Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
2011 proved to be another typical season for Matt Kenseth. The quiet veteran from Cambridge, Wisconsin native did what he always does year after year in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series; knock off good finishes, win races and maintaining a consistent pace all year long. Although Kenseth and his Crown Royal Ford team came up short in the championship, the year would have to be considered a success especially when compared to 2010 when the #17 car was shut out of victory circle.
Things started off slow for the Roush Racing driver but by the fourth race of the season, Kenseth was in form earning finishes of fourth, fourth, sixth and a victory at Texas in the Samsung Mobile 500. After a rough three race stretch, Kenseth and his team took the victory at Dover in the FedEx 400 and set off into the summer with numerous top five and top 10 finishes.
Kenseth and his team easily locked themselves in the Chase and were considered serious competition to win the 2011 crown. The first Chase race at Chicago proved to be bad for the team but they came back strong with sixth, fifth, fourth place finishes before getting another win at Charlotte in the Bank Of America 500. A not so great finish did not take Kenseth out of the hunt for the title, but an incident between he and Brian Vickers at Martinsville and two weeks later at Phoenix sealed the team's fate. Even so, the team finished a fine fourth in the final standings.
Kenseth and his crew were able to avoid penalties from NASCAR for most of 2011. Kenseth only had two penalties all year, one for speeding and another one for a commitment line violation while his crew did not receive a penalty from NASCAR all year long. In fact, most of Kenseth's penalties came from having to pit before the pits were open due to damage on his car.
2011 Statistics For Matt Kenseth
4th in Sprint Cup standings
3 wins (Samsung Mobile 500, FedEx 400, Bank Of America 500)
12 top 5s
20 top 10s
875 laps led
2011 Penalty Report For Matt Kenseth
Race 1 - Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
Race 6 - Passing on a start or restart, Pass Thru
Race 8 - Pitting before pit road is open, Garage
Race 9 - Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
Race 10 - Commitment Line Violation, Pass Thru
Race 26 - Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
Race 35 - Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage