NASCAR WCUP: Matt Kenseth plans to run familiar setup at Richmond

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

September 5, 2001

You qualified and finished well at Richmond last time. What are your chances of bettering that performance at RIR this weekend?

"Since both races are at night, we can pretty much take the same setup we had last time, fine tune it, and apply it to the fall race. Before we were just struggling in general, now we seem to have cars that are competitive, but we keep getting caught in wrecks."--Matt Kenseth

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser's thoughts on Richmond:

"We are taking car No. 1. It is our oldest car, and it's the one we bought in 1999 from Jeff Burton's team when we were doing our five-race deal in the Winston Cup Series. Hopefully with this weekend we will not get caught up in anything. If all the cards fall right, we will be there at the end. This team is much stronger than our points position shows."

Spotter Mike Calinoff’s thoughts on Richmond:

"Richmond is one of the tougher tracks to spot. There is a bad blind spot at the bottom of turn three and four, so if someone stalls there it's difficult to see. The other problem is that the sealer they use causes extensive smoke during a wreck, and with the reflection of the lights it becomes a big white wall."

Notes of Interest:

Stat tidbit... After 26 of 38 events, Kenseth's average starting position is 27th and average finishing position is 18th.

Gatorade Project Hot Driver...

As part of "Project Hot Driver," scientists from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) will conduct a pilot study on Martin and Kenseth to determine sweat loss, cardiovascular responses and heat stress in drivers during a NASCAR race. On an average day, cockpit temperatures can soar to more than 140 degrees, putting drivers at risk for dehydration and heat illness. The race-day test will allow scientists to observe and measure naturally occurring responses to the heat stress experienced by drivers during NASCAR racing and enable them to provide fluid replacement and heat illness prevention recommendations to drivers. Contact: Joseph Gerbino, (773) 454-9612 or Bonnie Banoff, (312) 596-3403 for further information.

Text provided by Amy Walsh

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.