Was Paul Newman an actor who raced...or a racer who acted? I think Paul would prefer the latter.  He won an Academy Award for “The Color of Money” and a trophy for capturing his class in the “Twenty Four Hours of Daytona” at age 70. I wonder which award he most proudly displayed on his mantel?

I had the privilege of photographing him many times over the last three decades and had the honor of presenting him with portfolios of my images and a copy of a Super 8 movie I took of him at Nelson Ledges in 1976, racing his Datsun 510 and Triumph TR6. I kidded him that it was the cheapest movie he ever made…less than twenty bucks including processing…but he made me feel like I had given him a gift of pure gold and wrote me a nice thank you letter.

We loosely kept in touch through the years as I gave him photographs of his Trans Am races at St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio and the Cleveland Grand Prix as well as pictures of his Newman-Haas Champ Cars at Mid-Ohio, Cleveland, Michigan and Indy. When my dad was battling cancer, Paul sent him a signed poster to help him keep his spirits up. He even called to make sure my dad received the poster…and my mom was thrilled when she answered the phone. Little things like that mean a great deal.

Paul’s “Newman’s Own” has given away over 200 million charity dollars since 1982…”Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the common good.” (My favorite product? Newman’s Own “Two Thousand Island Dressing”…” Has twice as many islands as any other brand.”) His “Hole In the Wall Gang” Camps give hundreds of ill children a chance to “raise a little hell” and enjoy the summer camp experience without the peer pressure of “normal” summer camps. Newman was on-board when the Petty Victory Junction Gang Camp opened in North Carolina. Paul said, “A man can only be judged by his actions, and not by his good intentions or his beliefs.” “Once you’ve seen your face on a bottle of salad dressing, it’s hard to take yourself seriously.”

Paul Newman, Steve McQueen and James Dean were all acting in New York City in the 1950’s. (All three became members of the famed Actor’s Studio.) Newman rode a motor scooter. Dean and McQueen rode motorcycles. Steve did mechanical work on Jimmy’s bike. All three were gearheads and a racing scene or motorsports movie helped define their careers. Dean raced in the famous “Chickie Run” in “Rebel Without a Cause.” McQueen starred in “Le Mans” and Newman had the lead in “Winning.” All three won races in real life. Dean won several pro-ams at tracks like Palm Springs, McQueen was second in the 12 Hours of Sebring and Newman won the 24 Hours of Daytona and was second at Le Mans.

Paul and Jimmy did a screen test for “East of Eden.” Jimmy got the role and went on to instant stardom. Paul was cast in “The Silver Chalice” acting with Dean’s girlfried, Pier Angeli. It was a role that could have ended Paul’s film career as it was just getting started. Dean’s fatal crash in his Porsche 550 Spyder on the way to a race at Salinas in September of 1955 caused Newman to take over two roles meant for Dean… “The Left Handed Gun” about Billy the Kid and “Somebody Up There Likes Me,” a boxing film about Rocky Graziano. It made Newman a star (Steve McQueen had a minor role in the film.)

I wonder if Dean’s accident kept Paul from racing cars until 1968 when he made the movie, “Winning?” Had Newman started racing in the mid-1950’s as Dean did, how good could he have been? We may have never heard of Paul Newman the actor…but of Paul Newman the racer.

He was 43 when he strapped himself into the cockpit as Frank Capua and “won” the Indianapolis 500, driving Bobby Unser’s 1968 winning car. He would get behind the wheel for real shortly thereafter and won in 1972 at Thompson, CT driving a Lotus Elan. He captured 4 SCCA National Titles between 1976 and 1986 and Trans Am victories at Brainerd, Minnesota in 1982 and Lime Rock in 1986.

Paul was second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans piloting a Porsche 935 in 1979 and in 1995 Won the 24 Hours of Daytona IMSA GTS class at age 70 in the “Nobody’s Fool” Mustang. He still holds the record as the oldest winner in a major sanctioned auto race with that victory. Recently PLN drove a sprint car and a Baja buggy. His credentials as a team owner are even more impressive.

In the Can Am Series he fielded cars for Danny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser, Teo Fabi, Keke Rosberg and Elliott Forbes-Robinson. In 1983 he formed Newman-Haas Racing with Mario Andretti behind the wheel. The team won 105 Champ Car Races and 8 Championships… Mario Andretti in 1984, Michael Andretti in 1991, Nigel Mansell in 1993, Cristiano da Matta in 2002 and Sebastien Bourdais 2004-2007.

“I can’t be competitive about acting, because there’s no way to compete as an actor. What are you competing against? In auto racing, either you win or you lose.”

“I enjoy racing in any form, because the guy next to me couldn’t care less what my name is. He just wants to beat me.”

“I love racing. I wish I could devote every minute of my time to it. Racing is the best way I know to get away from the rubbish that goes with being a so-called ’Hollywood star.’ Racing is a way of being a happy child again.”

Paul Leonard Newman was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, on January 26, 1925. (The same town where Roger Penske was born.)

