Typical for a NASCAR driver constantly looking for a rush.

"Flying is something that I love to do," Kenseth said. "It's always a good thrill and challenge for me."

If it's a challenge Kenseth craves, this week provided him perhaps his greatest yet on the race track.

Kenseth's Roush Fenway Racing team was penalized for having unapproved holes in the wheel-well area of his car during a qualifying run for today's Daytona 500, leading to the suspension of crew chief Robbie Reiser and Kenseth being docked 50 points.

Now, a 2007 Nextel Cup season that already was filled with question marks has gotten significantly more challenging for Kenseth.

"We've got to deal with this and move on," Kenseth said in comments posted on his Web site, mattkenseth.com. "If a cover fell off (the wheel well), maybe last year they'd never say anything about it. It's just that NASCAR is cracking down on every little thing, which in the long run, as long as you know that you're not racing against people that are cheating, is probably good.

"The fact is we're all human, and we're all working as hard as we can and we try to do the best that we can. I think that we've always been known as honest, straight shooters."

Along with starting the season in a 50-point hole, Reiser, an Allenton native who recently signed a three-year contract extension to remain as Kenseth's crew chief, was suspended for the first four races of the season and fined $50,000.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed with the penalty and the fact I won't be there at the Daytona 500 and for the following races," said Reiser, who has been Kenseth's crew chief since 1997.

"It was my job to ensure that the cap on the wheel well was properly secured. But it came off during our qualifying run and we ended up outside of the rules because of it. I understand NASCAR has a set of rules and we have to abide by them and it's ultimately my responsibility to make sure we do that."

Even without Reiser for the time being, Kenseth is adamant his goal for the 2007 remains the same.

"The goal every year is to win a championship," said Kenseth, who won the Cup title in 2003. "We have a championship-caliber team, from our tire changers to the guys putting the cars together. I think going into (the season) minus 50 in points is not a good thing.

"But this year the Chase is different, there is absolutely no reward for being the point leader going into the Chase. You just have to be in the top 12 and if you can win some races you'll have more points. This certainly hurts, but we've just got to work really hard to put the car in Victory Lane as much as possible."

Kenseth would be well served to frequent Victory Lane in '07, as NASCAR has tweaked its points system to reward winning over consistency, something Kenseth has been renowned for since winning his championship in 2003.

It is widely believed that Kenseth was the driver responsible for NASCAR instituting the Chase format after the 2003 season, when he won only one race and led only 354 laps but managed to claim the championship.

But Kenseth says the new format, which awards an extra five points to the winner of each race and, after resetting the point totals of the 12 Chase drivers, award 10 bonus points for each regular-season victory, won't change how he and fill-in crew chief Chip Bolin - and eventually Reiser - call a race.

"There's certainly been an emphasis on winning lately, and giving five extra points (for) winning is fine with me," Kenseth said in a telephone interview before his team was penalized. "I don't think it will change who the winners are. There's this idea people have that (the new format) will make drivers race harder for wins.

"I think that idea is ridiculous. I can't ever remember saying, 'Oh, I don't want to win today, I think I'll run fourth.' Winning a Cup race is a huge deal, and we're racing as hard as we can to get that done each week."

Kenseth and the rest of the Cup field also will have to contend with perhaps the biggest unknown of 2007, the Car of Tomorrow.

The safer, less-costly, performance-enhanced race car will be first used in March at Bristol Motor Speedway before a full-time switch occurs in 2008.

Kenseth hopes the transition will be a smooth one.

"I don't really know how this is going to go," Kenseth said of the Car of Tomorrow. "The Bristol test will be the first indication of (what teams) have figured it out and who's behind on it. I feel like we're behind (the learning curve) right now, but maybe everyone else feels like that, too.

"Until we get them all out on the race track together, you don't know where you're at or how the car will react. They are just now coming out with the final rules on them, so we're still trying to build the cars."