DARLINGTON, SC (May 12, 2012) – Racing at historic Darlington Raceway is all about endurance, racing the racetrack, and making smart moves for position. Saturday night, Roush Fenway’s Matt Kenseth and his No. 17 Zest team, fought all race long to earn a solid sixth-place finish despite loose-handling conditions throughout the evening.

 

KENSETH FINISHES THIRD AT TALLADEGA, LEADING THE WAY FOR ROUSH FENWAY

TALLADEGA, AL (May 6, 2012) – The last time Matt Kenseth and his No. 17 Best Buy team were at a superspeedway this season, they claimed the win in their Gatorade Duel race as well as the DAYTONA 500. The team was looking forward to heading to Talladega based on the results from the start of the season, but also aware of the possibilities of how quickly wrecks can catch up with teams having successful days. Kenseth started from the tenth starting position and after leading the most laps, left Talladega with a third-place finish thanks to a strong car and a display of skillful driving.

Kenseth’s Best Buy Ford showcased its strength as it finished second and third on the speed charts during Friday’s practice sessions. Kenseth rolled off the starting grid Sunday from tenth, and within the opening laps after the green flag, he was pushing the No. 14 to the front of the pack. The duo was out front as the first caution of the day came on lap 16 after the No. 78 spun.

 

KENSETH AND TEAM FIGHT BACK TO EARN FOURTH-PLACE FINISH AT KANSAS

KANSAS CITY, KS (April 22, 2012) – After battling handling issues earlier in the weekend with their No. 17 Ford, Matt Kenseth and his Ford EcoBoost team made changes prior to Sunday’s race that allowed them to earn their third consecutive top-five finish. Kenseth finished fourth after starting the race from 18th and lead the way for the Roush Fenway organization.

The field took the green flag at 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway at 12:19pm CST as Kenseth started 18th. Within the opening 20 laps, Kenseth drove his Ford EcoBoost Fusion up to 12th and took the opportunity to report in to crew chief Jimmy Fennig about the car’s handling. Kenseth told his team that the No. 17 machine was getting tight across the center of the turns, was also tight on the gas, and needed more front grip.

The first round of green-flag pit stops began to cycle through the field around lap 44 and Fennig called his driver in for service on lap 46 for four tires, fuel, and air adjustments. The first caution of the afternoon came shortly after the cycle on lap 52 after the No. 15 spun coming off of Turn 4. Since the No. 17 had just pitted six laps earlier, Fennig opted to stay out and Kenseth restarted 10th.

 

KENSETH EARNS TOP-FIVE FINISH DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS

FORT WORTH, TX (April 14, 2012) – NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series traveled to Texas Motor Speedway for some Saturday night racing under the lights at the 1.5-mile track. Texas is a place where statistically speaking, Roush Fenway Racing holds a strong performance record. Matt Kenseth and his No. 17 team snapped a 76-race winless streak a year ago in the Samsung Mobile 500, and the team was looking to defend their title Saturday night in the Best Buy Ford. High winds and a loose-handling race car challenged Kenseth all race long, but in the end, the driver drove off with his second consecutive top-five finish.

Kenseth started from second in the Best Buy Ford on the outside of the front row to begin the Samsung Mobile 500 as the field took the green flag. The preferred line at the start was the low line however, and on the opening lap, Kenseth was scored in 5th racing for position early. By lap 17, Kenseth was in third, and radioed in to his crew chief Jimmy Fennig that the front of the No. 17 Ford needed to dig better in the center of the turns and that it was loose off the corners.

 

KENSETH FINISHES FOURTH AT MARTINSVILLE; EARNING HIS BEST FINISH THERE SINCE APRIL 2002

MARTINSVILLE, VA (April 1, 2012) – Short track racing at half-mile Martinsville Speedway is a challenge in patience and endurance. Roush Fenway Racing’s Matt Kenseth came to Martinsville with a special paint scheme honoring a war hero from the Martinsville area, Joshua “JB” Kerns. The paint scheme was on behalf of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation and Gary Sinise Foundation in an effort to help raise funds to build Kerns a “smart home.” Kenseth produced a fitting tribute to Kerns finishing fourth, earning his best finish at the track since his runner-up finish in 2002.

Kenseth began the 500-lap event from 21st and spent the first 100 laps methodically racing for position at a track where it’s difficult to pass for position. The first caution of the race came on lap 99 and allowed Kenseth a chance to discuss the car’s handling with crew chief Jimmy Fennig over radio communications. Kenseth reported that the No. 17 Ford started out tight, but was good on the long run. Fennig opted for no changes on the first pit stop of the day besides four tires and fuel and Kenseth restarted 11th.

 

FONTANA, CA (March 25, 2012) – NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series had a race against Mother Nature Sunday afternoon at Auto Club Speedway as rain showers in the region threatened to delay the Auto Club 400. The race was able to complete 124 laps before rain drops fell at the 2.0-mile track, which forced the event to end after 129 of 200 laps were completed. Matt Kenseth and his No. 17 EcoBoost Ford Fusion finished 16th after a pit road penalty forced Kenseth to finish 16th for the day.

Kenseth rolled off the starting grid 15th in his EcoBoost Ford Fusion as the field took the green flag at 12:12pm PST. Grey skies crept in as the race began, and teams figured it would be a race against rain in order to see how many laps NASCAR’s top series was able to get in Sunday. Within the opening ten laps, Kenseth called in over radio communication to crew chief Jimmy Fennig that the No. 17 was tight in the middle and loose off which made it tough to keep up with those around him on the track.