Paul attended Ohio University, Kenyon College and Yale. At Kenyon Paul majored in literature, drama…and beer. He graduated, he said, “Magna Cum Lager.”

During World War II. Newman enrolled in flight training…but unfortunately his famous blue eyes were colorblind. He became a torpedo bomber radioman and gunner.

Paul was never “Politically Correct.” He was Politically Active. He supported Eugene McCarthy’s 1968 Presidential campaign…and was 19th on Richard Nixon’s enemies list. I’ll bet that made him smile. “I don’t want it written on my gravestone, ‘He was not part of his times.’ The times are too critical to be dissenting in your own bathroom.” With another election just around the corner, it seems like savvy advice.

In 1965 he sold his three motorcycles after his Triumph hit a slick spot on Sunset Boulevard and crashed, injuring Newman.

While living in Beverly Hills, Paul thumbed his nose at the Hollywood set by driving a Volkswagen Beetle…with a Porsche engine and other high performance goodies.

In the 1969 film “Winning” Paul drove Bobby Unser’s 1968 winning car and the film used footage of the 1966 start when 11 cars crashed just as the green flag waved. He went to the Bob Bondurant Racing School and refused a double for the racing scenes. My son and I stayed in Room 212 of The Brickyard Crossing…THE room in The Speedway Motel where Elora, Frank… and Lou all spent some time in “Winning.”

PLN on adultery: “Why fool around with hamburger when you have steak at home?”

Robert Redford…co-star in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” promised Newman a Porsche for his 50th birthday. He delivered…an engineless wrecked Porsche. Newman had it crushed, cubed and delivered to Redford.

Why did Paul refuse to sign autographs when he attended auto races? His usual response was, “I’m on vacation,” but the reality goes deeper. In a PLAYBOY interview Paul said, “I gave up signing autographs when I was standing at a urinal at Sardi’s and a guy came up to me with a piece of paper and a pen in his hand. I wondered…what do I do with my hands?”

Newman’s sense of humor was evident at races he attended. The “Welcome” mat in front of the Newman-Haas motorhome said, “GO AWAY.” Paul sometimes hung a sign on the rope barricade to the Newman-Haas hospitality area. It said “Feeding Time” and listed times when he would make an appearance…as if he were an animal in a zoo. Classic.

Paul narrated “Once Upon a Wheel” in 1971.

In 1986 Newman finally won the Oscar for Best Actor in “The Color of Money” with Tom Cruise. He has been nominated for an Academy Award 9 times in 56 films.

He played the voice of “Doc Hudson” in the 2006 movie “Cars.”

Newman narrated the 2007 film ,“DALE,” a biography of Dale Earnhardt.

“I don’t care what people say about my acting…but when they mess around with my racing, that’s something else.” PLN

His wife of over 50 years, Joanne Woodward tolerated his racing through the years but got her digs in…”A mind is a terrible thing to waste...on a Trans-Am motor,” she once said to Paul.

During the CART/IRL split from 1996-2007, Paul would not set foot inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He once said his team would return to the Indianapolis 500, “Over my dead body.”

When reunification of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League happened in 2008, Paul declared, “I feel like I died and went to heaven,” and DID return to his beloved Indianapolis.

“I will continue to get behind the wheel of a racing car as long as I am able. But that could all end tomorrow.” PLN

“If there’s a heaven on earth, it’s VIRginia International Raceway.” PLN

An excellent biography is “Paul Newman: A Biography” by Eric Lax. Lax tells a story that epitomizes the keen Newman humor…
“If I died today, they might write on my tombstone, ‘Here lies Paul Newman, a failure because his eyes turned brown.’”

My favorite Paul Newman moment? When he plays the banjo and sings the poignant “Plastic Jesus” after his Mother’s death in “Cool Hand Luke”…with rain and tears dripping. It seems an appropriate epitaph for one of my favorite racers. Watch and weep.

I don’t care if it rains or freezes
Long as I got my plastic Jesus
Sittin’ on the dashboard of my car.

Goin’ ninety, I ain’t scary
‘Cause I got the Virgin Mary
Assurin’ me that I won’t go to Hell.

Godspeed and checkers, Paul. Hoist the trophy in Victory Lane.

Jeff Gordon must have a LOVE/HATE relationship with the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. It’s the old optimist/pessimist… “Is the cup half empty or half full?” scenario. In Jeff’s case the Cup “spilled” on two occasions. If the Chase for the Cup did NOT exist Jeff would be a SIX TIME Cup Champion. With the Traditional Points carried through the 36 race season Jeff would have won the Championship in 2004 (by 47 Points) and 2007 (by a whopping 353 Points). However, he would NOT be in the 2008 Chase. He would have ended the “regular season” 657 points back with NO chance of taking the title. “The Chase giveth and the Chase taketh away.”

Gordon currently ranks 11th in the Chase points after a lackluster 14th place finish at New Hampshire. Can he climb the charts and capture his fifth/seventh Cup Title? The numbers would suggest he has a good chance. How good?

