Auto Racing: Roush, Kenseth humbled by title

He and veteran driver Mark Martin had come close to winning a Winston Cup championship together. But finishing second to Tony Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush especially seemed to depart the Homestead-Miami Speedway with a bad taste in his mouth.

It was a burning brought about by an assortment of NASCAR rulings that Roush felt were less than fair to his operation.

Roush's mood late Sunday, as he and young driver Matt Kenseth talked about their 2003 Winston Cup title, was equally as passionate.

"I don't fee vindicated and I'm not satisfied," said the man who nearly lost his life in the crash of his private airplane during the 2002 season. "I guess I'm a little humbled and a little relaxed. It's a big thing."

Roush looked back on the year 1988, when he was granted an entry into the Daytona 500.

Roush knew that if Martin could drive fast enough, he and his friend would get the opportunity to race in front of a massive audience of 180,000 fans.

The man whose trademarks include that wide-brimmed hat has poured his heart and soul into the sport.

"I feel humbled by the thing that I'm a part of," Roush went on. "I'm appreciative of what Winston partnered with NASCAR to do and what they allowed me to come in and share and to bring some of my own small energy to, and to share in all of that is bigger than me.

"It's bigger than my frustration and it's bigger than the competition that has been associated with it. It's just large, and right now, I'm kind of in awe."

While Kenseth wrapped up the 2003 championship a week ago at Rockingham, the meaning of it all was still sinking in. He has his place in history with other great drivers known as Winston Cup champions.

"I haven't thought about my place in history yet," he said. " Because I hope I have a lot more to make."

Kenseth finished the year with a total of 5,022 points, followed by Jimmie Johnson (4,932), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (4,815), Jeff Gordon (4,785) and Kevin Harvick (4,770).

Even though he had an engine failure early in Sunday's season- ending Ford 400 and finished 43rd among the 43 entries, Kenseth's coronation was not to be spoiled.

His team rolled out the back-up car for a post-championship victory lap. And then he nosed the front bumper up against the front-stretch wall and raced the engine until the smoking rear tires were burned flat.

"I still wasn't able to knock that wall down," Kenseth laughed.

He won just one race in 2003.

But Kenseth posted 31 top-15 finishes in 36 tries and led the standings for 33 straight weeks, a Cup record under the current points system.

"Overall, if you think of our season as a whole and not think about today's race or pick out one or two races, it's been a really great year for us," Kenseth reflected. "We've been able to run up front. We've been very competitive. At the beginning of the year especially, we had lots of chances to win races."

On the heels of 2002's letdown and with Ford equipment he called "dated," Roush's outlook for 2003 was less than promising.

"My expectation for success this year wasn't as great before the year started as it had been previously," he said. "Our car is dated and our engine is not cutting edge today in 2003. NASCAR has given us a new set of (body) templates and a new nose and new tail and new cylinder heads for our Taurus configuration for next year.

"Anyway, we made it though on the strength of this team -- consistency and a good year," Roush said of Kenseth's title. "I'm just really proud of my team."