Well-traveled Kenseth at home on racetrack
Matt Kenseth's week started on the sidelines at Lambeau Field, where he led the crowd in a rollicking rendition of Roll out the Barrel during a win for his beloved Green Bay Packers. He tested the Car of Tomorrow on Monday and Tuesday at Talladega Superspeedway and spent one night at home before jetting to New York for a NASCAR media blitz.
There was plenty to distract Matt Kenseth from the pressure awaiting at Loudon, N.H., site of the Chase for the Nextel Cup opener in Sunday's Sylvania 300. But the Cambridge, Wis., native, who will be competing in his fourth consecutive Chase, doesn't need to settle his nerves with diversions — particularly those involving the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple.
"When I get to Loudon, that'll be the most relaxed I'll be," he said. "(Racing) is actually the part that comes easiest and stresses me out the least."
In the first in a series of weekly interviews during the Chase, the 2003 champion chatted with USA TODAY on Wednesday morning after checking into his hotel:
Between the postseason awards ceremony and the Chase extravaganzas, you've made at least nine trips to New York in five years. You're a small-town Midwesterner at heart, but is the city growing on you?
Well, yes and no. I like coming here because it means we're having a good year. The other side is that it's sometimes kind of a pain because it's not my favorite stuff to do. You have to remember it's a huge honor to be invited, but certainly it's not the atmosphere (where) I'm most comfortable. It's actually the atmosphere I'm probably the least comfortable, getting all dressed up in a big city and not knowing where you're going.
NASCAR has made you do some crazy stuff such as wear a beanie during a fashion show on Live with Regis and Kellythree years ago. Does promoting the sport sometimes feel a little cringe-worthy?
There has to be a line of what you'll do. You have to be able to laugh at yourself but not look like a total idiot. There's been a couple of times it's been a little on the silly side, but yet it's also cool, like last year I got to throw pies at Kelly (Ripa). The beanie, that was great. But they made a lot of other guys look silly, too. I remember Tony Stewart had a bright orange sweater on, and it looked pretty dang funny. If you do your research, that was the last time he was ever on that show.
What's worse, five lanes of traffic at Talladega or in Times Square?
At least at Talladega, you get to go fast. Here, you're just sitting. At least I don't have to drive through the stuff; that would really have me stressed out. It's all right to do a couple of times a year, but it's not where I would choose to spend all my time. I'm more comfortable in a small-town atmosphere.
Speaking of Talladega, how'd the test go with the new car?
The only real concern is when you pull up behind somebody to bump draft, you can't see through their car because the wing is so high. I think they're doing some work on trying to get a clear wicker on the wing so you can see through it a little bit better. The cars handle really well, and they were real stable. There'll probably be more bump-drafting than normal. Everybody's probably going to be a little braver, doing more bold moves than usual. So I would be really, really surprised if there's not a big wreck. When the cars are pretty easy to drive, it's an opportunity to do some crazy stuff.
So how badly did you wish Sunday at Lambeau Field never ended?
Yeah, that was a lot of fun. I'm a big Packers fan and enjoy going to whatever games we can, so it was pretty cool to go down on the field and get involved with the crowd.
For non-Cheeseheads, what is Roll out the Barrel?
It's a Wisconsin thing. It's like a polka song or whatever. It's a tradition up there.
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