Gordon is currently #1 among active drivers with 81 Wins. (6th All Time)

His Winning % is the best of all active drivers at 15%. (8th All Time)

If he continues at that rate he will surpass Cale Yarborough (83 Wins), Darrell Waltrip (84 Wins), and Bobby Allison (85 Wins), within a year and will be #3 on the All Time Win List behind Richard Petty’s 200 and David Pearson’s 105. To pass Pearson’s total, Jeff would have to drive for five more years… which is quite plausible. Petty’s record is untouchable.

Gordon’s Top Five % is best among active drivers at 45%. (15th All Time)

Jeff’s Top Ten % is best among active drivers at 61%. (12th All Time)

Gordon’s Average Finish of 12.4 is 2nd among active drivers. (19th All Time)

Jeff’s 65 Poles are the most of active drivers. (4th All Time)

He is best among active drivers in Average Start at 9.65. (24th All Time)

Gordon is first among active drivers in Laps Led with 19,743. (8th All Time)

He is third all time in Lead Lap Finishes. (Behind only Mark Martin and Richard Petty.)

The numbers are impressive but one number is even more surprising. Jeff is winless so far this year…the first time since his rookie season of 1993! Will he break the drought? His stats would say “YES.”

How has Gordon done in the Chase?
He has 3 wins in 41 Chase races. (The 7% Chase Winning Percentage is less than HALF of his Career Winning percentage of 15%.)

His 18 Top Fives in 41 Chase races equals 44%...only 1% below his career average.

His 27 Top Tens in 41 Chase races equals 66%...5% ABOVE his career average.

Jeff Gordon: A Brief Bio

Cup Champion 1995, 97, 98, 2001

Daytona 500 Winner (1997, 1999, 2005)

USAC Midget Champion 1990

USAC Silver Crown Champion 1991

Won 4 Karting Titles

Won 3 Quarter- Midget National Championships

Jeff Gordon’s Talladega win in 2007 was his 12th Restrictor Plate Win…Most All Time (Passes Dale Earnhardt’s11)

ALL TIME WINS
Richard Petty 200
David Pearson 105
Bobby Allison 85
Darrell Waltrip 84
Cale Yarborough 83
Jeff Gordon 81

Born: August 4, 1971 (37)
Vallejo, CA
Married: Ingrid Vandebosch
Children: Ella

81 Wins
65 Poles
536 Starts (17 Years)
15 Full Seasons
243 Top 5
329 Top Ten
Average Start: 9.7
Average Finish: 12.4
Has Driven over 199,000 race miles

Gordon has driven for only ONE Cup owner: Rick Hendrick
Dale Earnhardt drove for 9 CUP owners: Ed Negre, Walter Ballard, Johnny Ray, Henley Gray, Will Cronkite, Rod Osterlund, Jim Stacy, Bud Moore and Richard Childress.

Rick Hendrick was impressed with Jeff Gordon the first time he saw him…at a Busch race at Atlanta in 1991…”Jeff Gordon was smoking all four tires in every turn on every lap. I thought it was just a matter of time until he’d crash. He didn’t crash. He just kept smoking those tires and leading those laps. I was impressed.”

Rick also said, “Jeff Gordon came in and really revolutionized the sport.”

Ray Evernham remembers when he and Gordon first tested a Busch car at Charlotte in 1990. “Jeff was so sideways at one point in turn three, you could see the markings on the hood as if they were coming straight at you. That’s how far sideways the car was. I knew right then this kid had some talent as a race car driver.”

Jeff Gordon’s first NASCAR Cup start was Richard Petty’s last…11-15-92 at Atlanta. It was the end of one era and the beginning of another.

1993: Jeff Gordon won his Twin 125 Qualifying Race (non-points) in only his SECOND start (Age 21) He led the first lap of the Daytona 500…and finished fifth

1993 Coke 600 at Charlotte. When Jeff finished 2nd to Dale Earnhardt, Rick Hendrick said, “He (Jeff) has a lot of Dale in him.”

1994 Brickyard 400 Win: “I took an extra victory lap to wipe the tears from my eyes.”

1999 Daytona 500 Win: “Beating Earnhardt like that in the Daytona 500 is probably the biggest single thrill I’ve had. I want to thank Dale for a great race…and for what he’s taught me the last couple years. That’s the only way I kept him behind me.” (Jeff won over Dale by a car length (.128 Second) Dale was on Jeff’s bumper the last 25 laps.)
“Give Gordon credit. He beat me.” Dale Earnhardt (who would have won his 2nd Daytona 500.)

