Motorsports FanHouse http://motorsports.fanhouse.com Motorsports FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif Motorsports FanHouse http://motorsports.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Tums 500http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/sprint-cup-ns-and-qs-tums-500/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/sprint-cup-ns-and-qs-tums-500/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/10/27/sprint-cup-ns-and-qs-tums-500/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Notes, quotes & commentary after 501 laps around a Virginian paperclip.

I get what NASCAR is trying do, I really do.

They want these races to be dramatic, to make good television and perhaps provide a sense of danger to fans like ESPN's Ed Hinton believes they crave. It's no different than any other sport, movie or story -- dramatic moments bring eyeballs.

But at some point, NASCAR needs to get a whole lot better at not allowing a stalled race car to sit in peril at the start/finish line in the name of a dramatic finish.

That's what happened Sunday when John Andretti spun and couldn't get his No. 34 re-fired along the frontstretch at Martinsville Speedway on the final lap. It's also what happened just over a month ago with A.J. Allmendinger at New Hampshire.

Neither incident resulted in the hapless drivers being hit by the oncoming race cars, but the law of averages doesn't seem to bode well for their safety if these incidents turn into a regular thing. It's just easy to see how a driver back in the pack may misjudge a move, not hear a spotter or get turned while slowing down into the stopped race car.

NASCAR's right to allow a finish to play out as much as possible, but I just think they are taking "as much as possible" a little too far.

Jeff Gordon's crew chief Steve Letarte tried an 'experiment' early in Sunday's race that I'm still undecided about.

Gordon came to the pits on lap 46 under caution while leading and took on just two tires. He emerged from pit road still leading, but soon fell back in the leaderboard after the advantage of four fresh tires was immediately apparent and didn't start to make ground again until a lap 90 caution brought the field back to pit road.

Letarte, we can assume, was looking to find out if a two-tire pit stop would be a good tool to use later in the race for track position if necessary and found that its benefits would last all of about two laps if cars directly behind had four fresh Goodyears. After the call, Gordon led just eight more laps on the day and never led again except for a lap under green flag pit stops.

Should Letarte have made the move? In hindsight -- which we know is always 20/20 -- it's easy to say no because Gordon never really competed for the lead again.

But on the same note, the information turned out to be extremely valuable in determining if a two-tire pit stop could be a valuable asset for track position. It wasn't.

Live and learn, I suppose.

Surprisingly, Kyle Busch's fourth-place finish on Sunday was his best appearance at Martinsville since 2007.

Since that point, Busch has had three finishes at the short track of 24th or worse -- an anomaly for Busch considering his two best tracks over his career in terms of finishing position are the other short tracks on NASCAR's schedule, Bristol and Richmond.

The finish likely had no bearing, however, on crew chief Steve Addington's future with Joe Gibbs Racing in a role other than crew chief.

Did you catch Denny Hamlin's Twitter shout-out in the post-race interview?

Hamlin mentioned the fans of his Twitter account -- look him under http://www.twitter.com/DennyHamlin -- in his victory celebration and later tweeted "That's what I'm talking about!!! Whooo!! I told ya we would win another!"

Hamlin rolled out his official Twitter page a few weeks ago and has already surged to over 5,000 fans. Now if only the FanHouseRacing Twitter could get as much love...

Because I've yet to include a quote in this edition -- unless quotes from Twitter count -- of "N's & Q's", I'll leave you with my favorite driver saying of the Martinsville weekend, courtesy of Mr. Matt Kenseth.

"I thought I did a bad job and thought I ran into about everything," said Kenseth. "I had some issues on a couple of restarts and we struggled on our last pit stop, so all of those things considered, to finish 14th is really good."

Hey Matt: talk to Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Kasey Kahne -- I'll bet they feel the same way. A walk in the park 500 laps at Martinsville is not.

Sprint Cup N's & Q's: Tums 500 originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Martinsville+SpeedwayGeoffrey MillerTue, 27 Oct 2009 13:21:00 EST Mark Martin Wins Pole at Richmondhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/09/11/mark-martin-wins-pole-at-richmond/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/09/11/mark-martin-wins-pole-at-richmond/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/09/11/mark-martin-wins-pole-at-richmond/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

RICHMOND, Va. -- Fifty-year old Mark Martin continues to make a strong case for his emotional NASCAR championship run, winning the pole position for Saturday night's Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

It's Martin's sixth pole of the year, tying him with Brian Vickers for the most in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series. His four wins is also tied for most of the season -- a victory total that equals his wins from 2000-2008 combined.

"This year, I've been getting some nice laps,'' Martin said in the ultimate understatement.

Martin Truex Jr. will be joining Martin on the front row, with Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne rounding out the top-five.

Kahne was the best qualifier of the nine other drivers still trying to clinch one of the final eight points in the Chase for the Championship. The other contenders include Brian Vickers (sixth), Kyle Busch (eighth), Carl Edwards (10th), Kurt Busch (13th), Juan Pablo Montoya (14th), Ryan Newman (21st), Greg Biffle (24th), and Matt Kenseth (28th).

