Kenseth won the shortened Daytona 500 on Sunday, following a late pass on Elliott Sadler just before the race was red-flagged due to heavy rain. Although his No 17 Ford was clearly not the quickest car throughout the Speed Week – as it started the race from the back of the pack and was not on top of the timing sheets during the actual race – the Wisconsin-born driver believes the winning material is still there to be used by Roush Racing.
“Well, it really doesn't take any pressure off. It puts I think a little bit of a spring in everybody's step. Probably gives everybody a little bit more confidence. It certainly does give everybody a little confidence, except for last year, when we were winless. For some reason, when we do get victories, we've been able to get some early-season wins,” said Kenseth following his Daytona 500 win.
Kenseth's win on Sunday couldn't have had a better timing, as his last triumph in the Sprint Cup series dated back in 2007, at season's finale Homestead-Miami. He did, however, make the cut for the Sprint Cup last year, finishing 11th overall. He insisted his aim for the new season is much higher now, especially with the new changes within his team.
“My goals are pretty high for this year. I think with the addition of (crew chief) Drew (Blickensderfer), I feel more optimistic, more confident in my team and in the possibilities that we have this year than I have really honestly in a long, long time.”
“I know all the equipment is there. Roush Racing won a lot of races last year. They were able to win almost a third of the races. We know the equipment is there. I really feel like I've got the team to win. We need to go win some more races at these other tracks,” added Kenseth.
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