When the subjext of Matt Kenseth is brought
up, NASCAR veteran Mark is unable to conceal a smile. Mark often
gets a little giddy when talking about his future teammate at
Roush Racing. Matt is going to be...... the
next Tony Stewart in Winston Cup racing," says Mark, who is
sparing with praise. "Not everybody has ability like [Kenseth].
He is gonna be big." Kenseth already is well known in
Busch Grand National racing, where he is in a close battle with
Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the series title for the second year in
a row. This year, Kenseth also has begun
establishing himself in Winston Cup, while running a limited schedule.
The 27-year-old driver from Cambridge Wis., has a pair of top-15 finishes
in three races and will run two more - Sunday's UAW-GM Quality 500 at
Lowe's Motor Speedway and the Rockingham 400 on Oct 24.
"I don't know how I am going to do [this wekend],"
said Kenseth, who qualified 27th. "I'm a little worried about Charlotte,
because I have never been there in a Winston Cup car."
Lack of experience didn't keep Kenseth
from turning heads at Dover Downs two weeks ago. He finished fourth
at The Monster Mile, trailing Mark, rookie sensation Stewart,
and points leader Dale Jarrett.
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In the garage area after the race, Jarrett
was one of several drivers who sought out Kenseth to offer congratulations.
Mark paid his respects to the youngster from the winner's circle.
"You know, I'm just glad to get this
win because I don't know how many more of them I'm gonna be able
to get with [Kenseth] out there," Mark said. "He's spectacular."
Mark has been taken a keen interest
in Kenseth, and was responsible for landing the promising rookie for
multicar owner Jack Rousch. Mark teams with Jeff Burton, while Kenseth
will be paired with Chad Little next season.
"Matt has got great instincts for
being a race car driver," Rousch said. "He attracted the attention
of Mark for having the "right stuff" and having a thought process
that was good." Kenseth peaked at Dover Downs but also
had a strong 14th-place showing at the second Michigan race. He
was running among the leaders at Darlington before being involved
in a wreck and placing 37th.
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With so many race teams still
looking for drivers for next year, Kenseth knows he could have
gotton a more lucrative deal if he hadn't signed already with Rousch.
He doesn't care.
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"Im not driven by money," Kenseth
said. "I'm driven by winning races. Mark told me that winning
races was what Rousch Racing was all about. I trust in Mark, and
believe everything he has told me."
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Kenseth met his mentor for the first
time at a drivers meeting at the second Talledega race of 1997.
Mark walked right up to the wide-eyed Kenseth and introduced
himself.
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"The following Monday he called me
and said he wanted to sign me up with Roush and wanted to try to
do something for the future to help my path to Winston Cup progress
a little faster than it would without [his] help," Kenseth recalled.
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Kenseth initially targeted the 1999 season
as his transiton to Winston Cup. However, after talking it over
with Mark, Roush and others, Kenseth agreed to do another tour
of duty in a Grand National car.
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"In my heart, I knew I needed another year
[of Busch experience], but you can never get somewhere too fast I don't
think," Kenseth said. "You do need experience, but in my mind
I always want to do it now. I'm not a patient person.
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Despite the impatience, Kenseth
has flourished with another full year on the Busch circuit. In
27 races, Kenseth has four victories, 13 finishes in the top five
and 17 in the top 10. He is second in the points standings, trailing
best friend Earnhardt by 113 points with five remaining races, including
Saturday's All Pro Bumper to Bumper 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
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