Martin, who returned to full-time competition this season after racing part-time the last two seasons, has been one of the feel-good stories of the year. He's had four top-five finishes in the last seven races driving the Hendrick Motorsports Kelloggs-sponsored No. 5 Chevy and positioned himself to be a factor in the 12-driver Chase for the Championship.

He needs to finish 12th or better, however, to secure a spot in the playoffs and continue what he considers a storybook season. His average finish in 48 previous starts at the three-quarter mile Richmond track is 11.9.

"This is beyond my wildest dreams,'' Martin said. "I had hoped we might win a race and I hoped I would drive a fast race car and have great camaraderie with teammates.

"I tend to try to not shoot so high so that I don't fall short of my expectations. I might have had higher expectations if i wasn't so afraid of that. That's how I protect myself.

"But this is what it's all about. I'm just living a dream.

"We don't have to make the Chase to save our year. It's been phenomenal."

In Other News ...

Matt Kenseth has taken a very philosophical approach to his tenuous position of 12th place in the points standings. With only a 20-point edge over 13th place Brian Vickers and a 37-point advantage over 14th place Kyle Busch, Kenseth is in a very precarious situation. In fact only 122 points separate 10 drivers vying for the final eight Chase spots.

"We're capable of much better than this,'' Kenseth said this week.

"We all have the same opportunity to gain points, lose points from Daytona all the way until the race is over here Saturday night, so I think whoever the top-12 end up being, those are the guys that should be in there because they're the ones that have enough points to be in the top-12 after the race.''

Kenseth said he doesn't want the in-race updates on his closest competitors either, finding it too distracting to his task at hand.

"I think you've just got to worry about racing your own car -- race as hard as you can all night long and at the end of the night where you finish, if that's good enough, they you're gonna be in.''

* Pat Tryson, crew chief for Kurt Busch's No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, announced Friday he will be leaving the team at the end of the season. He has led Busch to four wins since joining the team in the summer of 2007. There's no word who will replace Tryson at the Penske operation.

"It's unfortunate that Pat made that type of decision,'' Busch said solemnly Friday afternoon. "It seems like our focus should be on the Chase and making it in the Chase, so it's a tough week for that type of news.

"The timing isn't all that good, but it never is any good when you want to change directions in life. There's never a really good time to bring things up, but I can't be disappointed in Pat or upset at Pat.

"The way that we've had a great run together and the way that he turned our program around in 2007, it helped put him back on the map too, so to speak.''

Rumors have Tryson heading to the same position for driver Martin Truex Jr., who will compete for Michael Waltrip Racing in 2010. But Truex deferred when asked about it following qualifying.

* A week later, Denny Hamlin can laugh about his brush with crime a little bit. Authorities have made arrests after thieves stole Hamlin's Lexus right out of his driveway. Video surveillance of Hamlin's Lake Norman home showed the entire crime taking place. And Hamlin said Friday that authorities believe it is the same group of thieves that stole a car from his team owner and neighbor Joe Gibbs several years ago.

"I guess he's stolen about 30 cars in his life which you've got to wonder why he keeps getting out (of jail),'' Hamlin said. "I guess he stole Joe's car out of his garage six or eight years ago.... I don't know. It seems like you would at least go out of town or something instead of just riding around Charlotte. Everyone knows it's my car.

"Eventually, once they played it on the the news, they caught him the next day. Idiots."

Mark Martin Wins Pole at Richmond originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Mark MartinMarkMartinRichmond International RacewayRichmondInternationalRacewayHolly CainFri, 11 Sep 2009 20:40:00 EST Matt Kenseth Chat, 12:15 PM EThttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/09/03/live-chat-matt-kenseth-friday-at-12-15-pm-et/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/09/03/live-chat-matt-kenseth-friday-at-12-15-pm-et/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/09/03/live-chat-matt-kenseth-friday-at-12-15-pm-et/#commentsFiled under:

Join 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth on Friday at 12:15 PM ET for a live chat. Kenseth, who will drive the No. 17 R+L Carriers Ford Fushion in Saturday's Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, is ranked 12th in the championship standings. He is one of two drivers in position to have qualified for the Chase for the Championship playoff format every year since its 2004 inception.

Next Wednesday, Kenseth will join an elite lineup of the sport's best when he competes in the Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream at Eldora (Ohio) Speedway -- a charity race organized by Tony Stewart and broadcast live on HBO pay-per-view. Join this year's Daytona 500 winner on the chat as he answers your questions live.



Matt Kenseth Chat, 12:15 PM ET originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>matt kensethMattKensethprelude to the dreamPreludeToTheDreamHolly CainThu, 03 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST GM Pulls Support from NASCAR Nationwide and Truck Series Teamshttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/06/12/gm-pulls-support-from-nascar-truck-series-teams/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/06/12/gm-pulls-support-from-nascar-truck-series-teams/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/06/12/gm-pulls-support-from-nascar-truck-series-teams/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Everyone had a feeling something had to give. And it has.