Jeff Gordon Fast Facts:

1.  John Bickford, Jeff’s step-dad must be a great salesman. Jeff was riding BMX bikes at age 5 and John brought a pair of quarter midgets home and convinced Jeff’s Mom that the race car was safer than riding a bike.
2.  John took Jeff’s Mom to a racetrack for their first date.
3.  In 1979 Jeff won 52 National Quarter Midget races…sleeping in the backseat of the car. No “silver spoon” there. Quite a contrast to the corporate jets and motor homes of today.
4.  By age 12 he’d won over 200 races in quarter midgets and carts…then he wanted another challenge…water skiing.
5.  In 1985, he read about a 13 year old kid running sprint cars in Indiana. To race them in California Jeff would have to be 16. To go from a 3 Horsepower Quarter Midget to a 700 HP Sprinter must have been a quantum leap Imagine being 13 years old and competing against the likes of Steve Kinser at Speed Weeks in Florida with the All Stars.
6.  Jeff didn’t win that first year but he WAS competitive, with a best finish of 2nd. His family decided to move to Pittsboro, Indiana…just 20 miles from the Brickyard…so Jeff could race sprint cars at Age 13.
7.  The next year at Speed Weeks went better…he got a great compliment, “Kid, you’re going to be a good one.” From none other than Steve Kinser!
8.  In 1990 Jeff was the USAC Midget Champ…at 19, the youngest to win the title…but, he had an experience that changed his life…at Rockingham…The Buck Baker School. He decided to race stock cars!
9.  Gordon qualified 2nd for his first Busch race with Hugh Connerty in 1990.
10.  In 1991 he hooked up with Bill Davis and won Busch “Rookie of the Year” but NO races.
11.  In 1992 he took 11 poles and 3 Wins… with Ray Evernham His first win at Atlanta impressed another car owner…Rick Hendrick.
12.  Jeff’s debut for Hendrick in Cup at Atlanta in 1992 was the last race for Richard Petty. It was the end of one era and the beginning of another.
13.  In 1993 Gordon won Cup “Rookie of the Year.”
14.  In 1994 Jeff’s first win was NASCAR’s Longest Race…the Coca Cola 600 (less than 2 miles from the Hendrick race shop). Then he won the inaugural Brickyard 400 in his adopted state of Indiana.
15.  In 1995 Gordon won his first Championship…and went on a run where he nearly won four titles in a row. (It would have surpassed Cale Yarborough’s three titles in a row from 1976-78.) Gordon won Championships in 1995, 1997, 1998 and was second in 1996.
16.  In 1999 he lost Ray Evernham and the entire “over the wall gang” pit crew. Pundits said he was finished…but Gordon regrouped to win his 4th Cup title in 2001.
17.  He is NASCAR’s all time leading money winner. His supposed “rivalry” with Dale Earnhardt was probably media hype. Earnhardt called him…”Wonderboy.” Jeff got Dale back by toasting with milk instead of Champagne at the Victory Banquet at theWaldorf. Earnhardt got his dig in when he went on Letterman in 1995 and said he was the first MAN to win the Brickyard 400. (Jeff had won it the year before.) It was good natured teasing from a friend.
18.  After Dale’s death in the 2001 Daytona 500? Jeff wrote, “you have to live every minute as if it could be your last…no one is promised tomorrow. If something like this can happen to Dale Earnhardt, it can happen to any of us.”

Will Team with Scott Dixon in 2009 in Indy Car Series
2008: Breaks foot in Talladega NW crash
2007 Indy Car Series Champion (4 Wins: Indy, Iowa, Richmond, Chicago)
2007 Indianapolis 500 Winner
2007: Won 12 Hours of Sebring with Andretti-Green in LMP2 (With Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan)
Open-Wheel Stats:
18 Wins (10 CART Wins, 8 IRL Wins)…22nd All Time
17 Poles (11 CART, 6 IRL)…Tied for 16th All Time
First CART Win: Elkart Lake 8-16-98

2007: IndyCar Champion: 4 Wins for AGR

2006: 8th in IndyCar Points…did not race in finale…due to injury at Goodwood Festival of Speed

2005: 4th in IndyCar Points: 2 Wins

2004: 6th in IndyCar Series Points: 2 Wins for AGR

2003 Back injury and surgery from motorcycle crash in Scotland costs him most of his Andretti-Green IndyCar Series Season

2002: 4th in CART Points: 3 Wins Team Green

2001: 7th in CART Points: 1 Win

2000: Fractured pelvis in spring test at Homestead

1999: 2nd in Standings to Juan Pablo Montoya in CART Series (Tied in Points but Montoya had more wins: 7 to 3)

1998: CART Team Green: 3 Wins. 3rd in Points

1997: CART Rookie for Hogan Racing (Best finish 9th at Australia)

Started racing karts in 1984
Raced karts, Formula Vauxhall, Formula 3, FIA Touring Car,

Licensed helicopter pilot…Eurocopter AS350 B3

“NASCAR Legends” is a “blast from the past,”…”a leisurely walk down the pit lanes of yesteryear,”…intimate photographic portraits by Don Hunter combined with Ben White’s insightful prose profiles of the men who built the foundation of NASCAR….and those who stood on the shoulders of these giants.

