Kenseth to make Oxford Plains return

Thursday, April 14, 2005

By STEVE CRAIG
Blethen Maine Newspapers

OXFORD -- It didn't take much to convince Matt Kenseth to come back to the Banknorth 250. If anything, Oxford Plains Speedway owner Bill Ryan should be putting Kenseth on retainer as his track's PR agent in the Nextel Cup garages.

"I cannot wait to find out what other Nextel Cup drivers might race in the 250 this year," Kenseth said in an Oxford press release. "It was a blast racing with my teammate Kurt Busch last year. I've had a lot of other drivers in the garage area tell me they've heard about this race, and I tell them they have to see it and compete in it themselves."

Kenseth backed up his own words by officially committing to return for the 2005 edition of the most lucrative single-day short track event in the country. The announcement was made by the track Wednesday morning.

The 32nd edition of the Banknorth 250 will be held Sunday, July 31. The date was set specifically because it is an off weekend for NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series.

Kenseth, the 2003 Nextel Cup champion made his first appearance last year, memorably driving from last on the starting grid (he received a provisional after failing to qualify) to a third-place finish. He will again team with Whorff Motorsports of Topsham which will provide a car and crew for Kenseth. Bill Whorff Jr., and his son Jeremie are weekly competitors in the Oxford Pro Stock ranks.

"The only way Matt was going to come back was if he could work with the Whorffs again," Ryan said. "There's already a comfort level there and he knew what the guys could do for him, in terms of getting a quality car prepared."

Ryan said he didn't need to sell Kenseth on the race. Rather, he simply had to wait and see if Kenseth's sponsorship and team commitments would allow him to return.

"When I talked to Matt last year about coming up I had to give a lot of attention to explaining about the race, what it was about, it's prestige and all that," Ryan said. "Now (Kenseth and Busch) have done it and this year there is a lot of interest from a number of different parties."

The Oxford Plains owner said another Nextel Cup regular is trying to put together a team and is "99 percent" committed to coming to race.

Ben Rowe of Turner is the two-time defending champion of the race, which annually draws the brightest stars from New England's short-track circuits.

They come to vie for the $25,000 winner's prize, $100-per-lap leader bonuses and also the honor of being a champion of a race that has now seen nine champions from NASCAR's premier series grace the starting grid.

Where last year there was some doubt whether the Nextel Cup drivers could be competitive considering their lack of knowledge of the track and limited time in their cars, Kenseth and Busch (who finished 13th) showed they were factors.

"I had a great time at the Banknorth 250 last year," Kenseth said in the press release. "Racing from the back of the pack to third was a thrill. I'm hoping now that I've become a little more familiar with the track that I can help Whorff Motorsports get to victory lane on July 31st."

Kenseth won the most Cup races in 2002 then dominated the 2003 championship, prompting NASCAR to change to the Chase for the Championship format. Last season he finished eighth in the chase. Through six races in 2004, the Roush Racing DeWalt Power Tools team has struggled. Kenseth is currently 21st in points with one top-10. Kenseth and Busch were the first top-level stars to race in the 250 in more than 10 years. The crowd that packed the facility showed its appreciation and, in turn, the 250's reputation was buffed to a higher sheen. Ryan recalled how when he went to New Hampshire International Speedway after last year's race, Cup legend Bobby Allison among others were talking about the 250.

"When you get buzz in the Nextel Cup garage about your short-track race, that's great," Ryan said. "For the fans, our so many loyal fans, I loved the fact that they could see their hometown heroes race against the national guys. For the people who I call the television fans who came out to see their favorite national drivers, they got a chance to see racing at really the grassroots level. From a financial standpoint, obviously it was great. We sold more tickets than we have in years."

All seating for the Banknorth 250 will be reserved. Tickets are available by calling the Speedway office, (207) 539-8865.