A week removed from Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, General Motors has pulled its factory support for teams in NASCAR's Nationwide and Camping World Truck series. And as the company evaluates its financial commitment to motorsports, there is concern that further cost-cutting may involve the Sprint Cup Series too. Several teams fielding Chevrolets in the Nationwide Series confirmed the news on Friday in statements.

"Obviously the automotive industry is dealing with unprecedented business challenges and we understand the need for restructuring to accommodate the need to reduce costs and maximize returns,'' said Kelley Earnhardt, general manager of JR Motorsports, a Nationwide team owned by her brother Dale Earnhardt Jr.



"The manufacturer support GM provides in the NASCAR Sprint Cup level is more critical in nature than in the Nationwide Series and I hope Chevy is able to continue supporting that level as the promotion of NASCAR works well for its demographics.''

Win on Sunday, sell on Monday is one of NASCAR's oldest refrains. Now it's a lifeline.

With the country's auto makers suffering major financial setbacks -- GM and Chrysler have already accepted government bailouts -- it's only natural to question whether the companies regard racing, and NASCAR specifically, as an essential expense.

Ironically, or maybe not, the marquee Sprint Cup Series is racing just outside Detroit this weekend as this major bit of news comes down. There will be a lot of focus, and serious talk, about the factory involvement as the companies are in the middle of shutting down plants, laying off thousands of workers and cinching their purse strings.

"Chevrolet's involvement in racing is a sound business decision that translates directly into the sale of cars and trucks,'' GM said in a statement to the Sports Business Journal.

"It is essential, however, that we continue to look at every penny we spend as General Motors takes the necessary steps to become a leaner company with a significantly stronger balance sheet.

"While Chevy Racing is talking to its business partners about ways to reduce cost and maximize the return on investment, it is our policy to not talk about the details of business relationships with our partners.''

Perhaps, but everyone else is talking. And worrying.

"Although this will require some internal restructuring, our commitment to our sponsors to provide the best possible product on the race track will not change,'' said Kevin Harvick, a Cup Series driver that fields and has won a championship with Chevy-backed teams in both the Nationwide and Truck series.

A large, high profile team such as Harvick's and JR Motorsports typically would receive manufacturer support in terms of engineering and engine development in addition to cash payments. It's unclear the immediate impact GM's cutbacks will have for these established teams.

Already in the Sprint Cup Series, there are rumors that teams are exploring other options. Richard Petty Motorsports is rumored to be interested in switching from Dodge to Toyota, for example.

"Chevrolet is going through some very challenging times,'' Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Friday at Michigan International Speedway. "I had a true understanding that this would be coming down the pipe and they would have to make some adjustments.

"Every company not only in this sport but particularly having a company of my own I've had to make adjustments due to how the economy has turned so it wouldn't be any different for anybody else. I've been a loyal supporter of Chevrolet for a very long time and will continue to be.''

Ford Motor Company has proven itself on more solid ground than its GM and Chrysler counterparts. It hasn't had to take government money and to date hasn't made any major changes in its financial dealings with its race teams.

Matt Kenseth, a Ford driver and the Cup Series' 2003 champion, joined several drivers at Ford's headquarters this week before on-track activity started at MIS. And while he said the tone of the meeting wasn't as upbeat as years past, he remains optimistic about Ford's involvement in NASCAR.

"It's always been strong and they've always said that the very last thing they would ever cut is the NASCAR funding because they realize how important it is to their brand and to their success in selling vehicles,'' Kenseth said Friday.

"I think they're seeing some signs of recovery, but certainly I don't think they're comfortable where they are because they're not at levels where they were a few years ago. Auto sales aren't at that level overall.

"Obviously it's a struggle for everybody, I don't know what's gonna happen with basically the government running two auto companies and another one running itself, so I don't know what that's gonna work out.

"But certainly, I'm proud to drive a Ford and I'm glad they haven't had to go down the avenue the other two have.''

GM Pulls Support from NASCAR Nationwide and Truck Series Teams originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>General MotorsGeneralMotorskelley earnhardtNationwide SeriesNationwideSeriesHolly CainFri, 12 Jun 2009 15:14:00 EST Video: Matt Kenseth Takes Wild Tumblehttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/04/26/video-matt-kenseth-takes-wild-tumble/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/04/26/video-matt-kenseth-takes-wild-tumble/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/04/26/video-matt-kenseth-takes-wild-tumble/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

David Ragan's first NASCAR victory in 196 starts was the major story of Saturday's Nationwide race, but it definitely wasn't the biggest highlight. As Holly mentioned in her recap, a wild wreck by Matt Kenseth had every spectator in awe at Talladega.

After Kenseth lost control with 12 laps left, the car skidded on its roof, flipped three times and caught fire along the grass. Thankfully he was able to make a quick escape from the car as his pregnant wife, Katie, watched with bated breath.