The cover will tell you instantly if you are a long-term core fan of NASCAR. A dozen photographic portraits showcase a baker’s dozen of famous NASCAR personalities. How many can YOU name? (From upper left to lower right they are: 1. Bobby Allison 2. Wendell Scott 3. Junior Johnson 4. Smokey Yunick 5. Fred Lorenzen 6. Richard Petty 7. Ralph Earnhardt 8. Cale Yarborough 9. Ned Jarrett 10. Dale Earnhardt 11. Curtis Turner 12. Ralph Moody and John Holman. How did you do? Now for the bonus question. Who is driving the #27 Pontiac and the #15 Ford in the cover photo. (Give up? It’s Tim Richmond in the #27 Pontiac and Dale Earnhardt in the #15 FORD…yes, Earnhardt drove a FORD…several times in his career.)

Talk about a “Who’s Who.” The Contents contain the following:
Bobby Allison
Davey Allison
Donnie Allison
Elzie Wylie “Buddy” Baker
Neil Bonnett
Henry Neil “Soapy” Castles
Dale Earnhardt
Bill Elliott
Tim Flock
Bill France, Sr.
Jeff Gordon
John Holman and Ralph Moody
Ernie Irvan
Robert Vance Isaac
Dale Jarrett
Ned Jarrett
Junior Johnson
Alan Kulwicki
Terry Labonte
Fred Lorenzen
Tiny Lund
Dave Marcis
Sterling Marlin
Mark Martin
Everette Douglas “Cotton” Owens
Benny Parsons
David Pearson
Kyle Petty
Richard Petty
Tim Richmond
Glenn “Fireball” Roberts
Ricky Rudd
Ken Schrader
Wendell Scott
Curtis Turner
Rusty Wallace
Darrell Waltrip
Joe Weatherly
Glen and Leonard Wood
Cale Yarborough
Lee Roy Yarbrough
Henry “Smokey” Yunick

Over 200 photographs illustrate “the highest of triumphs and lowest of disappointments.” The Introduction promises, “A reader can travel back in time. Through these pages is offered a special opportunity for everyone to reminisce on the glory days, and the glorious careers, that have passed.”

My favorite image is a black and white portrait of Bobby Allison. It captures his strong countenance with the creases of sadness of a father who tragically lost two sons. His thoughtful expression is tempered with the iron will of a NASCAR Champion who won 85 races with his pit bull tenacity. It truly is a “picture that speaks one thousand words.”

“NASCAR Legends” could be the source of dozens of trivia questions.

1. Who was “Bob Sunderman?”

2. Who sold his prize shotgun for $35 to finance his trip to Alabama?

3. What is “Buddy” Baker’s real name?

4. He was called “The Gentle Giant.”

5. How did “Soapy” Castles get his nickname?

6. What special “trick” did Castles use to gain extra speed?

7. He describes himself as “the most disqualified driver in history.”

8. He had a monkey as a co-driver when he won a race at Hickory, NC in 1953.

9. This driver ran 217 MPH at the Bonneville Salt Flats and set 28 records.

10. He was the first driver to earn over $100,000 in a single season.

11. He was nicknamed “The Silver Fox.”

12. He won 27 races in 1967…10 in a row.

13. They based the movie “Days of Thunder” on his life.

ANSWERS:
1. Bobby Allison
2. Donnie Allison
3. Elzie
4. Buddy Baker
5. From a Soapbox Derby car he “drove”
6. Coated his car with baby powder to make it “slicker”
7. Tim Flock
8. Tim Flock
9. Bobby Isaac
10. Fred Lorenzen
11. David Pearson
12. Richard Petty
13. Tim Richmond

“NASCAR Legends” rates four out of five lug nuts. It belongs on the shelf of every true NASCAR fan.

Heeeee’s BAAAAAACK!
“Mr. Consistency” strikes again. Matt Kenseth has finished in the Top Ten in NASCAR Cup points for the last six years. This year he is 12th in Points and makes the Chase for the Sprint Cup AGAIN…as he has every year. Is it Déjà vu?

Matt Kenseth, the 2003 Cup Champion, was cited by many pundits as the reason for the “NASCAR Chase for the Cup.” He won the Championship…but only ONE race. Many forget that in 2002 he led the Cup series with FIVE wins…and only finished eighth in the points. Some branded him a “robot”…and he took that all the way to the bank in a series of very funny commercials that poked fun at that label. He was also called “The Ice Man,” “The Silent Assassin,” and “Matt the Brat.”

Matt’s sister, Kelly Maruszewski, wrote the book on her brother.
“MATT KENSETH: Above and Beyond”was published in 2003. (The year of Matt’s Winston Cup Championship.) It paints a fascinating portrait of Kenseth.

Matt’s dad wrote the Foreword. It’s a family affair. The book incorporates family snapshots showing Matt as a baby as well as him riding his hot rod tractor in a parade.

