Matt Kenseth isn't as flashy as Tony Stewart. He isn't as adored or hated as Jeff Gordon. And he certainly isn't as well known as any driver who has taken the Winston Cup Series championship in at least a decade. But odds are that if Kenseth holds on to take NASCAR's ultimate annual prize, those who have come along for the ride will see some return from their investment.

Kenseth's main sponsors, Black & Decker's DeWalt Power Tools and Diageo's Smirnoff Ice brand, are in the driver's seat to benefit most from their alliance with the 31-year-old. That's despite the fact that some in the industry have said returns could be somewhat muted since Kenseth is seen as more conservative compared to some of NASCAR's other personalities, due to his reserved demeanor on and off the track.

"If the driver in the car has a dynamic personality, the company obviously has better odds of getting more exposure," said Kelly O'Keefe, chairman of Emergence Brand Labs, a brand strategy consulting firm. "You could get a frequent winner who might not be as valuable as someone who is in the spotlight more."

But John Miller, director of business development for Roush Racing -- which manages Kenseth -- says his driver's attitude shouldn't be looked at as a negative.

	Matt Kenseth's sponsors, such as Smirnoff Ice seen here on his pit crew member, haven't gotten No. 1 exposure.

"His sense of purpose at the racetrack is sometimes taken as him being a quiet guy," Miller said. "But he's just trying to be on his game thinking about what he needs to get accomplished."

Kenseth is not only an endorser of DeWalt and Smirnoff -- he also has deals with Gillette, Duracell, Waste Management, Kraft Foods and Gatorade, with the latter two expected to increase their use of him in advertising thanks to his success this season. His most high profile appearance off the track has been in a national Smirnoff Triple Black Ice commercial this year. Kenseth arrives in his No. 17 car to a party carrying a six-pack of the beverage. As he walks in, his pit crew takes off his tires, so he can't drive home.

DeWalt is a unique NASCAR sponsor in that its main business is to sell to professional contractors as well as pitch its product to fans. The company does no television advertising utilizing their NASCAR sponsorship, but does use Kenseth to make appearances at local distributors in an effort to help beat out their competitors.

Given that strategy, its marketing to fans has been mostly limited to its brand name on Kenseth's car and interactive trailers the brand has at races. Although the company plans to put a $100,000 full-page ad in USA Today should Kenseth win, the act is against the company's typical strategy. "We'd rather put 10 guys on the streets than put up five billboards," said Jon Howland, motorsports manager for DeWalt.

Kenseth ran with DeWalt as his primary sponsor for most of the year, but was in a Smirnoff Black Ice car for seven races. A similar arrangement is expected next year, Miller said.

Aside from the minimum $4.25 million payment the Winston Cup Champion is guaranteed, Mattel -- Roush Racing's die-cast partner -- will give the racing team $1 million should Kenseth clinch the title. Miller said Kenseth's individual deals do not have large incentives that will trigger should he hoist the Winston Cup trophy.

Although a driver who is conservative, either on- or off-the-track, might be read as boring, a driver with a lot of rough edges might be considered too risky.

Home Depot was the big winner last season, as their sponsored driver, Stewart, won the points championship. But NASCAR and the company fined and placed Stewart on probation for allegedly assaulting a freelance photographer at the Brickyard 400. Home Depot released a statement saying that Stewart's action did not reflect the belief and values of the company's employees.

"An alliance with a volatile athlete might get you a lot of press, but company officials never know when he or she is going to do something to damage their brand," O'Keefe said. "Home Depot might be about the worst fit for Tony Stewart in many ways, especially since they like to think of themselves as a family brand."

The fact that Kenseth has only won once this season has limited exposure of the brands he helps pitch. Last year, Kenseth won a series-high five races, but finished in eighth place in the final standings.

DeWalt ranks 10th in team sponsor exposure this year, behind the likes of Budweiser (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), Napa Auto Parts (Michael Waltrip), Lowe's (Jimmie Johnson), UPS (Dale Jarrett), Home Depot (Tony Stewart) and Alltel (Ryan Newman), according to Eric Wright of Joyce Julius, which has been tracking Winston Cup sponsorship for the past 19 years.

"Matt not winning more has without a doubt affected DeWalt's return," Wright said.

Joyce Julius officials calculated that the company had received $36.4 million in equivalent advertising time, through the Subway 500 on Oct. 19. Since it doesn't market itself as a consumer product as much, DeWalt's spending outside of exposure on the car has also been more limited than other companies involved in team sponsorships.

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at darren.rovell@espn3.com.