Video: Matt Kenseth Takes Wild Tumble originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 26 Apr 2009 04:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>katie kensethKatieKensethmatt kensethMattKensethtalladegasuperspeedwayTom HerreraSun, 26 Apr 2009 04:30:00 EST Paging Matt Kenseth: Where's He Been?http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/04/23/paging-matt-kenseth-wheres-he-been/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/04/23/paging-matt-kenseth-wheres-he-been/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/04/23/paging-matt-kenseth-wheres-he-been/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Just weeks ago, the name Matt Kenseth was the only available substitute for '2009 Sprint Cup winner'.

The Roush Fenway Racing driver picked up the Harley J. Earl Trophy for winning the rain-soaked Daytona 500 and followed it up a week later with a 'W' in the season's second race at Auto Club Speedway.

Since then, however, Kenseth has fallen through the standings at a clip rivaling a Ryan Newman qualifying lap.

The brutal drop from 1st to 12th in the standings happened quickly after the checkers and cheers that was ACS' victory lane. The No. 17 misfired badly in the very next race weekend with a 43rd-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway thanks to a blown motor just 34 laps into the race.

The Matt Kenseth we know, however, returned a week later at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a 12th-place run that is the trademark style of the consistent Cambridge, Wisc., driver.

The first Sprint Cup jaunt to the short tracks, though, didn't turn out so well.

Kenseth tallied up finishes of 33rd and 23rd at Bristol Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway, respectively. The lack of front-running performance was somewhat of a shock at Bristol for Kenseth on a personal level because he's got two career wins at the track -- including a dominating performance in 2005 where he led 415 of the 500 laps in the fall race.

On a team level, though, the Roush Fenway stable massively underperformed at the short tracks as a whole with just one car -- Jamie McMurray in 10th at Martinsville -- finding a Top-10 finish.

Kenseth's paced picked up again at the longtime Roush stronghold of Texas Motor Speedway with a fifth-place finish, but just last weekend at Phoenix, the dismal ways returned. Kenseth 27th after starting 17th.

"We had a really tough race last week," said Kenseth. "To be honest, we've been less than stellar since winning the first two races of the season. We have to get the cars running better and we have to be much more consistent on pit road to have a shot at making the Chase and competing this season."

Unfortunately, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, a place Kenseth lacks a solid record at. The No. 17 has averaged an 18th-place finish over the years, but in 18 races, he's led the field 13 times.

Naturally, the biggest obstacle to Kenseth's success at Talladega should be getting caught up in someone else's mess. Should he miss that, it's not entirely possible to rule out a solid finish thanks in part to his decent drafting skills. Kenseth did make a late pass for the win around Elliott Sadler at Daytona.

But Kenseth couldn't be more spot on in his assessment of the season. Sure, the first two races had a nice, positive ring to them, but getting into the Chase is going to require much better consistency from the No. 17 -- even for a team that has yet to miss the season-ending championship format.

Paging Matt Kenseth: Where's He Been? originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Matt KensethMattKensethRoush Fenway RacingRoushFenwayRacingTalladega SuperspeedwayTalladegaSuperspeedwayGeoffrey MillerThu, 23 Apr 2009 11:38:00 EST Contenders Drop Like Flies in Vegashttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/03/01/contenders-drop-like-flies-in-vegas/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/03/01/contenders-drop-like-flies-in-vegas/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/03/01/contenders-drop-like-flies-in-vegas/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Less than a lap into Sunday's Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Matt Kenseth's chance to make NASCAR history went up in smoke.

As did the chances for victory for David Ragan and Mark Martin after both of their engines expired early in the third race of the season.

The on-track problems weren't just relegated to those with engine problems as many drivers in the Top-10 of the point standings had issues on Sunday.

Point leader Kenseth made the dreaded left hand turn into the garage on lap 7 after a cloud of white smoke erupted from his Ford engine.

"I don't know that I've ever dropped out on Lap 1 before," said Kenseth. "[...] It's disappointing we didn't get to race today. ...It's just something that happens every now and again and it's just unfortunate it happened to us today."

Had Kenseth won Sunday's race, he would have been the first driver in NASCAR history to win the season's first three races.

Jeff Gordon looked to be having another great run until the No. 24 blew a tire after Gordon skidded his left front while trying to and failing to enter pit road on lap 221. The tire ripped off the left front fender and took Gordon from a contender to a car just trying to limp home with a lead lap finish.

Gordon's teammate Mark Martin also made that left hand turn after having an engine go south -- his second in two weeks.

"it was a very encouraging run, but very disappointing," said Mark Martin.

Other drivers at the top of the point standings had trouble including Michael Waltrip (spun on lap 163), David Ragan (blown engine) and Elliott Sadler (two incidents) during the event. Jimmie Johnson also spun with just six laps to go while trying to make his way back to the Top-10 and made heavy contact with the wall.

Contenders Drop Like Flies in Vegas originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>DavidRaganJeffGordonLasVegasLasVegasMotorSpeedwayMarkMartinMattKensethShelby427Geoffrey MillerSun, 01 Mar 2009 18:14:00 EST Kenseth Earns 'Best Driver' in Californiahttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/22/kenseth-earns-best-driver-in-california/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/22/kenseth-earns-best-driver-in-california/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/22/kenseth-earns-best-driver-in-california/#commentsFiled under: , ,



On a night when Hollywood was honoring its best just miles down the road, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series saw a mellowed star continue his rise back to the top.

