’s 17 team rallied to make the Playoffs against all odds. This marathon by Kenseth was emphasized at the Bristol Night Race. Starting on pole, Kenseth led 415 of 500 laps in one of his most dominant wins. Snapping a 56-race losing streak, Kenseth cemented himself back in the Playoff conversation. The steady march toward the top 10 in points after race 26 continued onward. Bristol was always a strong track for Kenseth, winning here again a year later, and twice more with JGR.
6. 1998 GM Goodwrench Service Plus 200
At the time a largely unknown young prospect, Matt Kenseth’s first Xfinity win was memorable to say the least. In race two of 1998 at Rockingham, Kenseth’s Reiser Enterprises Chevrolet booted Tony Stewart from the lead in the final turn. David truly beat Goliath that day; the family-owned team took down the hotshot open wheel star with Joe Gibbs Racing. If not for this moment, Mark Martin may not have ever told Jack Roush to hire Kenseth. The first NASCAR win for Kenseth, Rockingham put him in the spotlight of many as a future star.
Kenseth recalled this win alongside fellow Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the induction ceremony. Earnhardt called this moment “really Earnhardt-like.” Kenseth quickly responded though, by saying “No, [Stewart] actually finished.”
5. 2000 Coca-Cola 600
After making a few starts in 1999, Matt Kenseth became a full-time driver in Roush’s No. 17 Ford for 2000. While overshadowed by Dale Earnhardt Jr’s simultaneous rookie season, the 17 did edge the 8 for Rookie of the Year. This award was largely thanks to Kenseth’s first career win, in the Coca-Cola 600. A first win is a memorable for every driver; Kenseth also joined an elite list as a first-time winner in the 600.
4. 2004 Subway 400
As defending champion, Kenseth earned an emotional win in the second race of 2004 at Rockingham. The final Cup race at this track, the 17 won out in a photo finish with rookie Kasey Kahne. After winning early in 2003 en route to the title, Rockingham was the first of back-to-back wins for Kenseth. Fans of Rockingham Speedway have wanted Cup cars back at the unique one-mile oval ever since. Kenseth was the 78th and final Cup Series winner in this track’s history.
3. 2003 UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400
The lone win of Matt Kenseth’s 2003 championship came in week three at Las Vegas. After starting 17th, the 17 moved forward. Leading 88 laps, Kenseth beat Dale Jr. to the checkers by nine seconds. Little did anyone know at the time, but this began one of the most consistent seasons in NASCAR history. In 2003, Kenseth saw 25 top-10s and clinched the championship a week early. The 17 team likewise led the points for all but three weeks. Roush earned their place in NASCAR history, as the final Winston Cup champions.
2. 2012 Daytona 500
The 2012 Daytona 500 has aged interestingly in NASCAR history. Danica Patrick’s Cup debut, a Monday night rainout, the jet dryer incident, and finishing Tuesday morning, Matt Kenseth took the Harley J. Earl Trophy at the end of the long night. Kenseth’s second Daytona 500 win, this one went the full distance and reaffirmed him and Jimmy Fennig as part of the Roush dynasty. Starting an incredible regular season for the 17, Kenseth was atop the points for much of 2012.
1. 2017 Can-Am 500
Only a week after announcing retirement, Matt Kenseth earned his final career win at Phoenix. Much like with Jeff Gordon in 2015 or Tony Stewart in 2016, fans in 2017 saw Kenseth take one more checkered flag. No longer in the Playoffs, Kenseth passed the still-winless Chase Elliott with 10 to go and never looked back. Career win 39 was perhaps the sweetest for the veteran; he took in extra time to soak up this victory. A rarely emotional Kenseth even shed a tear on the frontstretch, standing tall one more time. While Kenseth did come back two more times in 2018 and 2020, he was unable to find victory lane again.
Whether at Roush or Joe Gibbs Racing, Matt Kenseth was a fan favorite and elite driver for decades. The 2003 champion is now rightfully along other NASCAR legends in the Hall of Fame. Now fully in the rearview mirror, it is incredible to see how much Kenseth did accomplish in such short time.
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter
Photo Credit to Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR
