Matt Kenseth is a favorite in his favorite race

May 23, 2013 Greg Engle Main Page, NASCAR News Top Story, Top Stories 0

CONCORD, NC - MAY 23: (L-R) Matt Kenseth, driver of the #18 Reser's Toyota, talks with crew chief Matthew Lucas in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 23, 2013 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
CONCORD, NC - MAY 23: (L-R) Matt Kenseth, driver of the #18 Reser's Toyota, talks with crew chief Matthew Lucas in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 23, 2013 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
CONCORD, NC – MAY 23: (L-R) Matt Kenseth, driver of the #18 Reser’s Toyota, talks with crew chief Matthew Lucas in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Nationwide Series History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 23, 2013 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

CONCORD, N.C.–With three victories to his credit so far this season, Matt Kenseth has to be considered a serious threat in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Kenseth got the first of his 27 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories in the 2000 edition of the 600. No wonder he considers it his favorite race.

“The 600 has always been unique,” Kenseth said Thursday at Charlotte. “We had our first win here, so maybe that’s part of it. This is the track that I made my first Nationwide start at, and I have more miles here at this track than any other on the circuit.”

To Kenseth, part of the cachet of NASCAR’s longest race is the difficulty in keeping up with changing track conditions.

“The track goes through huge changes,” Kenseth said. “Typically, it’s very different in the beginning of the race when the sun is still out. It’s usually hot and slick, and then, at the end of the race, after four hours of racing or four-and-a-half hours of racing, the track is as fast as it’s ever going to be, and everybody picks up a second–and it’s on.

“It’s like you wait four hours to run a trophy dash. It’s just a fun event. A lot goes on, you have to pay attention for a long time and really keep up with the adjustments–just one I look forward to and look forward to the challenge.”

Greg Engle
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About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.