Matt had a typical Midwestern upbringing. He built model cars and raced his dad on a slot car track. At 9, instead of a go-kart, Matt got a lawn mower, removed the mower deck and souped it up. Matt’s dad had a ’67 Vette and a ’69 Yenko Camaro that he drag raced, so love of cars and racing was imprinted early in Matt.

Matt’s uncles, cousin and dad raced limited late models…mid-packers with largely family sponsorship at local tracks. When Matt was 12 years old, his dad bought a race car and said, ”I’ll drive it and you can work on it.” Matt did…for four years.

When Matt turned 16 in 1988, he took over driving duties. It was a 1981 Camaro and Matt won his first race at Columbus, WI 151 Speedway in July of 1988. Matt’s dad had envisioned a two-car father/son team…but lack of finances dictated that Matt drive and dad crew.

Matt raced and worked on his car while in high school. When he graduated high school in 1990, he lived at home and worked at Lefthander Chassis in Rockford, IL building race cars. “I want to be a full-time race car driver. It doesn’t matter on what circuit or what part of the country. My goal is to drive race cars professionally.”

In 1991, he won an ARTGO race at LaCrosse at age 19, the youngest driver to win…breaking the record of the previous youngest…Mark Martin. He credits working on his dad’s race car as his edge…he knew what the car was doing and why. “Races are really won at home in the shop, not at the race track.”

1n 1993, Matt began his rivalry with fellow driver Robbie Reiser. Reiser won the Wisconsin Short Track Series Title. Kenseth finished sixth in points.

In 1994 Matt won the “Miller Genuine Draft Nationals” and picked up the nickname, “Matt the Brat.” He ran against the likes of Dick Trickle, Rich Bickle, Ken Schrader and Butch Miller. He won two track championships.

In 1996 Matt moved to NC and ran Hooter’s Pro Cup with one win at Anderson, SC, and finished third in points. In May he ran his first Busch race at Charlotte in an unsponsored Bobby Dotter car, and finished 31st.

In 1997 Matt returned to WI for an ASA ride. After finishing 2nd in his first race, he received a phone call from his long-time rival Robbie Reiser. They went Busch racing, and Matt finished 6th at Nashville in his debut with the team. He ended with 2 Top Fives, 7 Top Tens and second place in Rookie of the Year standings. After Matt’s second Busch start, Mark Martin offered Matt a test later that year at Darlington. After the test Matt was offered a “five year testing contract” with Roush as well as help in securing a sponsor for Reiser Enterprises in 1998.

Mark Martin said, “I’ve been wrong about a lot of things in my life, but I was right about Matt Kenseth. I’m real proud of that.” “Matt is a superstar in the making. He is a tremendous driver and if somebody said, ‘Why don’t you create from scratch the ultimate race car driver?’ That’s the one.”

Matt has this to say about Mark: “He is a great friend and has been a tremendous influence on my career, but if we’re both racing for the win I’m gonna try my best to beat him.”

1998: The Busch season began with the deal with their primary sponsor falling through. LYCOS came on at the last minute for a “Daytona only” deal. Matt finished 6th. The next race at Rockingham, Matt carried a small LYCOS decal on the quarter panel as a thank you for Daytona. During the race Matt was referred to several times as “Robbie Reiser” but when Matt bumped Tony Stewart out of the way for his first Busch Series win…he took the trophy in his logo-free driver’s suit…with “Matt Kenseth” embroidered on it. LYCOS signed on for the rest of the season. Matt finished second to Dale Jr. in Busch points. Matt filled in for Bill Elliott, whose dad had died, in the #94 McDonald’s Cup car at Dover. Matt worked his way up to second…and finished sixth…the best Cup debut since Rusty Wallace’s second place in 1980. Matt had many offers from impressed car owners…but remained loyal to Mark Martin and Jack Roush.

“Mark told me, ‘Just remember who is giving you the start and who is giving you the break.’ I will never forget that, and I will do whatever Mark thinks we should do as long as he is interested in me and wants to help me.” Matt Kenseth.

1999: Matt finished third in Busch points in the DeWalt car. His good friend Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won his second Busch title. Matt made five Cup starts with a best finish of 4th at Dover.

2000: Matt moved to Cup full time with Robbie Reiser as his crew chief for Jack Roush. Matt won the Coke 600…first time by a rookie… and Rookie of the Year. He finished 14th in points.

2001: The team never came to terms with Goodyear’s harder tire. They used 11 provisionals and their average starting position was 27.8. Rumors surfaced about an unhappy Matt leaving Roush. The end of the season saw a turnaround…his pit crew won the World Championship…Matt rebounded and finished 13th in points.

2002: Kenseth earned a series high 5 wins. (Rockingham, Texas, Michigan, Richmond, Phoenix) but only finished 8th in Points.

2003: Winston Cup Champion with only 1 win. He led the points for a NASCAR record 33 straight weeks. Hmmmm?

“Consistency is the key to finishing well in the points standings, and it’s what championships are built upon,” says Matt Kenseth.

