SLINGER, Wis. – Matt Kenseth is getting back in a race car at a very familiar place.
Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR Cup Series champion, will return to racing to compete in the Slinger Nationals at Slinger Super Speedway in his home state of Wisconsin on July 9.
The announcement was made on the Slinger Super Speedway Facebook page Friday.
“I can’t think of a better place for me to get back in a race car than Slinger,” said Kenseth, a winner of 39 NASCAR Cup Series races during his career. “It’s been a good track for me throughout my career. We’ve had a lot of success there, a lot of memorable moments, and I’m looking forward to going back.
“The Nationals have always been one of the major events in all of short track racing. Certainly it was the one you wanted to win growing up in Wisconsin.  Throughout the years, a lot of big names in NASCAR have raced in the Nationals. That’s a testament to how big of a race this has been for some time.”
Kenseth is the all-time winner in the history of the Slinger Nationals, winning the annual event seven times. He first won the event in 1994 and later added victories ’02, ’06, ’08, ’09, ’12 and ’16.
His most recent victory in 2016 came in controversial fashion when Kenseth moved his then teammate Erik Jones out of the way on the final lap to win the race. Jones would later replace Kenseth at Joe Gibbs Racing.
Kenseth is a veteran of 665 NASCAR Cup Series starts. His final full-time season came in 2017, but he raced part-time last year for Roush Fenway Racing.
The Slinger Nationals is considered one of the major super late model events in the United States, annually drawing some of the top racing talent from across the country. Among those who have won the event are Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Alan Kulwicki, Mark Martin, Dick Trickle, Joe Shear, Rich Bickle, Bubba Pollard and defending winner Ty Majeski.