Matt Kenseth, fresh off his win in the rain a week ago in the season-opening Daytona 500, made it two in a row Sunday night by winning the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

And yes, this time it did go the full distance.

More Coverage: Auto Club 500 Results | Sprint Cup Series Schedule

It didn't come easy for Kenseth as Jeff Gordon, winless since October 2007, tried to get close enough to make a move around the No. 17 several times in the final 34 laps. Gordon closed to within a half-second and less than a handful of car lengths more than once in the final run, but could never get alongside the No. 17 as he had done in the previous green flag run.

After the race, Gordon said an adjustment on the final pit stop might have been the difference in his and Kenseth's view of the checkered flag.

"We made an adjustment that made my car just a little too tight at the end," said Gordon during a television interview on pit road following the race.

Regardless, Gordon acknowledged his team has taken significant strides over its performance level from just one year ago. Sunday night, he led 64 of the race's 250 laps on the style of track his team struggled with in 2008.

Kenseth was able to seal the deal and become just the fourth driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup history to win a season's first two events, thanks both to his flawless final drive and work on pit road that was consistently the fastest all night. The No. 17 team managed to get Kenseth's Ford back on track during the final pit stop just ahead of Gordon after coming in for a four-tire change on the bumper of the No. 24.

The rest of the top five included Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch, though Biffle was the only one who showed he a had a legitimate shot to win the race. On the race's final pit stop that all but secured the race win for his teammate Kenseth, Biffle slid through his pit box and over the air hose, costing the team several seconds on pit lane and dropping him to deep in the top 10 for the final restart.

After the race, Biffle was beside himself for the mistake and wondered aloud why his team shouldn't just fire him on the spot for the costly mistake.

Perhaps Biffle still has his job because the race win kept his team a perfect five wins and zero losses during the race's February date on the Cup schedule. Biffle started that streak in 2005.

During the middle parts of the race -- one that was exceptionally clean with just one caution for Kevin Harvick losing an engine and smacking the Turn 1 wall, and four other cautions for brief rain showers -- a sense of worry spread over the Hendrick Motorsports camp. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin both developed similar engine trouble that resulted in 39th and 40th for the Chevrolet drivers, respectively.

Teammates Gordon and Jimmie Johnson (finished 9th), as well as the Hendrick engine-supplied Stewart-Haas Racing, never had problems develop on their end. Tony Stewart wound up 8th and Ryan Newman 28th.

Pole sitter Brian Vickers was never a factor all night after being forced to start last on the field thanks to an engine change. He finished 10th.

Kenseth Earns 'Best Driver' in California originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 22:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>AutoClub500AutoClubSpeedwayGregBiffleHendrickMotorsportsJeffGordonKurtBuschKyleBuschMattKensethRoushFenwayRacingGeoffrey MillerSun, 22 Feb 2009 22:18:00 EST Blame NASCAR's Scheduling, Not Weather, for Daytona Finishhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/17/blame-nascars-scheduling-not-the-weather-for-daytona-finish/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/17/blame-nascars-scheduling-not-the-weather-for-daytona-finish/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/17/blame-nascars-scheduling-not-the-weather-for-daytona-finish/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

A friend from Denver -- a new NASCAR fan -- called up the morning after the Daytona 500 disappointed and feeling like he got short-changed.

He said stopping the race 48 laps short felt like watching an NFL game being played in bad weather with the referees just deciding whoever was ahead in the third quarter got the win.

As I explained to him -- and as Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth has unfortunately felt obligated to explain on every talk show appearance he's made since earning his first 500 trophy -- everyone knows the game and Kenseth's team simply played it best.

Every crew chief had the same access to the weather reports and knew rain was on the way. And since the race was well beyond the 101 laps (halfway plus a lap) needed to make it official, it was time to mash the pedal.

And that's exactly what Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, A.J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Elliott Sadler and the rest of the top-finishing drivers did. It's called strategy.

NASCAR's problem is getting that message out to new fans or those casual observers that tune in to the biggest races such as the Daytona 500, but don't follow the sport regularly.

Could NASCAR have waited out the rain shower and re-started the race?

As one reporter cynically noted, a couple of FOX's biggest hit shows, "The Family Guy" and "The Simpsons" were on deck anyway. And we know modern day NASCAR is all about what works best for network TV. Clearly, a rain delay didn't.

But maybe the point isn't how the race ended, but when races begin.

NASCAR should have the flexibility to start these races sooner. When bad weather is approaching, speed up driver introductions, run fewer pace laps and nix part of the pre-race entertainment or commercial time-outs. Ninety percent of the fans are there by driver intros and TV could shorten its pre-race show.

Ironically, NASCAR may have to deal with this again this week in Southern California, which is getting deluged with rain.