 

KENSETH’S BEST BUY FORD EARNS RUNNER-UP FINISH AT BRISTOL

Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Best Buy Ford earned the runner-up podium finish for Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Despite having a car that had challenged the team for most of the weekend, Kenseth started 21st and was able to finish second in the season’s first short-track race of the 2012 schedule. Kenseth earned his second top-five finish of the season and moved up two positions in the driver point standings following Sunday’s race.

Kenseth’s Best Buy Ford took the green flag from the 21st starting position mired in the middle of the field to begin the 500-lap event at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile.” The first caution of the day came early on lap 24 and found several of the cars favored to win in the melee on the frontstretch. Clean-up efforts took just over 15 laps before pit road was open. Crew Chief Jimmy Fennig made the call for a gas and go stop for the Best Buy Ford along with a quick track bar adjustment since Kenseth had told his team that the car was “way too loose” at the start.

 

KENSETH FINISHES 22nd AT VEGAS AFTER LATE-RACE CONTACT

Roush Fenway Racing’s, Matt Kenseth, traveled to Las Vegas with a brand new sponsor aboard his No. 17 machine for this weekend’s race. Zest launched the first race of their sponsorship at a track where Roush Fenway has a successful track record at. Kenseth kept the Zest Ford up at the front of the field for the majority of the day, and even led for a total of 21 laps before three-wide racing action found Kenseth slapping the wall in the closing laps. The premiere of the No. 17 Zest Ford was forced to bring home a 22nd-place finish in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400.

Teams had three practice sessions throughout the weekend to fine-tune their race cars before Sunday’s race, and the No. 17 team had some work to do in order to make sure the Zest Ford was handling how Kenseth needed it. Kenseth earned the 11th starting position during Friday’s qualifying session, and when the field took the green flag on Sunday, he drove up to seventh within the first 25 laps.


 

KENSETH FIGHTS TO FINISH 13th IN THE BEST BUY FORD AT PHOENIX

AVONDALE, AZ (March 4, 2012) – After winning the 54th running of the DAYTONA 500 earlier in the week, Matt Kenseth and his No. 17 Best Buy team traveled to Phoenix International Raceway for this weekend’s Subway Fresh Fit 500. Kenseth and his team were hoping to continue their winning ways, but after a crash in final practice Friday, the team was forced to use their back-up car which only got limited time on track before Sunday’s race.

Phoenix International Raceway’s track had been reconfigured and repaved following the Subway Fresh Fit 500 in 2011, and the new surface was slick since the asphalt hadn’t been aged and worn in yet. Temperatures in the upper 70s also found teams wondering how their cars would perform for Sunday’s 312-lap event.

 

We’re celebrating Best Buy Racing and Matt Kenseth, two time DAYTONA 500® Champion - Enter daily for your chance to win Matt Kenseth's DAYTONA 500 Championship Team Ring or one of 17 Best Buy gift cards

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Enter daily through 03/14/12 for a chance to win a Matt Kenseth DAYTONA 500 Championship Team Ring & 1 of 17 Best Buy gift cards. Best Buy Facebook fans click here from a non-mobile Facebook site to enter your email address. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Subject to Official Rules on site. 

DAYTONA BEACH, FL  – It was a night for the record books at Daytona International Speedway as the 54^thrunning of the Daytona 500 reached its completion nearing the wee hours of the morning on Monday night.  For Roush Fenway Racing’s Matt Kenseth, the race solidified him in an elite status of drivers who have won multiple Daytona 500 titles after he outdrove and outlasted all the obstacles thrown at his No. 17 Best Buy team.  Rain showers in the area on Sunday and then again on Monday morning, forced officials to postpone the Great American Race to Monday night in the primetime viewing spot.  Kenseth and his team were the victors in the first points race of the season and earned Roush Fenway Racing, the organization’s 300^thwin in the process.

MATT KENSETH & THE BEST BUY FORD WIN GATORADE DUEL

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 23, 2012) – Thursday’s Gatorade Duel events at Daytona International Speedway are a make it or break it set of races. The events help to set the line-up for the Daytona 500, and for everyone involved, it can prove to be a strong indicator of how strong your race car truly is. Matt Kenseth and his Best Buy team entered the race eager to show that their No. 17 Ford was just as strong as teammates Carl Edwards’ and Greg Biffle’s Fords were after the duo claimed the front row starting positions following Sunday’s qualifying. Kenseth claimed victory in the second Duel event of the afternoon, which will find him starting fourth for Sunday’s “Great American Race.”

The Gatorade Duel is the Sprint Cup Series’ preliminary event to the Daytona 500 held annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. The event consists of two 150-mile races, and serves as a qualifying race for the Daytona 500. The finishing order in the two 150-mile races, determines the starting lineup for the Daytona 500 held on Sunday, February 26th.

 

KENSETH FINISHES 21st IN THE SHOOTOUT AT DAYTONA

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 18, 2012) – Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout marked the first race of the season for 25 of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series drivers. Roush Fenway Racing’s, Matt Kenseth and his No. 17 Best Buy team were eager to start the season with Saturday’s race, especially with their new primary sponsor on board thanks to Best Buy. Unfortunately, the Budweiser Shootout didn’t pan out into the result that Kenseth and his team had hoped for. The No. 17 Ford suffered damage from two different multi-car wrecks that ended the night early for the team. Kenseth was forced to finish 21st in the season’s first exhibition race of the season.

Best Buy Returns to the Global RallyCross Championship

(Minneapolis, MN), February 21, 2012 - Best Buy Racing will return to the Global RallyCross Championship in 2012 with a two car team partnering with Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution (OMSE) for an all out assault to bring the GRC title and X Games 18 Gold back to Minneapolis. Headlining the Best Buy team will be two- time World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm who won three GRC events in 2011.The second Best Buy car will be driven by leading British RallyCross Championship contender David Binks who finished third in the 2011 championship.

Video Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AaihwgILbY