Matt Kenseth is coming back.
No, he’s not returning to Roush Fenway Racing or Joe Gibbs
Racing for another condensed NASCAR schedule.
Instead, the 2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion will return to Super
Late Model competition to compete in the Slinger Nationals at Slinger Super
Speedway in Wisconsin on July 9.
The revelation was made on the Slinger Super Speedway Facebook page over the weekend.
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“I can’t think of a better place for me to get back in
a race car than Slinger,” Kenseth said. “It’s been a good track for
me throughout my career. We’ve had a lot of success there, a lot of memorable
moments, and I’m looking forward to going back.
“The Nationals have always been one of the major events
in all of short track racing. Certainly it was the one you wanted to win
growing up in Wisconsin. Throughout the years, a lot of big names in NASCAR
have raced in the Nationals. That’s a testament to how big of a race this has
been for some time.”
And win it, Kenseth has, early and often.
The 39-race Cup Series winner has also won the Nationals on
seven different occasions. He first won the race in 1994 as a full-time short
tracker and came back to score one-off triumphs in ’02, ’06, ’08, ’09, ’12 and
’16.
His most recent victory in 2016 came in dramatic fashion when Kenseth executed a bump-and-run on then Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Erik Jones on the final lap to win the race. Jones replaced Kenseth in the No. 20 Cup Series car the next season.
The win was also the last time Kenseth teamed with longtime spotter Mike Calinoff. The two won the Cup Series championship together in 2003 and Calinoff retired following the Nationals.
Kenseth essentially retired from NASCAR after a partial schedule with Roush in 2018.
The Slinger Nationals is one of the most prestigious Super Late Model races in the country. The race has been contested amongst some of the biggest names in Stock Car racing. Previous winners include Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin, Dick Trickle, Joe Shear, Rich Bickle, Bubba Pollard and Ty Majeski.
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