Being from Wisconsin, Matt is a huge Green Bay Packers fan and exchanged helmets with quarterback Brett Favre at Lambeau Field in 2003. Talk about a Cheesehead fantasy come true!

Even though his favorite band is Metallica and he has a cat named “Lars,” Matt is often portrayed by the media as “boring.” He and his wife showed a great sense of humor when Katie wore a T-Shirt that said…WHAT’S HIS NAME IS SO GOOD TO ME.

Jim Hunter compared Matt to David Pearson. “David Pearson always moved around with a low profile. He did his talking on the racetrack. I mean, David talked to people. But he didn’t always come up with a catchy quote or something that would make a headline. And Kenseth is the same way.”

Mark Martin said, “I liked Matt from the first time I saw him. I liked the way he handled himself, both on and off the track. I could tell that he was a very talented young man who had a bright future in the sport.”

Matt used to spend LOTS of time at his Busch shop in earlier years…”I didn’t have any friends, so I hung out at the shop all day.” Today Matt has many friends, thousands of fans and the “toys” that come with wealth and fame. Matt’s 94 year old Grandpa, Helmer, got to fly co-pilot on Matt’s jet. He had taken Matt for his first plane ride year’s before in HIS single engine plane.

Some quotes from “Matt Kenseth:Above and Beyond” reveal much about Matt, and what others think about him.

“Matt’s driving style is not like Stewart or Busch…he’s more like Darrell Waltrip or Bill Elliott, just smooth. But Matt CAN drive the wheels off a car. He’s probably a little more of an aggressive driver than he’s given credit for.” Ray Evernham

“Matt can take a 40th place car and finish 20th with it….Matt never quits.” Roy Kenseth

Matt may not be known for his sense of humor, but his former spotter, Mike Calinoff…who has done stand-up comedy, said, “Matt has kept me laughing for three years.”

“Matt Kenseth: Above and Beyond” adds lots of color and flavor to a driver that has been wrongly labeled, “vanilla.”

Matt is currently seeded 12th in the Chase…only 80 points behind Kyle Busch- who has 8 wins. If the Traditional Points System were still in place, Matt would be 746 points behind Busch…and with essentially no prayer of winning the Chase. Isn’t it ironic? Matt won the 2003 Cup Championship with a brilliant but boringly consistent season with only ONE victory. Many consider it the reason for the creation of the Chase. Now with NO victories so far in 2008, Matt is still in the running to win the ten race Chase. “Mr. Consistency” has made every Chase. Can he win his second Cup Championship?

My Top 12 Chasers

Ranked after Richmond: Points for the Top Twelve are reset…starting with 5000 Points with 10 Bonus Points added for each regular season win.
(Traditional Points would be how drivers rank without resetting the Chase Order and adding Bonus Points for Wins. Matt Kenseth is only 80 points behind Kyle Busch going into the Chase. Under the Traditional Points system he would be 746 points back.)

1. Kyle Busch 5080 (8 Wins) 1st in Traditional Points: 3878
2. Carl Edwards* 5050 (6 Wins) 2nd in Traditional Points: 3671 -207
3. Jimmie Johnson 5040 (4 Wins) 3rd in Traditional Points: 3576 -302
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr.  5010 (1 Win) 4th in Traditional Points: 3488 -390
5. Jeff Burton 5010 (1 Win) 5th in Traditional Points: 3384 -494
6. Denny Hamlin 5010 (1 Win) 9th in Traditional Points: 3235 -643
7. Clint Bowyer 5010 (1 Win) 12th in Traditional Points: 3116 -762
8. Tony Stewart 5000 (0 Wins) 6th in Traditional Points: 3285 -593
9. Kevin Harvick 5000 (0 Wins) 7th in Traditional Points: 3283 -595
10. Greg Biffle 5000 (0 Wins) 8th in Traditional Points: 3280 -598
11. Jeff Gordon 5000 (0 Wins) 10th in Traditional Points: 3221 -657
12. Matt Kenseth 5000 (0 Wins) 11th in Traditional Points: 3132 -746

* Carl Edwards loses 10 Bonus Points for Las Vegas Win Penalty

Jimmie Johnson has a chance to repeat what another J. Johnson did thirty years ago. From 1976-1978 car owner JUNIOR Johnson won three straight NASCAR Cup Championships with driver Cale Yarborough. Cale was one of Jimmie Johnson’s childhood racing heroes. In fact Jimmie was upset when, as a child, he went into a Hardee’s restaurant (Cale Yarborough’s sponsor at the time) and did not see Cale or his race car there. Three decades after Cale’s remarkable “Three Peat” of Cup Titles…the ONLY driver to win three straight championships…Jimmie is poised to equal that remarkable performance.

How good is Jimmie Johnson when the Chase Chips are down? Here is his resume.

