Matt Kenseth is the other guy.
For more than two years, Kenseth has been racing in the shadow of the competitor and friend with the famous name-Dale Earnhardt Jr.
In terms of attention and deeds, Kenseth has trailed by a few car lengths, so to speak. At almost every turn, the blue-blood son of Dale
Earnhardt seems to get there first. Kenseth finished second and third to NASCAR's latest phenom and won six fewer races in his battles with the champion for the past two Busch Series championships.
In their rookie year in Winston Cup, Kenseth spotted Junior three victories, including the non-points The Winston all-star classic, before he nailed his own first triumph in the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. Junior won in his 12th Winston Cup start, at Texas Motor Speedway, Kenseth in his 18th.
Now the runaway leaders of the freshman class are engaged in another exciting battle, this time for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors, and it appears that once again, the battle will go down to the wire.
Kenseth, a native of Cambridge, Wisconsin, a small town 20 minutes from Madison, was still anonymous in NASCAR circles when he came to the Busch Series in 1997. He is not surprised that Little Earnhardt is a media darling or that he is living up to his heritage. He is neither envious nor bothered.
"Dale Jr. gets a little more coverage than I do, and he is flashier than I am," says Kenseth, "but he deserves everything he gets. He doesn't have success because his name is Earnhardt. He's earned it. I am sure that his name helped him in the beginning, but his performances behind the wheel got him where he is. He's an awesome driver, very talented. He has won more races and championships than I have. I have a lot of respect for what he has done. I knew the media would be focused on him, but that's all right with me. Maybe he's taken some of the heat off me. Right now, we're getting plenty of attention."
Fast FriendsKenseth, 28, and Little E., 25, first met by accident. Junior drove into the side of Kenseth's car during a Busch race and wanted to say he was sorry. It was no big deal, Kenseth told him. They admire, respect, and support each other. At the track, their motor coaches are parked alongside each other, and they hang out and talk racing. The rivalry, other than the natural aspect of Junior driving a Chevrolet and Kenseth a Ford, is largely media-driven. When Little E. got his first Winston Cup victory, Kenseth, who had crashed out and was heartbroken because he had been in position to win, was unable to join in the celebration. But he left a note of congratulations under the door of Junior's motor coach. "He thought that was cool," says Kenseth, using a favorite expression.
Junior joined Kenseth in the winner's circle at Charlotte. "That meant a lot to me," says Kenseth, "especially after a race that he had dominated until the final pit stop and was disappointed not to win. It made me feel really good, and it showed a lot of maturity on his part. I think he felt a little uncomfortable about being there too long, that he was stealing the spotlight, but that wasn't the case at all.
"We get along well, but we don't do much away from the track," Kenseth explains about his relationship with Junior. "We're different-our lifestyles are different at this stage. He has some kid left in him and is in the wild and have-fun stage. That's the way I was five years ago. I'm quiet and reserved-until you get to know me, then I have my obnoxious moments. I'm three years older. I don't know if I'm more mature, but I'm more settled."
A Good Choice of Role ModelsMark Martin, one of Winston Cup's superstar drivers, was in the winner's circle for the first time as a car owner when Kenseth won at Charlotte. Martin is Kenseth's mentor and co-owns the #17 team with multi-team magnate Jack Roush. They brought Kenseth and his crew chief, Robbie Reiser, to Winston Cup as part of Roush Racing. Reiser, a former driver and Kenseth archrival when the two raced the bullrings of Wisconsin, gave the young driver his break into the Busch Series and has been with him ever since. Kenseth is the lucky rookie because he has the knowledge and abundant resources of Martin, Roush Racing, and primary sponsor DeWalt Tools behind him.
"Matt is doing great," says Martin. "He's already won and finished second. It's not like he is a rookie. He has lots of experience for his age. He hasn't gotten in the way and hasn't caused any problems. He's a sponsor's dream and gets along great with the media. He could be awfully good-a big winner."
"I thought Mark was about as happy for me as he could be when I won my first Busch race with Robbie at Rockingham in 1998," Kenseth says. "We didn't have a sponsor on the car at the time and were hurting for money. Mark and Roush Racing took care of that quickly. But I think Mark was even happier at Charlotte."
In the first 15 Winston Cup races this season, Kenseth logged a win, three top fives, five top 10s, and was ranked 11th in championship points (Junior was 14th). Only four times did he finish 21st or lower, and he held a slight lead over Earnhardt Jr. in the rookie competition.
Having already exceeded some goals, Kenseth says a top-10 finish in championship points is realistic. To do that, he says he will have to improve at the tracks that are difficult for him, experience few mechanical failures, and keep the team on the same page.
"I have a lot easier time getting around a banked track than I do a flat track," Kenseth says. "I dislike places like Martinsville and New Hampshire because they're flat. I love Dover's banks. I am not a good road racer at all."
Of course, Kenseth wants to be rookie of the year, but that's not his primary objective. "The main focus is to be a contender every weekend, whether it's this year or next," he says, "to run in the top five and establish consistency."
Reiser, who counts 20 Winston Cup rookies among his 25-member race team, adds, "I'd like to see us a strong contender in the last five races this year-and compete for the champion-ship next year."
Reiser, also a Wisconsin native, is high on Kenseth and echoes Martin's praises. "He is a good driver with a lot of racing intelligence and savvy," he says. "He's very heads-up and a team player. His strength is the ability to feel a race car and know what to change. He never gives up on anything. He works until he runs out of time, trying to make his car the way he wants it. Obviously, we can't get it right 35 times a year, so he sucks it up and drives what we give him."
No Flash, Just FastKenseth's style is more conservative than Earnhardt Jr.'s or Tony Stewart's, the two drivers with whom he is often compared. Kenseth's demeanor on the track is more like Terry Labonte's. Sometimes he seems to appear at the front as if from out of nowhere.
"I try to take care of my car and tires and be up front when it counts," he says. "I want the car to stay consistent. I'd rather be slower at the start and faster at the end. If I could qualify better, maybe I'd be up front all the time."
Kenseth is a midpack qualifier, missing the top 25 five times and compiling an average starting position of 22.5 in the first 15 races. "Matt doesn't push himself over his limit in qualifying," says Reiser. "He won't try to get away with a lap over his head. Qualifying is a team weakness we need to work on. It's not altogether Matt."