While Cambridge, Wis., native Matt Kenseth is perhaps best known as the final Winston Cup champion, he also has garnered quite a reputation on short tracks. As with most successful drivers, Kenseth's family introduced him to racing. His father, Roy, made him a deal when he turned 13. Roy bought a racecar and said he would race it if Matt would work on it. Then, when Matt turned 16, he would turn the keys over to his son. That day finally arrived in 1988, and Matt entered his first stock car race. Two races later, Kenseth had his first feature-event victory. By the time Matt was 19, he had moved up to the competitive Wisconsin late model circuit, where he became the youngest ARTGO Challenge Series winner in history, a record that was held previously by his Roush Racing teammate, Mark Martin. In a three-year span, Kenseth garnered 46 super-late model victories, including the Alan Kulwicki Memorial Race and track championships at Madison International Speedway and Wisconsin International Raceway. He also became the youngest winner of the Miller Genuine Draft National Championship. In 1995, Kenseth got his first taste of NASCAR competition in the All-Pro Series. He finished third in the Hooters Series in 1996 and he was second in the ASA Series in 1997 when Robbie Reiser called with an opportunity for Kenseth to run in the Busch Series. Kenseth finished 11th in the his first Busch Series start in April of 1997, and went on to get seven top-10 finishes in 21 starts in his rookie campaign. A year later, Kenseth got his first three Busch Series wins, 17 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes. Bill Elliott noticed, as he tabbed Kenseth as his fill-in driver in September of 1998 at Dover. He wasted no time making an impression, finishing seventh in his Cup debut. In 1999, Kenseth continued his success in the Busch Series, getting four more wins and 20 top-10 finishes. He added five Cup starts for Roush Racing in that season, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at Dover. Kenseth's first full year in Cup racing was historic, as Kenseth became the first rookie to win the prestigious Coca-Cola 600. The effort cemented Kenseth as one of the top stars in NASCAR's most elite series.
