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THE SEASON: The tale of two seasons was no more evident for Matt Kenseth than what the season's first three races brought him.First, there was a career-defining win for Kenseth at the season-opening Daytona 500 after he took the lead just seconds before NASCAR tossed what would be the final caution flag for rain.
Next, Kenseth went to Auto Club Speedway -- in California -- after a week of defending his rain-soaked Daytona win and answering questions if his team would be a legitimate contender for a championship in 2009 and followed it up in a fashion that has never been by a team with a brand new crew chief. Kenseth held off Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson for his second-straight win.
It was a surprising result for the first two races, but soon enough, reality set in. In fact, it was just seven days later.
Just six laps in, Kenseth's No. 17 suffered a blown engine at Las Vegas. It was a startling occurrence that put his two wins in direct contrast with his last-place finish at Vegas.
Kenseth's team never would top their performance from the gate in 2009. He would go on to score his remaining top-5s at his longtime stronghold tracks -- Texas, Charlotte and Dover -- but would never consistently battle for race wins again. In fact, Kenseth's two wins were the only victories for his Roush-Fenway Racing team in 2009.
The struggle in 2009 wasn't for a lack of effort as Kenseth -- as always -- ranked near the top of the Sprint Cup Series in terms of average positions gained per race. Such a streak has long been a hallmark of the Wisconsin driver.
THE STATISTICS:
Best Finish - 1st, Daytona & Fontana
Worst Finish - 43rd, Las Vegas
Top-5s - 7
Top-10s - 12
Total Laps Led - 245›
Percent of Laps Completed - 96.0
THE FUTURE: 2009 marked a significant first for Kenseth, and also an ending of a significant portion of his NASCAR career.
First, Kenseth's failure to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2009 was the first in his career. Second, longtime sponsor -- even from before the RFR days -- DeWalt announced they'd be leaving the team after the season.
Sponsorship worries don't seem to persist for Kenseth into 2010, though. Crown Royal is moving from the No. 26 RFR car to Kenseth's ride as the primary sponsor and numerous associate sponsors are also expected to be aboard.
The finishes towards the end of the season, unlike some of the others already mentioned in Rewind, didn't seem to indicate that Kenseth has made tremendous strides forward for 2010. However, it's tough to think that Kenseth -- and the rest of his Roush teammates -- will continue to struggle like they did in 2010.
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