Team Roush Racing Car/Make No. 17 Ford Sponsor DeWalt Crew Chief Robbie Reiser
STATS	2003	CAREER
Rank	1	1*
Wins	1	7
Top 5	11	31
Top 10	25	66
DNFs	2	18
Top Finish	1 (Las Vegas)	1 (seven times)
*Indicates best career points finish

2003 recap
The good: Uh, gee ... not sure. Oh, right. Winning the freaking championship -- the last under the Winston Cup banner and the first for Jack Roush and Roush Racing. Kenseth won in the third race of the year at Las Vegas, took the points lead the very next weekend and held it for 33 straight weeks. His season, though not quite the model of consistency that Bobby Labonte's was in 2000, was sure close. He completed 97 percent of the laps on this year's schedule and beat out runner-up Jimmie Johnson by 90 points despite winning only once.

The bad: If you had to choose something, it would be a disappointing Daytona 500 showing that saw him come home 20th and a season-finale which was more like a whimper than a hoorah when he blew an engine and came in dead last in the race after he clinched the title. Other than that, how bad can a championship year be? And don't even start griping over the wins total. It was low. Lower than even Kenseth wanted. But the goal is to win championships. The points system is (was?) what it is (was?). Kenseth played by the rules and won it fair and square.

Key stat: : 7. Despite his propensity for finishing well, Kenseth struggled in qualifying -- posting an average starting position of 21.3 and using all seven of his provisionals.

2004 outlook
What needs to be done: Exactly the same thing as last year. Except, just to quiet the naysayers, find a way to mix in a couple more wins. For Kenseth, this is going to take a lot more work than one might think for a defending champ. While several teams, knowing the title was out of reach, pushed the envelope and stashed a couple of tricks up their sleeves by taking risks late last season, Kenseth was busy playing it safe. He and the 17 team will have to work hard so as not to get left behind in 2004.

Guarantee: You'll hear a lot more from Kenseth next year than you've ever heard before. He's the champion tasked with ushering in the Nextel Cup era, and he's well-suited for the job.

Prediction: Expecting a slump? Don't hold you breath. Kenseth will remain competitive and, whether he repeats or not, will be a contender again next year.

Did you know: Kenseth's father was a huge fan of Kenseth's car owner/teammate Mark Martin growing up.

Your take
Can Matt Kenseth become the first champion to repeat since Jeff Gordon in 1997-1998. Or will it be enough for him just to try to remain competitive? Here are your thoughts on Kenseth's prospects for 2004.