CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Matt Kenseth made one thing very clear on Wednesday during the press conference announcing his return to Roush Fenway Racing: he knows he’s capable of winning races.

But Kenseth also said that he knows his role in coming home to the company that gave him his start in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is about more than running up front and contending to bring trophies back to the shop.

It’s about building an organization back into the powerhouse it was in the past and Kenseth knows it can be again.

The Matt Kenseth that sat on-stage at the NASCAR Hall of Fame after being introduced as the new driver of the No. 6 Ford – set to share the seat for the rest of the year with current pilot Trevor Bayne – was still every bit the motivated and fierce competitor he was when he stepped out of his ride at Joe Gibbs Racing for the final time at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.

That piece was clear. You could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice.

But with a wisdom built from time spent away from the race track, enjoying a few months of “life after racing” with wife Katie and his daughters, Kenseth appeared to be a driver at peace with his new situation and excited for what he called the “new challenge” of racing a part-time schedule.

While that means he won’t be running for a championship, at least this year, it doesn’t mean Kenseth isn’t planning to go out and attack with everything he’s got. He’s looking forward to that part.

“I feel like RFR is on the upswing.  I think this new deal is a good challenge for me, and it’s something that I’m really looking forward to,” said Kenseth. “It’s not just the driving part that I’m excited about either … but a lot of the rest of it too. I want to hopefully get in there and get my hands dirty and try to evaluate what we can do better – what we’re doing good and what we can do better – and to go on from there.”

“I’m excited about all of it. It’s not like from the middle of last year until now there hasn’t been an opportunity for me to go do some things, but you just kind of know when something feels right, and this felt right to me,” Kenseth noted. “Certainly to come back and hopefully help Jack, who has done so much for my career, to get Roush Fenway Racing running better again means a lot. I know we have work to do as a team, but I’m excited for the building process and excited for what this year has in store.”

Team co-owner Jack Roush spoke highly of Kenseth’s return on Wednesday and he believes that Kenseth’s impact on the team will continue even after the Wisconsin native hangs up his helmet.

“We see a potential for Matt being involved with the company and race team past his driving. We haven’t talked much about that, but we certainly feel like he’s come home to us,” said Roush. “He’s a significant part of our history and legacy, as is (original No. 6 driver) Mark (Martin). We have two great drivers and great people that have helped us build this organization and we’d like to keep them involved if we can going forward at some level.”