Kenseth

Entering the 2003 season, I know that our No. 17 DeWalt Ford has the ability to compete for the championship.

Obviously, it goes without saying that I was very impressed with the progress of our program during the 2002 season, in which we won an incredible five races! If we can have more consistency during the 2003 season, we should have a good shot of winning our first NASCAR Winston Cup championship.

I know that our team is really solid and as a result of our performance over the past few years and especially last year, I am thrilled to announce that I just recently have signed a long term contract extension with Roush Racing through the 2006 NASCAR Winston Cup season. Of course my crew chief Robbie Reiser has also signed a long-term contract extension with Roush so all the pieces are in place to build on our solid 2002 season. I know that Jack Roush will provide us with everything we need to remain competitive and win races.

On another exciting note, as most of you are probably aware, I am scheduled to drive 15 NASCAR Busch Series races in the Bayer Aspirin Ford for Mr. Resier. The experience we gain from the Busch program should only help increase our competitiveness for the cup races on Sunday. Therefore, you can certainly say that I cannot wait until Daytona!

My wife Katie and I had a very relaxing off-season. I thought I would share with you some of the highlights. After we attended the NASCAR award banquet in New York City we flew to Tampa, Fla., where we boarded a Carnival Cruise ship to the Grand Cayman's and Cozumel, Mexico. The trip featured a few of my fellow competitors including my good friend Jeff Green as well as drivers Tony Stewart and Dave Blaney. I had my best childhood friend Matt and his wife from Wisconsin come with us. As most of you know, I happen to have a reserved demeanor so it is always interesting when Matt and I get together as he can never seem to stop talking and joking around. Anyway, we all had a wonderful time and it was really neat spending time with some of you on board!

In between testing, I was fortunate enough to attend my third Super Bowl with Katie just the other week in San Diego! When you get hooked up with Super Bowl tickets, mentioning your sponsor's name is definitely in order, thanks again Gatorade! As my Green Bay Packers were shocked by the Falcons, I really didn't care who won the game. What is great about the Super Bowl are the pre-event festivities leading up to the game. The weather is amazing, the parties are all first class and of course you get to meet so many interesting people in the sports and entertainment business.

I want to thank everyone who participated in our MattKensethStore.Com grand opening in December benefiting the Victory Junction Gang Camp. We raised a few thousand dollars for the Petty's organization, which was really awesome. I am planning on writing this column throughout the season and also have a unique program that should be coming soon to RPM.ESPN.com which I think everyone will enjoy. Of course, I look forward to having each of you join the MattKenseth.Com community where we post additional features about our race team and special merchandise offers.

I hope you all enjoy the Daytona 500!

Yours truly, Matt

Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 DeWalt Ford, will provide a diary to ESPN.com throughout the Winston Cup season. For more on Kenseth, visit www.mattkensethstore.com.