Matt Kenseth -- No. 17 USG Sheetrock Ford Fusion Bristol NNC Preview

Blah- I don't like when they drive a different paint scheme. Takes me forever to get used to it and try to find them on the track. But it is Bristol, so not so much room to look around for it!!!

* For the first of three times in 2006, Matt Kenseth will pilot the No.17 USG Sheetrock Ford Fusion. USG Sheetrock will also be the primary sponsor for the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in July and the November race at Phoenix International Raceway.
* Kenseth led 415 of 500 laps at Bristol last fall and won from the pole, turning in one of the more dominating performances at the "World's Fastest Half Mile" in recent memory. The 415 laps led in the event were the most in a race at Bristol since Rusty Wallace in April of 1999.
* Kenseth's average finish of 12.2 is fifth among active drivers at Bristol.
Matt Kenseth

Team: No. 17 USG Sheetrock Ford Fusion
Crew Chief: Robbie Reiser
Chassis: Primary: RK - 089; Won last NNCS race at Bristol leading 415 laps.
Oldest car in the No. 17 team's stable.
Backup: RK - 280; Last ran at Atlanta in March of '05.

Kenseth on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:
"Bristol is a fun place to run if you can get your car to handle good. It's really like any other track when it comes to passing. When people say 'the track layout causes the wrecks,' that's not true. The drivers still have control of the racecars and if you can get your car to handle good, then you can pass cleanly. Anybody can pass by running into the car in front of them, but the good ones are able to work on their racecar and improve the handling to where they can pass cleanly. If you aren't fast enough or handling good enough to pass the guy in front of you, then, for most drivers, just slamming into the back of the car in front of you to get them out of the way isn't an option. It's like any other track; you have to be good enough to beat the other guys into the corner to gain the position, not just good enough to reach their bumper."

Crew Chief Robbie Reiser on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:
"If you have a well balanced racecar and can really turn through the center of the corner, then you're in business at Bristol. It's really all about who can pick up the accelerator faster than the other guy. That will determine who's better than the other guys; like pretty much every where else we run. We're bringing the oldest car in our stable which has run at Bristol the past three or four years and won there last fall. If we can stay clean and have no mistakes, we'll be in good shape on Sunday."