Daytona2 Kenseth preview

<pre> Pepsi 400 Daytona International Speedway Daytona, Fla. July 7, 2001

Matt Kenseth's Performance Summary at Daytona: Date: 02/18/01 Start: 16th Finish: 21st Laps: 196/200 Money Won: $136,584 Status: Running

Date: 02/20/00 Start :24th Finish: 10th Laps: 200/200 Money Won: $198,196 Status: Running

Date: 07/01/00 Start: 22nd Finish: 20th Laps: 160/160 Money Won: $55,480 Status: Running </pre> Matt Kenseth's thoughts on going back to Daytona:

So far has the first half of the season shaped up to meet your expectations?

"No. I thought we would be much more competitive this year and we are not. However, we are getting better as the year goes on."

With a championship out of reach, how do you think you'll fare in the point standings?

"We want to finish in the top-10. That is reasonable right now. We need to win some races."

Is going back to Daytona going to be safe?

"NASCAR has made racing as safe as they can at this point. I wear the HANS as I have all year and I will continue to wear it. It is pretty sad for some people going back to Daytona, but I hope people understand we still have a race to run, and we need to concentrate on that too."

Do you think you can win at Daytona?

"With restrictor plates anyone can win, it's just about being smart, and saving your car from wrecks. We broke a shock mount in Daytona in the 500, and we lost some laps. I think we should be competitive, after all we tested there in January and were fastest over all. One thing is, it is going to be hot -- even though the race is at night, it will be physically challenging because of the heat."

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser's thoughts on Daytona:

"We hope for a better finish at Daytona this time. This race is shorter and at night, so we will have to figure those conditions into our setup. Our heads are going to be in the game this time and we are taking the same car we ran in the 500 earlier this year."

Notes of Interest:

Best start...

Matt Kenseth's best qualifying effort of the 2001 season was 16th which came at Daytona in February.

Passing the torch:

FOX will pass the torch to NBC's broadcast team for the remainder of the season. NBC will share broadcast time with TBS starting with the Pepsi 400 in Daytona.

One in a Million:

Matt Kenseth won $53,200 at Sears Point launching him over the one million in winnings mark. Kenseth has earned $1,028,859 so far this year.

Another driver on the DEWALT Team:

Bryan Dunaway, rear tire carrier for the DEWALT Team competed in the Sportsman Late Model Dirt Championships on Saturday, June 30th at Lowes Motor Speedway. Dunaway placed 8th in the third Last Chance race.

A Different Look...

The usual colors of the No. 17 DEWALT Power Tools Ford Taurus will be changed again this weekend. DEWALT Industrial Tools recently formed a marketing alliance with AT&T Broadband. The partnership will spotlight a special AT&T Broadband paint scheme for the Pepsi 400 at Daytona. The paint scheme for the races in Sears Point and Daytona will feature AT&T as the primary signage on the Roush Racing No. 17 Ford Taurus driven by Matt Kenseth. In addition to the special designed cars, AT&T will be featured in addition to the DEWALT logo on the hood of the car for the duration of the season.

AT&T Broadband, a business unit of AT&T, is the nation's largest broadband services company, providing analog and digital television entertainment services to more than 15 million customers across the nation. The company also provides advanced services, such as high-speed cable Internet services and competitive local phone service. AT&T Corp. (NYSE:T) is the world's leader in telecommunications services and technology.

Today the DEWALT Power Tools line consists of over 200 electric power tools and over 800 accessories including: drills and hammer drills; screwdrivers; circular, chop, miter, table, reciprocating, and jig saws; planers; impact wrenches; die, angle, and bench grinders; shears; nibblers; sanders; laminate trimmers; routers, and plate joiners. This year will be an exciting time for DEWALT as it offers its largest product launch ever -- even greater than the initial product line introduction.

Weekend Schedule:

NASCAR Winston Cup practice begins Thursday, July 5th from 4-6:30pm EST with qualifying to follow at 8:00pm. Practice resumes on Friday, July 7th from 8-9:00pm. The Pepsi 400 begins on Saturday, July 7th under the lights at 8:00pm EST. NBC and MRN will broadcast the event live.

-DeWalt-