Matt Kenseth claims that he doesn’t belong on the list of the greatest NASCAR drivers
Matt Kenseth is one of the most respected drivers the Cup garage has ever seen.
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Matt Kenseth (Credits: Beyond the Flag)
The 2003 NASCAR Cup champion Matt Kenseth had admitted that he doesn’t see himself as a worthy candidate to be featured on the list of 75 Greatest Drivers ever. He was one of the 25 new entries to the elite list made by NASCAR as part of the 75th anniversary of the sport. Kenseth was the penultimate driver to be named to list ahead of Jimmie Johnson.
He is dubbed as the last real champion of NASCAR because, after his 2003 championship win, the sport adopted the playoff system. Kenseth’s championship win came by virtue of just one win early in the season and superior consistency. Some fans still believe that his one-win march to the Cup title is the reason behind NASCAR adopting the playoffs.
While talking about his career, the Hall of Famer from the class of 2022 pointed out that he doesn’t seem worthy of such an honor. He told Dale Earnhardt Jr. that NASCAR had excluded a number of racers who were more deserving of it than him. Kenseth also admitted that having people such as Robbie Reiser with him helped him write his NASCAR legacy.
“It’s an exclusive list. It doesn’t, again I’ll tell you the same thing I told you around the Hall of Fame stuff. I don’t really feel like I belong on that list. When you look at it, there’s a lot of people excluded on that list that. I think are better drivers than I ever was. But I definitely cashed in on the good fortune of having people like Robbie Reiser,” he said on Dale Jr. Download podcast.
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Matt Kenseth, without a doubt is worthy of his NASCAR accolades
The former JGR driver might have been humble, as his NASCAR resume is matched by a handful of drivers who are legends of the sport. He has won 33 Cup races in 697 starts, alongside the Cu title. He has finished inside the Top 10 in half of those races and has won the iconic Daytona 500 twice in his career.
He had similar dominance in the lower divisions as well. He has won 29 Xfinity series races from 288 starts, more than a win per 10 starts. He has also won a NASCAR Pinty Series race. It was the only one he ever started. He also won the IROC Championship in 2004 and has raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona as well.
Kenseth has won races with two different manufacturers and teams in his Cup career. He also had an impressive super late-model career. He has won the iconic Slinger National races in the quarter-mile track on eight different occasions and is the most successful driver in the event’s history. His most recent win there came in 2019.
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Justin P Joy
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