The late starting times are one of the worst moves NASCAR has made in recent years. For decades, fans could count on a 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon start -- and the consistency was vital in building the fan base and audience.
But like the Daytona 500, this week's race in Fontana, Calif. is a 3 p.m. local start -- 6 p.m. EST. Only two of the 36 races will begin before 2 p.m. -- 10 will be night races.

NASCAR won't be changing its schedule any time soon, so in the meantime, don't begrudge Kenseth his Daytona win.

There may be a lot more decided this way.

Blame NASCAR's Scheduling, Not Weather, for Daytona Finish originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>a.j.allmendingerclintbowyerelliottsadlerkevinharvickmattkensethHolly CainTue, 17 Feb 2009 17:30:00 EST After Rain, It's Matt Kenseth in Daytonahttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/15/after-rain-its-matt-kenseth-in-daytona/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/15/after-rain-its-matt-kenseth-in-daytona/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2009/02/15/after-rain-its-matt-kenseth-in-daytona/#commentsFiled under: , ,


DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It wasn't a full race, but for the driver from Cambridge, Wisc., it's still the Daytona 500.

Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford, won the rain-shortened 51st running of the Daytona 500 Sunday night after NASCAR stopped the event 48 laps from the scheduled distance.
"Just to win a race after our season last year -- I didn't know if we were ever going to be able to do that again," said Kenseth. "To win the Daytona 500 is unbelievable.

It was both Kenseth's and team owner Jack Roush's first victory in NASCAR's biggest race.

Roush wasn't quite ready to overcome years of frustration in NASCAR's biggest race.

"We've been here for more than 20 years trying to do this thing," Roush said after the race. "I even got so conditioned for being frustrated through it that I was almost not believing that it would happen. I will be black and blue for the next couple of days from pinching myself just to make sure I'm not dreaming."

The win for Kenseth also was a dream for the No. 17's crew chief Drew Blickensderfer, who called his first race for Kenseth on Sunday. Batting 1-1 has Blickensdorfer pondering his future.

"I'm thinking if we don't win the first practice at California, it's a failure," joked Blickensderfer in the post-race press conference.

Kyle Busch, though, has to be thinking his time at Daytona became a failure in the final three days of Speedweeks at the east Florida track. Busch failed to convert on last lap passes for the win in Friday night's Camping World Truck Series race and Saturday's Nationwide Series race.

Sunday, he led 88 laps with one of the most dominant cars in the field before being taken out in multi-car accident in Turn 3. Afterwards, Busch was not pleased with Dale Earnhardt Jr., who started the melee after contact with Brian Vickers on the backstretch.

"Some guys having some bad days and not doing their best made their bad day, our bad day," said Busch.

NASCAR called the race on lap 152, 17 minutes after they brought the cars down pit road thanks to the red flag being displayed after rain showers descended on the track. The rain -- which had been forecasted for a few days -- finally arrived after 6 p.m./EDT, roughly 2.5 hours after the start of the race.

The quick ending stranded several drivers in the pack after others gambled heavily to chance into a Daytona 500 win. Tony Stewart (he led 15 laps), Jeff Gordon (14 laps) and Mark Martin (1 lap) all were charging back through the field and likely would have battled Kenseth and others for the win.

Instead, Stewart finished 8th, Gordon 13th and Martin 16th. Surprisingly, Jimmie Johnson had mediocre outing in his first race back from winning three-straight NASCAR titles with a 31st-place finish.

The rest of the Top-5 was 2007 winner Kevin Harvick, A.J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer and Elliott Sadler. David Ragan, Michael Waltrip, Stewart, Reed Sorenson and Kurt Busch ronded out the Top-10.

Pole-sitter Martin Truex Jr. was never much of a factor and finished 11th.

Stay with FanHouse for more updates from the week of FanHouse in Daytona.

After Rain, It's Matt Kenseth in Daytona originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>AJAllmendingerBrianVickersClintBowyerDaleEarnhardtJrDaytonaDaytona500ElliottSadlerFanHouseinDaytonaJackRoushKevinHarvickKyleBuschMattKensethRoushFenwayRacingGeoffrey MillerSun, 15 Feb 2009 20:11:00 EST '08 Rear-View Mirror: Matt Kensethhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/12/29/08-rear-view-mirror-matt-kenseth/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/12/29/08-rear-view-mirror-matt-kenseth/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/12/29/08-rear-view-mirror-matt-kenseth/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Warning: Objects in this post may be the only way to successfully live through the NASCAR off-season. For best results, read rearview mirror early and often.

Driver: Matt Kenseth
Team: No. 17 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
'08 Final Standing: 11th (-500)
Best Race: Dover (2nd-place)
Worst Race: Lowe's (41st-place)

Season in a box: Kenseth started his 9th full-time Sprint Cup season for the first time with a guy that wasn't named Robbie Reiser aboard the team's pit box thanks to Reiser taking on a higher role at the Roush-Fenway organization. Unfortunately, with Chip Bolin now calling shots, the season turned into one where Kenseth was hardly ever a factor.


