Matthew Roy Kenseth (born March 10, 1972) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and the current competition advisor for Legacy Motor Club in the NASCAR Cup Series. Most recently, he raced part-time in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), driving the No. 8 car. Kenseth is also an active competitor at Slinger Speedway, where he holds the record for the most Slinger Nationals victories.

Kenseth began his racing career on Wisconsin's short tracks, where he claimed track championships at Madison International Speedway, Slinger Super Speedway, and Wisconsin International Raceway. He later advanced to compete in the ARTGO, American Speed Association, and Hooters Late Model touring series. Eventually, he secured a full-time ride in the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) with former Wisconsin short-track rival Robbie Reiser, finishing second and third in the series standings during his tenure.

Kenseth advanced to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2000 and winning the final Winston Cup championship in 2003. As the reigning champion, he competed in the 2004 International Race of Champions season and claimed the series championship. Kenseth secured a rain-shortened victory at the Daytona 500 in 2009 and captured a second Daytona 500 title in 2012. As of 2022, he remains the last driver to compete in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race across four consecutive decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s). He is also the father of Ross Kenseth.

Kenseth, born in Cambridge, Wisconsin, began stock car racing in 1988 at sixteen years old at Madison International Speedway. Before that, he and his father, Roy, had an agreement: Roy would buy a car and race, while Matt worked on it until he was old enough to drive. “Neither of us knew much, and it was a learning experience,” Kenseth recalled. Kenseth's first car, a 1981 Camaro previously driven to championships by Todd Kropf, proved successful. He won a feature race in just his third outing, holding off two top drivers, Pete Moore and Dave Phillips. “Matt was smooth. I knew then he was going to be a racer,” Roy said. In 1989, Kenseth competed for the points title at Wisconsin Dells, finishing second with eight feature wins. He also raced at Golden Sands Speedway and Columbus 151 Speedway. In 1990, he bought a late model car from Rich Bickle and won the season opener at Slinger Super Speedway, earning Rookie of the Year honors and finishing sixth in points. That year, he entered 15 ARTGO events and competed in forty features.

After graduating from Cambridge High School, Kenseth worked at Left-hander Chassis, a racecar manufacturer, while continuing to race. In 1991, he became the youngest winner in ARTGO history, taking the checkered flag at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway after passing notable drivers like Joe Shear and Steve Holzhausen. The 1992 season was challenging, with Kenseth managing only three wins and numerous engine failures. Frustrated, he considered quitting but decided to continue after Kipley Performance loaned him a motor for the season finale, improving his performance. In 1993, Kenseth built a new car with a Kipley engine and won eight races at Madison, finishing second in points. Later that year, Mike Butz offered him a chance to race his late model. After early struggles, Kenseth and Butz's team found success, winning the final short-track races at Madison, La Crosse, and I-70 Speedway. Kenseth also finished third in points at Wisconsin International Raceway.

The 1994 and 1995 seasons solidified Kenseth as a rising short-track star. Racing across Wisconsin, he earned victories over nationally known drivers like Dick Trickle and Robbie Reiser. In 1994, Kenseth competed in sixty events, winning track championships at Wisconsin International Raceway (WIR) on Thursdays and Madison International Speedway on Fridays, where he claimed twelve of seventeen feature wins. He also captured the prestigious Slinger Nationals title. In 1995, Kenseth repeated as WIR champion, finished second at Madison, and won the Red, White, and Blue state championship series at WIR. Reflecting on his success, team owner Patty Butz remarked, "We knew by 1995 that Matt had too much talent to be with us for very long."

In 1996, Kenseth moved to the Southern United States to race in the Hooters Late Model Series for engine builder Carl Wegner. The plan included running the Hooters Series, five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races, and five Busch Series events before transitioning to the Busch Series full-time in 1997. Kenseth finished third in the Hooters Series standings, nearly winning the championship as a rookie. He made his Busch Series debut that year at Lowe's Motor Speedway, starting 30th and finishing 22nd in a car rented from Bobby Dotter. However, the team struggled to secure major sponsorship, which left Kenseth frustrated. "It was just like 1992,” he said. "Plans just didn't work. I thought things would be different. Personally, I had moved and was adjusting to being a thousand miles from home." By the end of the season, the Wegner/Kenseth partnership dissolved. Kenseth then joined Gerry Gunderman's American Speed Association team, which had previously housed Alan Kulwicki's shop before his move to NASCAR. They raced together in two events in 1997 before Kenseth received a pivotal phone call from a former competitor.

In 1997, driver Tim Bender was injured, prompting crew chief and car owner Robbie Reiser to hire Kenseth, despite Kenseth having only one prior Busch Series start. Reiser explained, "Matt and I used to have some fierce races against each other. I needed someone who understood race cars the way I understood them. I knew he could drive and he could talk to me in a manner I could understand." In their first race together, Kenseth qualified third but spun late while running third, finishing eleventh. At Talladega, his second race on a drafting track, Kenseth started 20th and climbed to finish seventh. He secured two top-five finishes during the partial season.