Matt Kenseth commits goof on first day with Joe Gibbs Racing

Matt Kenseth showed up at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday anxious to climb into a Joe Gibbs Racing car and start his tenure in a new ride.

He was nervous for the first time since he could remember. Kenseth had driven a Roush Fenway Racing Ford for virtually his entire NASCAR career, and suddenly he was with a new team in a new hauler and a new car, which had many interior differences.

The 2003 Cup champion was also a little nervous about not screwing up.

Whoops.

During his final run of Tuesday’s morning test session, Kenseth accidentally shifted his new No. 20 car into first gear instead of third and over-revved it. That caused his team to change engines as a precautionary measure during the lunch break.

“I think the guys are in love with me right now,” Kenseth said. “(They’re thinking), ‘Where’d we find this clown? Give us the other one back.’”

Kenseth was joked it was a “good icebreaker” and said his new team was likely “real impressed.” He was back in his No. 20 car for the afternoon session, though, and even took a few laps in Denny Hamlin’s No. 11.

“It was exciting and you’re a little anxious when you go do something different,” Kenseth said of his first day. “... I couldn’t wait to get to the track today and honestly I can’t wait to get back in the car here in a little bit.”

Kenseth’s first day on the job was also a good time for him to make a funny tweet regarding former team owner Jack Roush’s contention the driver was crossing over to the “dark side” by driving for Toyota.

See for yourself in the picture below: