Published 01/20/2023, 1:51 PM EST
Matt Kenseth is best known for winning the 2003 NASCAR Cup Series championship. However, there were several other memorable moments that flew under the radar, but truly showed his prowess as a racing driver. Chief among them was the 2005 NASCAR Cup season, where he finished in an impressive 7th place in the standings. However, the statistics do not tell the whole story of the #17 Roush Racing driver.
It all started when Roush Racing managed to get all five of their drivers into the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. To this day, it will remain as an incredible feat by the organization. Of all of them, though, from a driver standpoint, Kenseth’s performance outclassed them all. In his championship-winning year, he was the most consistent driver. Although he slipped up a little, in 2004, he still did enough to stay in the Top 10 in the championship.
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
DIVE DEEPER
“Destroying Loganos Career”—NASCAR Fans Deem Legendary Payback as Hall of Famer Matt Kenseth’s Most Iconic Moment
Admittedly, things did not get off to a good start for the Roush Racing driver. At the 2005 Daytona 500, he encountered issues with his car and retired from the race. However, he was running well at the Auto Club Speedway, leading 57 laps until a flat tire dashed his hopes. Things began to look up after finishing 8th at Las Vegas, but it quickly came undone at Atlanta when he got caught up in a wreck. Then again, at Bristol, he had another incident and could only muster 16th.
What was different about the 2005 season for Matt Kenseth?
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
On the bright side, he was still a 156 points adrift of 10th, which was an achievable gap to close after a good race. Unfortunately, it all came crashing down when Michael Waltrip got spun around, and Kenseth had nowhere to go. This shuffled him back to 23rd in the standings, with 12 races before the Chase. Somehow, this incident seemingly lit a fire under Kenseth, and he miraculously turned things around.
KANSAS CITY, KS – MAY 06: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 6, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
At Michigan, he finished in an excellent 4th place, followed by more consistent results, and he began to slowly creep up the standings. In a span of three weeks, he gained 80 points, but there was a long way to go. Then at Chicagoland, Matt Kenseth finished 2nd, leading 176 laps, dominating the proceedings.
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
WATCH THIS STORY: “Nobody Will Ever Replace Him”: Kevin Harvick Paid Tribute to “The Best Race Car Driver” After His Major Career Break Years Ago
Unfortunately, Pocono threw a spanner in the works. Luckily, some good runs at Indianapolis, Watkins Glen and Michigan softened the blow. Finally, there was the Bristol night race, where he was unstoppable from pole position onwards until he won the race. A week later, he sneaked into the Top 10, and the week after was a stroke of luck, as many rivals had issues. One thing was for sure, it was one of the best comebacks ever.