DOVER, Del. — The “win and you’re in” Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup mentality isn’t dominating Matt Kenseth’s thought process.
Second in Sprint Cup points (11 behind Jeff Gordon), Kenseth has been pleased with his team’s consistency and says he does not necessarily feel an “urgency” to win.
“Obviously, you more than likely need a win to get into the Chase,” Kenseth says. “Certainly, we wish we had a win, but you can’t really force it.”
That attitude, in spite of NASCAR’s new emphasis on winning as a gateway to Chase qualification, hasn’t really changed.
“I don’t think there’s any more or less urgency (than previous years),” Kenseth says. “It’s not like you can just say, ‘Man, we really need a win’ and you just go get one. It doesn’t really work like that.
“I feel like my team has been doing a great job on pit road and really executing – (making) great adjustments and all of that stuff. We’ve been in position to win a few races. We just haven’t had the speed yet. We’ll just keep putting ourselves in position and hopefully, sooner or later, it works out.”
Kenseth has 19 top-10 finishes at Dover, including two victories (2006, 2011).
“Wins have always been really important,” Kenseth said. “If we could’ve won more in the Chase last year, we probably would’ve won the championship. You just keep giving your best every week and, hopefully, that will come.”
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.
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