2008 Preseason No. 3: Matt Kenseth

No. 17 DeWalt Ford

2008 Spin
Coming off a runner-up finish in 2006, expectations were high for Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 DeWalt team heading into 2007. Despite a post-qualifying infraction in Daytona that sent crew chief Robbie Reiser packing, an early win followed by two straight top-5 finishes kicked off Kenseth’s trademark consistency and solidified his spot in the top 5 in points until the Chase began in September. What was uncharacteristic was the four-race slump the team suffered once the playoffs began, but with five straight top-5 finishes to close out the year, all signs point to Ford’s best hope coming out strong once again in 2008.

However, as the teams hit the beach in Daytona for Speedweeks, there is one noticeable absence in the No. 17 garage — Robbie Reiser is no longer calling the shots. In mid-November, it was announced that Reiser would leave his post as crew chief for Kenseth and take over general manager duties at Roush Fenway Racing. Will Kenseth have trouble adapting to a new voice over the radio? 

“I’m not really worried about it at all,” Kenseth says of the transition to new crew chief Chip Bolin, the longtime car chief of the No. 17. “He (Chip) was the original engineer when we started that five-race deal in ’99 with Roush, and he’s more than ready and more than capable.

With Reiser on the sidelines, it was Bolin who led Kenseth to his first victory of the year at Fontana. But while he and Kenseth have chemistry, how they play nice with others could be the key to ’08. After the infamous teammate squabble involving Kenseth and Carl Edwards at Martinsville, it’s clear that the one thing separating Hendrick and Roush Fenway is the cohesion amongst its drivers.

So with a new wingman, Kenseth will embark on his ninth Sprint Cup season in 2008. And while some things will change, one thing that won’t is the consistency from Kenseth that makes him a contender year in and year out. Remember — he’s one of only two drivers to make the Chase all four years of its existence.

Opposing Crew Chiefs’ Take
“In the last five races, they turned it on. It’s the way they are every year. Matt pretty much makes the decisions over there, setup-wise. With (ex-crew chief) Robbie (Reiser) not there, I don’t know. Very few mistakes are made over there. Time will tell, but I think Matt will be right there again. You wonder a little bit about the consistency, though. … They’re the cornerstone of the Roush Fenway organization right now. I don’t think the crew chief change (to Chip Bolin) is going to hurt. They’ve been talking about it for a couple years. It still takes some time to fully adapt, but there’ll be plenty of motivation for them to step it up.”

Fantasy Stall
Looking at Checkers: Makes a living on intermediate tracks.
Pretty Solid Pick: In his career, Kenseth has finished in the top 10 in just over half of his superspeedway starts.
Good Sleeper Pick: Can get it done on short tracks, but not on a consistent basis.
Runs on Seven Cylinders: Zero top 5s when he has to turn left and right tell the story.
Insider Tip: When it comes to big, wide tracks, nobody does it much better.

For more in-depth driver news and hard-hitting features, order your 2008 Athlon Sports Racing Annual here.