[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 23]
[Senate]
[Page 31265]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING MATT KENSETH

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise today with great 
admiration, to recognize the 2003 Winston Cup Champion, Matt Kenseth. 
On November 16, Kenseth was crowned champion of NASCAR's 2003 Winston 
Cup Series.
  Kenseth was born on March 10, 1972, in Cambridge, WI. For Kenseth, 
racing is a family tradition. When he was 13, his father, Roy purchased 
a race car and made Matt a deal. Roy would drive the car if Matt would 
work on it. When Matt turned 16, he could get in the driver's seat.
  Kenseth started his stock car racing career at the young age of 16, 
winning his first event in only his third race. Within his first three 
seasons, Kenseth racked up 10 racing victories from all around 
Wisconsin. His name recognition grew in Wisconsin racing hotbeds like 
Slinger and Lake Geneva. In 1995, Kenseth took his racing skills to the 
South, the heart of American stock car racing. It didn't take long 
before Kenseth became noticed throughout the racing world. Kenseth had 
great success while racing in the Busch Grand National Series. In 1998, 
just his first full Busch Series season, Kenseth finished second in the 
standings. He followed that season up with a strong third place finish 
in 1999 while also making five Winston Cup starts. Kenseth's arrival to 
the Winston Cup Series was heard loud and clear as he won Rookie of the 
Year honors in 2000.
  But the 2003 season was simply magical. Kenseth finished the season 
with 25 top 10 finishes, more than any other driver. He also set a 
record spending 33 straight weeks in the Winston Cup Standings No. 1 
position, breaking the record of racing legend Dale Earnhardt. 
Wisconsin is very proud of Matt's accomplishments and we wish him the 
best of luck next season as he defends his championship.

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