His best finish (2nd) came at Dover -- a track that Kenseth has excelled at in recent years. Kenseth's best streak of the season came after what was likely his worst with finishes of 38th, 41st and 38th Martinsville in April to Richmond in May. From that point, Kenseth railed off eight Top-10 finishes in the next ten races in the Wisconsin driver's trademark style.

That stretch was enough to jolt Kenseth back to the Chase and he succeeded in making it, but he never showed any type of performance that could stand up to Jimmie Johnson or Carl Edwards thanks to another ill-timed bout with inconsistency. Kenseth landed five Top-10s in the final ten races -- including that season-best finish -- but two finishes of 40th and 41st laid the nail to the coffin for his championship hopes.

A 25th-place finish at the season-finale at Homestead did the same for his potential trip to New York on the banquet stage.

Through the crystal windshield: RFR has already announced that Kenseth will get a new crew chief in 2009 with Bolin heading to another role with the team and Drew Blickensdorfer -- of Carl Edwards' Nationwide Series team fame -- moving to the No. 17 it box.

After years with Reiser and a single season with Bolin, I'm not entirely sure that a crew chief change will make a drastic impact on the 2009 outlook for Kenseth. He wasn't close to being terrible this season and some possible early season woes thanks to the new crew chief weren't really a factor in Kenseth's final Chase standing.

Let's face it, Kenseth is a driver that can knock 'em dead with consistency, but it's just tough for a driver to win a Chase championship when other teams -- Johnson, Edwards and likely Kyle Busch in 2009 -- can secure multiple wins.

Next up: Kyle Busch

'08 Rear-View Mirror: Matt Kenseth originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>MattKensethRearViewMirrorRoushFenwayRacingGeoffrey MillerMon, 29 Dec 2008 15:02:00 EST Roush Fenway Racing Extends Matt Kenseth, Appears to Leave Out Jamie McMurrayhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/11/20/roush-fenway-racing-extends-matt-kenseth-appears-to-leave-out-j/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/11/20/roush-fenway-racing-extends-matt-kenseth-appears-to-leave-out-j/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/11/20/roush-fenway-racing-extends-matt-kenseth-appears-to-leave-out-j/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Matt Kenseth's contract at Roush Fenway Racing got extended Thursday afternoon and that was seemingly bad news for his teammate Jamie McMurray.

Kenseth got a new "multi-year dear" from RFR to keep him as the driver of the No. 17 Ford for well past 2010, when his current contract was set to expire. Terms weren't disclosed by the team, but I'd imagine the contract puts Kenseth in a position to make RFR his final place of stock car employment with either a heavily extended contract from his current one or one loaded with options.

Kenseth, a native of Cambridge, Wisc., turns 37 in March.

For teammate McMurray -- who's been nothing short of a disappointment during his time at RFR but showed some flashes of brilliance towards the end of the 2008 -- Kenseth's re-signing might be a nail in the coffin for his future at RFR.

NASCAR has mandated that by 2010, all Sprint Cup teams must have no more than four drivers in a stable. RFR currently has five.

The RFR other drivers, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and David Ragan, all seem to have the cards stacked in their favor for 2009 and beyond.

Biffle, who had some questions during the early part of 2008 after several part failures and other team problems kept him from winning races, re-signed with RFR in July to a contract throught 2011. Edwards obviously isn't going anywhere with his near-championship run in 2008 and has a contract through 2011 and Ragan hasn't officially inked a contract to the best of my knowledge for 2009 but he has a "multi-year" deal with sponsor UPS starting next season.

So, Biffle plus Edwards plus Kenseth plus Ragan equals four drivers locked in at RFR for well past the 2010 NASCAR cutoff deadline, and seems to leave McMurray without a RFR-associated ride in 2010 once his current contract runs out.

An option appears to be at Jack Roush's disposal, however, if he decides to keep McMurray around after 2009 -- especially if the Jopin, Mo., driver can pile together a season-full of finishes like he had to close out the 2008 season. Roush has a significant alliance with Yates Racing, and if needbe, I can certainly see McMurray's services getting transferred to the satellite operation.

Roush Fenway Racing Extends Matt Kenseth, Appears to Leave Out Jamie McMurray originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>CarlEdwardsDavidRaganFordGregBiffleJamieMcMurrayMattKensethRoushFenwayRacingSprintCupYatesRacingGeoffrey MillerThu, 20 Nov 2008 23:26:00 EST Montoya DQ'ed, Gives Johnson Kansas Polehttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/09/26/johnson-on-kansas-pole-after-montoya-dqed/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/09/26/johnson-on-kansas-pole-after-montoya-dqed/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/09/26/johnson-on-kansas-pole-after-montoya-dqed/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,



Juan Pablo Montoya: "Hey, did you see that lap, man? Yep, first Sprint Cup pole! Uh-huh! Wait, what did you say? They disqualified me? What the #%^&?!?!"

While the above quote is not actually attributable to JPM, you can bet he wasn't happy to be starting 42nd on Sunday at Kansas Speedway after posting Friday's qualifying session fastest time.

