Roy Kenseth set the stage for his son's NASCAR crown.

Roy Kenseth set the stage for his son's NASCAR crown.
By MIKE BRUDENELL
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
When Matt Kenseth was 13, his father, Roy, cut him a deal.
"Dad said he'd buy a race car and drive it if I would work on it," Kenseth said. "Then when I turned 16, I could drive the car."
Kenseth got his hands plenty dirty, and his old man, who owned a movie theater in their hometown of Cambridge, Wis., kept his promise.
As a junior in high school, Kenseth ran short tracks around the state, winning 10 feature events and stamping himself as a future stock car star.
Clinches Winston Cup
But the biggest prize came last Sunday, when Kenseth, 31, clinched the NASCAR Winston Cup championship by finishing fourth in the Pop Secret Popcorn 400 at Rockingham, N.C.
"I'm so proud of Matt," said Roy Kenseth, 64, who cried on his son's shoulder. "He came all the way from the bottom to the top."
When Kenseth replied, "Thanks, Dad," it might have been the best single moment in racing this season.
Matt Kenseth, who drives the No. 17 DeWalt Ford for Roush Racing, has won only one race this season, but he will make a worthy champion.
Is he as talented as Ryan Newman, who has won eight races, or teammate Kurt Busch, who has four victories? Kenseth might not be as quick, but racing is about finishing, and Kenseth knows how.
In 35 Winston Cup races this year, Kenseth has 25 finishes in the top 10 and 11 in the top five.
Kenseth and his wife, Katie, celebrated by attending the Monday night NFL game between Philadelphia and Green Bay at Lambeau Field. He met with Packers quarterback Brett Favre, his favorite player, before the game.
"He's tough," Kenseth said. "He's a winner."
Final race of season
This weekend, Kenseth will drive in the final race of the year, the Ford 400, at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
"We're going to have a bit of fun," said Kenseth, who has led the Winston Cup point standings for 33 weeks. "I'm looking forward to the race."
Kenseth, who began driving for Jack Roush in 1999 and won five races last season, was still having trouble Monday believing he was the NASCAR champ.
"It hasn't quite sunk in yet," Kenseth said. "I haven't had a lot of time to think about it. I'm sure I will."
Kenseth becomes the last Winston Cup champion in series history. Next year, wireless company Nextel takes over the title sponsorship of NASCAR's top series, starting with the Daytona 500 in February.
The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Winston cigarette brand became the title sponsor in 1971. The following year, the series schedule was trimmed from 48 to 31 races, marking the beginning of NASCAR's modern era.
Richard Petty finished first in points in 1972, winning eight Winston Cup races. Bobby Allison finished second to Petty, although he won 10 races.