Kenseth Returns as NASCAR Heads to the Heartland

Roush Fenway Racing heads to the Great Plains this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) treks to Kansas Speedway for the first time in 2018. RFR will have a familiar face back in the garage with Matt Kenseth making his 2018 debut in the No. 6, his first appearance with the organization since the 2012 season.

Saturday, May 12, 2018 | 8 p.m. ET

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· Matt Kenseth, No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Fusion

· Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17 SunnyD Ford Fusion

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Overall, Roush Fenway has started 157 races across the MENCS, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), earning a total of nine wins, 41 top-five finishes, 73 top-10 finishes and has an overall average finish of 13.2.

Winning at Kansas

Roush Fenway swept both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and MENCS races at Kansas in the fall of 2012 with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Matt Kenseth. Stenhouse became the sixth driver to win at the track for the organization via his Xfinity victory.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin earned Roush Fenway’s first MENCS win at Kansas in 2005 and former driver Greg Biffle bested the 1.5-mile track in 2007 and 2010. Roush Fenway’s first overall win at Kansas came in 2002 via Jeff Burton in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Three drivers (Jon Wood, 2003), (Carl Edwards, 2004) and (Erik Darnell, 2007) have won in the NCWTS at Kansas for Roush Fenway.

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has started 90 MENCS races at Kansas, recording four victories, 20 top-five finishes, 35 top-10 finishes, an average finish of 15.5 and has led 933 laps. Kenseth earned the most recent victory at Kansas in the fall of 2012.

A Kenseth Refresher

· Kenseth piloted Jack Roush’s No. 17 Ford for 13 seasons and brought home the team’s first Cup Championship in 2003 as well as its historic 300th victory with a 2012 Daytona 500 win.

· One of the most accomplished drivers of NASCAR’s modern era, Kenseth boasts 39 NASCAR Cup victories, and is one of only six drivers in the sport’s 75-year history to win a Cup Championship, the Cup Rookie of the Year Award and the Daytona 500.

· In addition, the Cambridge, Wisconsin native captured the 2004 International Race of Champions (IROC) title, and qualified for the NASCAR playoffs in 13 of its 14 seasons. During his celebrated career, Kenseth has 39 Cup Series victories, 181 top-five finishes, 327 top-10 finishes and 18 pole awards.

Roush Fenway Kansas Wins

2002 Burton NXS

2003 Wood Truck

2004 Edwards Truck

2005 Martin Cup

2007 Biffle Cup

2007 Darnell Truck

2010 Biffle Cup

2012-2 Kenseth Cup

2012 Stenhouse NXS

 

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpeedwayMedia.com

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