Published: Feb. 20, 2016
Kenseth not contemplating retirement
6-time Slinger Nationals champ feels good
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News
Matt Kenseth is not deterred by the retirement of Jeff
Gordon and the pending retirement of Tony Stewart, despite the similarity in
age among the three.
“Age is just a number,” Kenseth said. For Kenseth, that
number will be 44 on March 10. And this season, the number is 17 — his 17th
full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Gordon retired after last season.
He will turn 45 in August. Stewart has indicated this season will be his last.
He turns 45 in May.
Kenseth shrugged off the notion that retirement is close.
“I haven’t thought about it,” said Kenseth, who will start
Sunday’s Daytona 500 on the outside of the front row next to 20-year-old rookie
Chase Elliott. Elliott turns 21 in November.
In a historical connection, Kenseth’s NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series debut came in 1998 as a substitute driver for Bill Elliott so he could
attend his father’s funeral. Bill Elliott is Chase Elliott’s father.
Again, according to Kenseth, age is just a number.
“I’m where I want to be,” Kenseth said. “I love racing. I
have great sponsors, a great team and great teammates. I feel better than I’ve
felt in a long time.
“I’m still capable of winning races.”
Since joining Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013 after a 14year run
with Jack Roush and Roush Fenway Racing, Kenseth has won 12 races in 106
starts. He won 14 races from 20062012. There were those who thought Kenseth was
losing his competitiveness.
Instead, Kenseth has found a different gear and is in
potentially the best three-year stretch of his career, showing no signs of
slowing down as he approaches his mid-40s.
How long can Kenseth go? He doesn’t know.
Kenseth is approaching the age where most of the sport’s
greatest drivers either called it a career or won what turned out to be their
last race.
Richard Petty was 55 when he retired, but was 47 when he won
his last race. David Pearson was 46 when he won his last race before retiring
five years later. Darrell Waltrip was 45 when he won his last race. He retired
at age 53. Cale Yarborough was 49 when he called it a career in 1988. His last
victory was in 1985.
On the flip side, Bobby Allison was 51 when he retired in
1988. His last victory was the 1988 Daytona 500.
Mark Martin won five races after he turned 50 — all in 2009.
In that year he finished second in the points for a fifth time. Martin retired
after the 2013 season at age 54.
“You just need to work at it,” Kenseth said. “A lot of
people think you just show up and drive a race car. You get back what you put
in.”
In Kenseth’s first season with JGR, he won a career-high
seven races and finished second in the points for the second time since winning
the 2003 series championship. He also finished second in 2006.
After a winless 2014 season, Kenseth bounced back with five
victories in 2015. Had it not been for an on-track dispute with Joey Logano at
Kansas and later Martinsville — which got Kenseth suspended two races for
intentionally crashing Logano while he was leading — Kenseth would have been in
the thick of the championship picture.
“There’s always things you can look back on no matter what
it is that you wish you’d do different,” Kenseth said. “Sometimes it happens
every lap. Overall, it was a great year. Throughout the year, we were in
position to win races.”
He doesn’t have to look far for motivation. One of his
teammates is the reigning series champion, Kyle Busch.
Kenseth, along with teammates Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards,
all made the Chase — NASCAR’s version of the playoffs. Those four drivers won
14 of 36 races and qualified on pole position in 11 races.
“We’re really excited,” Kenseth said. “We ended the season
strong last season. It’d be tough not to be excited.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” he said when asked how
the JGR program has become as competitive as it is. “We’re working hard, making
the cars better. We’re unselfish as teammates.”
Kenseth is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500 (2009 and
2012). If he wins Sunday’s race, he’ll join Petty, Yarborough, Allison, Gordon
and Dale Jarrett to win the 500 at least three times. Petty won it a record
seven times.
Kenseth is one of four drivers in this year’s field trying
to win the 500 for a third time — Michael Waltrip, Jimmie Johnson and Dale
Earnhardt Jr.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Kenseth said. “It’s
my 17th try, but I’ve only won two of them. I feel like we’ve had a chance to
win a few of those.
“It’s a big deal any time you can win this race.”
Kenseth still likes to win the big races and when it comes
to the short-track scene, he’s won the Slinger Nationals a record six times.
He didn’t compete in last year’s Nationals and was second in
2014. Kenseth last won Nationals in 2012.
Kenseth said he is interested in competing in this year’s
race, which is slated for July 12. He said there is talk of being in this
year’s race.
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