Matt Kenseth makes his return to Martinsville this weekend, one of only five tracks on the Cup circuit the 2003 Cup Champion hasn’t yet won at.
· In 36 starts dating back to 2000, Kenseth has 15 top-10 and six top-five finishes, with an average finish of 14.4. He has two runner-up finishes – the first in 2002 and most recently in 2013 – and has crossed the line ninth or better in seven of his last nine starts.
· Kenseth has also started on the front row on two occasions – 2010 and 2011 – with an average starting spot of 18.9.
· Overall on short tracks in his Cup career, Kenseth has six wins, 27 top-five and 53 top-10 results in 109 starts.
Matt Puccia at Martinsville Speedway
· Matt Puccia will be atop the pit box for his 15th MENCS race on Sunday, and first with Matt Kenseth. In 14 prior starts, Puccia has four top-10 finishes, one of which came last fall with Trevor Bayne (sixth).
· Puccia also led former RFR driver Greg Biffle to a trio of top-10s in 2012-13, with an overall average finishing position of 16.7.
QUOTE WORTHY
Kenseth on racing at Martinsville:
“Martinsville has always been a big challenge for me. If you can get your car to turn, have it fire off decent and have some good long-run speed, then it can be fun. If you can’t get your car to turn then you really just feel like you’re in the way for about three-and-a-half hours. So, hopefully the Wyndham Rewards Ford Fusion unloads pretty fast and we can have a good day Saturday, qualify well, and get a good starting spot for Sunday. That not only helps with our track position, but it helps with our pit stall selection, which can mean a lot at Martinsville.”
Recapping Kansas
Trevor Bayne had trouble on pit road and had to make numerous stops for repairs, which set he and the team behind ultimately finishing 30th at Kansas Speedway a week ago.
On the Car
Kenseth will carry the blue and white colors of Wyndham Rewards on the No. 6 Fusion this weekend, the sixth race in 2018 for the award-winning hotel loyalty rewards program.
RFR PR/Photo Credit Daniel Shirey/Getty Images
