Ross Kenseth

Born in Appleton, Wisconsin, Kenseth attended college at Clemson University. He is the first child and only son of Matt Kenseth. He has four younger half-sisters from his father’s marriage.^[1]

In late 2015, Kenseth announced his engagement to Amber Odom.^[2] After moving on from racing, Kenseth became an accountant, moved to Miramar Beach, Florida with Odom, and had a daughter and a son with her.^[3]

Kenseth raced primarily in his native Wisconsin and elsewhere in the Midwest early in his career. He began by racing for one season in a legends car before moved up into late models at Columbus 151 Speedway as a 14-year-old.^[4] He won the 2009 Big 8 Late Model Series championship by leading the entire final race at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway's Oktoberfest 48 race.^[5][6] The series tours Wisconsin and northern Illinois. It was his fifth race win that season and seventh overall in the series.^[6] Kenseth qualified the second fastest for the Snowball Derby in December 2009.^[7] In 2011, Kenseth finished first in the Red, White and Blue State Championship at Wisconsin International Raceway.^[8] In 2012, Kenseth won the Winchester 400 at Winchester Speedway and the All American 400 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway.^[9]

Before the start of the 2013 racing season, Kyle Busch offered Kenseth a ride in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for that year, but no deal was reached.^[9] Kenseth made his debut in the ARCA Racing Series in August 2013,^[10] driving at Madison International Speedway in a car owned by Ken Schrader.^[11] Kenseth won the pole for the event,^[12] and finished sixth in the race.^[13]

Kenseth competed in the CRA Super Series in 2014, driving for Boyne Machine Racing; he took the year off from his studies at Clemson and moved to Michigan to be closer to the team.^[14] In September, Kenseth announced that he would make his superspeedway debut in the ARCA season finale at Kansas Speedway in October.^[15]

On April 17, 2015, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Kenseth would make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Chicagoland Speedway on June 20.^[16] Rain forced the race to be postponed by one day; Kenseth qualified second-fastest, led the opening lap, and finished in sixth place in his first NASCAR-sanctioned event.^[17] On October 20, Kenseth joined Hattori Racing Enterprises for his Camping World Truck Series debut at Martinsville Speedway, where he finished 17th.^[18]

Kenseth got back behind the wheel in 2020, driving a Blizzard Series race at Five Flags Speedway.^[19]

Kenseth ended his racing career in 2016 and became an accountant for a real estate firm in Miramar Beach, Florida.^[20]