Matt Kenseth took his place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in January, inducted alongside Hershel McGriff and Kirk Shelmerdine.
The pride of Cambridge, Wisconsin, can add another accolade to his resumé, as Kenseth was named to NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers list Wednesday.
Kenseth, 51, is a 39-time winner in the Cup Series and 2003 champion. Despite winning just one race, Kenseth led the points standings for the final 32 weeks of that season. Kenseth was as consistent as they came during his run on top through the 2000s, finishing in the top-10 of the final points standings in 13-of-16 seasons from 2003-17. Kenseth narrowly missed out on championships in 2006 and ’13, finishing second each season.
Regarded as one of the best superspeedway drivers of all-time, Kenseth crossed the checkered line first in the 2009 and ’12 Daytona 500. In addition, he picked up a victory in the 2013 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway — known as NASCAR’s original superspeedway. Kenseth also won the 2000 Coca-Cola 600 and the ’04 All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Kenseth spoke fondly of his career during his Hall of Fame acceptance speech.
“I always looked at my career as a ladder – you always start at the bottom and you hope to climb your way to the top,” Kenseth said. “My ladder has hundreds and hundreds of rungs on it. And without any of them, bottom, middle or top – no matter how you fit in my life – I wouldn’t be here without any of you. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you all.”
Matt Kenseth is the latest addition to NASCAR’s 75 greatest drivers list
Kenseth is the latest modern-era addition to the list, which was originally comprised of 50 drivers in 1998. His inclusion comes two days after Kevin Harvick, whom he shared many battles with on the race track, took his place on the list.
Harvick, 47, is a 60-time winner in the Cup Series, one of 10 drivers to ever reach the milestone. Known as “The Closer,” Harvick reached the pinnacle of NASCAR in 2014 when he captured his first and only Cup Series championship to date. In addition, Harvick won the Xfinity Series championship in 2001 and ’06. His highly-decorated career has culminated with victories in the 2007 Daytona 500, as well as the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2003, ’19, ’20), Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (2011, ’13) and the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (2014, ’20).
Harvick’s 2014 Cup Series-winning season still ranks as one of the best in recent memory. He raced his No. 4 Chevrolet to victory lane five times, including back-to-back wins to end the season — his first with Stewart-Haas Racing. In each season from 2010-2021, Harvick finished in the top-10 of the end of season standings.
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