2004: Won 4 of 10 Chase Races: 2nd in Points (5 Top Five, 7 Top Ten)
2005: Won 2 of 10 “ “ : 5th in Points (4 Top Five, 7 Top Ten)
2006: Won 1 of 10 “ “ : WON TITLE (5 Top Five, 6 Top Ten)
2007: Won 4 of 10 “ “ : WON TITLE (6 Top Five, 8 Top Ten)

Jimmie has won 11 of 40 Chase Races…27.5% (More victories than the next three winners combined… Biffle, Stewart and Edwards.) Jimmie more than doubles his winning percentage during the chase…he “turns up the wick.”

Johnson has won 26 of 205 non-Chase races…12.7 %

Next best in Chase wins:

Greg Biffle 4…10%
Tony Stewart 3
Carl Edwards 3
Jeff Gordon 3
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2
Kevin Harvick 2
Ryan Newman 2
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Joe Nemechek
Dale Jarrett
Mark Martin
Jeff Burton
Brian Vickers
Kasey Kahne
Clint Bowyer
Matt Kenseth

Look for Jimmie Johnson to complete the three peat…a feat that has only been accomplished once in NASCAR history.

Talk About High Fuel Prices!!! $4.00 a gallon is NOTHING!
After losing the 2007 Title to Dario by 13 Points after running out of fuel on the last turn of the last lap while leading at Chicagoland…that gallon of Ethanol cost Scott $1,000,000

2008
6 Wins (H-Miami, Indy, TX, Nash, Edmonton, KY)
7 Poles
14 Top 5

Career: 2003 IRL Champion (Was tied with Helio going into season finale at Texas)
16 Wins in 96 Starts
15 Poles
48 Top Five
68 Top Ten
2008 Indy 500 Winner

Dixon needed only finish 8th or better to clinch at Chicagoland…HE FINISHED 2ND

Helio Castroneves
30 Points behind Dixon going into Chicagoland
Started last after being penalized for going below the white line
2008:
2 Wins (Infineon, Chicagoland) Led Most Laps
4 Poles
15 Top Five (8 Second Places)

Career:
14 Wins in 114 Starts
28 Poles
66 Top Five
88 Top Ten
2001, 2002 Indy 500 Winner

2004: Won 4 of 10 Chase Races 2nd in Points (5 Top Five, 7 Top Ten)
2005: Won 2 of 10 “ “ 5th in Points (4 Top Five, 7 Top Ten)
2006: Won 1 of 10 “ “ WON TITLE (5 Top Five, 6 Top Ten)
2007: Won 4 of 10 “ “ WON TITLE (6 Top Five, 8 Top Ten)

JJ has won 11 of 40 Chase Races…27.5% ( More wins than Biffle, Stewart and Edwards combined)

JJ has won 25 of 204 non-Chase races…12%

Jimmie more than doubles his winning percentage during the Chase

Second Best in Chase Wins is:
Greg Biffle 4…10%

Tony Stewart 3
Carl Edwards 3
Jeff Gordon 3
Dale Jr. 2
Kevin Harvick 2
Ryan Newman 2
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Joe Nemechek
Dale Jarrett
Mark Martin
Jeff Burton
Brian Vickers
Kasey Kahne
Clint Bowyer
Matt Kenseth

By Gregg Leary
[Category: Auto Racing]]

Wrote Foreword for Erik Arneson’s “Mickey Thompson: The Fast Life and Tragic Death of a Racing Legens”

“When you’re young, your parents rarely seem even remotely extraordinary. I grew up thinking everyone’s dad was a race car driver.”

When Mickey would call Danny at the race shop he would ask, “What are you doing?” Danny’s response, “Working my ass off.”

“I thought it was impossible for him to die. He was immortal.”

Danny was born AFTER his mom finished doing a valve job on one of Mickey’s engines…cleaned the grease from under her nails…and went to the hospital to have Danny.

Danny’s Racing Resume

Raced quarter midgets at a track Mickey built for the kids at Lions Dragstrip and won a track championship.

After a child was injured, Mickey took Danny out of the car and forbid him to race.

Mickey and Danny did the 65 mile Catalina Ski Race…Danny skied the race in shark infested waters and finished 4th out of 100 entrants in 1965.

Danny raced motocross after high school and won his first 18 events.

Mickey drove and Danny navigated at Baja and other off-road races. At Baja after an epic battle with Parnelli Jones Mickey came up with the idea of bringing this great racing to the crowds…SCORE and stadium racing

Danny designed the off-road course at Riverside. “After just a few years we were outdrawing NASCAR at Riverside…60,000 fans.” Danny made his solo debut there in 1975.

1978: MTEG was created to “create a more compact and manageable event.” in stadiums.

Danny was racing Formula Atlantics and won an SCCA Regional Championship. Mickey asked him to race in the MTEG series. “Was he doing it to keep me off the open-wheel path? I think he had a real problem with the idea of me eventually racing at Indy after Dave MacDonald’s death.” Danny raced in MTEG for almost a decade.

Shortly before Mickey’s death he asked Danny to drive the “Flying Needle Autolite Special” in a LSR attempt at Bonneville.