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Quiet ascent Kenseth's steers into early points lead with consistencyPosted: Thursday March 27, 2003 3:21 PM
By Chad Austin, SI.com Somewhat lost in the hoopla surrounding Kurt Busch's end to 2002 and beginning to 2003 has been the consistency of Busch's Roush Racing teammate Matt Kenseth. Busch captured the attention of the NASCAR nation at the end of last season when he posted three wins in the last five races to finish third in the points standings. Busch's late-season surge made him the chic preseason choice to win the Winston Cup title, and he's certainly picked up where he left off, with a win and three runner-up finishes in the first six events of 2003. While Busch has basked in the spotlight, the unassuming Kenseth has been a similar model of consistency, quietly taking the lead in the points race. "It's early to worry about points, but it sure is nice to be running this good, so I'll enjoy it while we have it" said Kenseth, who leads Busch by 138 points heading into this weekend's Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. "Right now, it's real competitive, but this sport could turn around on you in a heartbeat. So, we're just enjoying it, and we're working as hard as we can to keep it up." Consistency and good fortune have both contributed to Kenseth's lead. After a 20th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, Kenseth has posted five consecutive top 10s, including a win at Las Vegas and last week's runner-up spot to Busch at Bristol. Kenseth is also the only Roush driver who hasn't been plagued by engine trouble at some point this season. On the day Kenseth took over the points lead, engine trouble parked his three teammates and Ricky Rudd, who uses Roush-built engines in his Wood Brothers' Taurus. Team owner Jack Roush, who takes great pride in his engine program, dismissed the rash of troubles as a fluke, blaming them on a tuning problem after consulting with his top engineers. Still, he was a bit miffed when asked about his teams' engine issues following last week's race at Bristol, which featured a 1-2 finish by Busch and Kenseth and top-13 finishes by four of his five drivers. "I was frustrated some at Bristol because in spite of the good race we had, and the good finish we had, the folks that approached [me] wanted to focus on the things that we'd struggled with, which had been some of the problems with our engines," Roush said. Engine issues aside, Kenseth will be looking to do more than maintain his consistency at Texas this weekend. He'll also be looking to continue his string of success at Texas Motor Speedway, where he is the defending race winner and hasn't finished outside the top 10 in three races at the track. "We had such a great race there last year, and it was the first of many wins for us last season," Kenseth said. "We've already won once at Vegas, so hopefully we can add another on to the win column this weekend. Roush has had a lot of success at Texas over the years with Mark [Martin] and Jeff [Burton]. We had our success there last year, and I'd like to continue the tremendous season we've had so far this year."
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Terry Labonte -- The native of Corpus Christi, Texas, posted his last Winston Cup win at Texas, which came in the 1999 event. He's finished in the top 10 in five of the six races at the track and has never finished worse than 13th.
Bobby Labonte -- Like his older brother, Bobby Labonte generally runs well at Texas Motor Speedway, posting four top-10s in six races at the track. Has struggled some the past two years, though, finishing 42nd in 2001 and 30th last season.
Dale Jarrett -- Won the 2001 event at Texas and posted two runner-up finishes at the track in 1997 and 1999. Has led a total of 406 laps in the six Winston Cup races at Texas Motor Speedway, more than any other driver.
Mark Martin -- Took the checkered flag in the 1998 race at Texas Motor Speedway and has three career top 10s in six races at the track. Is the only driver to qualify in the top 10 in all six previous Winston Cup races at the track.
Flattery -- Kurt Busch: Finally broke through with his first win of the season last week at Bristol after three runner-up finishes in the first five races of 2003. Even kept his cool when things haven't gone well in races at Las Vegas and Atlanta.
Flattery -- Jimmy Spencer: Change of scenery has been good for Mr. Excitement. Has qualified seventh or better in the last three races. Ran up front at Bristol before finishing a respectable 12th. The dog on his hood may need a new name, though. Mongo doesn't cut it. Sorry, DW.
