"Well I think every speech is too long by the way. I'm not big on the giving speeches," Matt Kenseth says.
But now Matt Kenseth has to deliver a speech. He's going into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
"I never really raced for recognition," Kenseth says. "I never really like giving speeches or getting dressed up or doing interviews or doing any of that stuff. Right, that's the part I always liked the least about racing, as you probably know. With that being said, I always said it was no big deal. However, once your career's over, for a couple of years you realize how different things are, right? Like you have a lot of people you're like, yeah we're pretty close friends. And then a couple of years go by when you're not racing and stuff and you're like, I haven't heard from him."
Kenseth strongly remembers his first NASCAR national series victory back in 1998 with Allenton, Wisconsin native Robbie Reiser.
"The greatest win is still that. Winning that first race at Rockingham with the Reisers," Kenseth says. "That was our first NASCAR win together and we weren't expected to win and we take the lead. Last led the last 150 yards of the race or something like that. We led one lap, and that was the only lap we led. And that was just an incredible race and it kind of helped continue both of our careers."
It helped launch his career, complete with 39 Cup victories, including two Daytona 500 wins and the 2003 Cup Series championship. What some consider the last season champ, under the old points structure.
"If I had a choice between winning it in 2003 or winning it in 2004? I think winning it in 2003 definitely is what I would have chosen, just because I'm probably a little bit more of a traditionalist," Kenseth says.
Like many in pro sports, Kenseth stewed on the defeats almost more than his triumphs.
"I still wake up sometimes and have nightmares about the Daytona 500 and I guess it was in 2016 when I led that whole time," Kenseth says "Denny's coming through there down the backstretch. And I was like, 'ah, I gotta get in front of him and block him.' So I went up to block him. I made a terrible block. I didn't get back down to the bottom soon enough. I don't know if I'll ever totally get over it. You know, it's the Daytona 500. Thanks for bringing that up, now I'm kind of miserable."
But it's as much the moments as the victories.
"You know, testing, and racing rental minivans around Martinville trying to get the track dry," Kenseth says. "And melting hubcaps off because the brakes are so hot. Just like all kinds of fun, silly stuff like that."
Kenseth says like in racing, people will choose what to remember him for. Some will like you. Others not so much. But there's no doubt he's one of the best Wisconsin has ever produced.