Montoya dropped a lap Friday afternoon at Kansas City, Kan.-track of 172.150mph to put him at the top of the grid for the first time in his Sprint Cup career, celebrated his pole with the obligatory photo shoot, and talked to the media about how exciting it was for his No. 42 team:
"It's huge. There's times where it's getting darker and cooling down and you run at the end and all of a sudden you pick up a half a second and you're up there. But we were in the middle of the pack and the track didn't really change that much. We were genuinely fast," said Montoya.
But now, he's starting in the back thanks to a technical violation during the post-qualifying inspection process that revealed his two rear shocks had pressure levels higher than allowed by NASCAR.

NASCAR instituted rules on the shock assemblies a few years ago mainly in the name of safety after teams started running the suspension devices near their explosion breaking point to help the car handle. Essentially, its just not safe for slender metal tubes to be filled with gas at a near breaking point, so NASCAR stepped in.

The main benefactor from Montoya's issue? Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson, or more concisely, the guy who always seems to be there to take advantage of any situation.

Johnson will start out front for Sunday's race with the rest of the Top-5 now including Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Elliott Sadler and Martin Truex Jr.

Failing to score a spot in Sunday's field were Johnny Sauter and Michael McDowell.

Montoya DQ'ed, Gives Johnson Kansas Pole originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>ChipGanassiRacingDodgeHendrickMotorsportsJuanPabloMontoyaKansasSpeedwaySprintCupGeoffrey MillerFri, 26 Sep 2008 19:37:00 EST Calling the Chase: 12th - Matt Kensethhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/09/10/calling-the-chase-12th-matt-kenseth/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/09/10/calling-the-chase-12th-matt-kenseth/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/09/10/calling-the-chase-12th-matt-kenseth/#commentsFiled under: , ,

The NASCAR season truly kicks in Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway when the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup begins. From now through Friday, FanHouse will preview each of the 12-drivers and evaluate their championship chances.

12th - Matt Kenseth, No. 17 Roush Fenway Ford

Starting Deficit: 80 points

2008 Stats: 6 Top-5's, 15 Top-10's



2008 Regular Season Point Standing: 17th (-746)

2007 Chase Result: 4th place

Chase Chances: Kenseth was one of the sole reasons why NASCAR got away from its traditional way of determining a champion after he methodically beat the rest of the competition in 2003 with just one win and a plethora of consistent Top-5 and Top-10 finishes. That method doesn't work in the Chase format, and, regardless, Kenseth hasn't been nearly as consistent as he has needed to be in 2008.

Don't expect that to magically change.

Prediction: Just In It.

Calling the Chase: 12th - Matt Kenseth originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>CallingtheChaseChasefortheSprintCupFordMattKensethRoushFenwayRacingSprintCupGeoffrey MillerWed, 10 Sep 2008 00:10:00 EST "Monster" No Match for Busch at Doverhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/06/01/monster-no-match-for-busch-at-dover/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/06/01/monster-no-match-for-busch-at-dover/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/06/01/monster-no-match-for-busch-at-dover/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,



Kyle Busch should be sponsored by a lawn mowing company, because he is simply mowing down the NASCAR world.

Crappy one-liners aside, Busch took his fourth Sprint Cup series win of 2008 after flat dominating the field during the last half of the race in Sunday's Best Buy 400 at Dover International Speedway.

It also tallied as his 10th overall among NASCAR's top three divisions this season.

400 miles at the "Monster Mile" must have seemed like a daunting task early in the event as Busch was actually seen letting people by and not racing ridiculously hard during stages of the event when it really didn't matter. Methodically, though, the No. 18 crew tuned Busch's ride and got the driver out front as he stretched his lead to over 8 seconds after the final pit stop.

At the start, it looked like Greg Biffle and the rest of his Roush Fenway Racing teammates were the team to beat as Biffle jumped out to big leads on several restarts and RFR teams held four of the Top-5 spots. Biffle later suffered electrical problems that affected him slightly, but he managed to come home third.

Carl Edwards finished 2nd, Matt Kenseth fourth, Jeff Gordon fifth, and Martin Truex Jr. sixth as the only cars left on the lead lap.

A big wreck on lap 17 took out Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart and a host of others.

"Monster" No Match for Busch at Dover originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 01 Jun 2008 18:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>BestBuy400CarlEdwardsDaleEarnhardtJrDennyHamlinDoverInternationalRacewayDoverInternationalSpeedwayGregBiffleJeffGordonJoeGibbsRacingKyleBuschMartinTruexJrRoushFenwayRacingSprintCupTonyStewartGeoffrey MillerSun, 01 Jun 2008 18:25:00 EST Matt Kenseth Won't Wreck You Discreetlyhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/03/31/matt-kenseth-wont-wreck-you-discreetly/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/03/31/matt-kenseth-wont-wreck-you-discreetly/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/03/31/matt-kenseth-wont-wreck-you-discreetly/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Former NASCAR champion has made it a well-known fact that he doesn't get along with Martinsville Speedway.

Sunday, he made it very well known that he just isn't very good at wrecking people intentionally without getting caught. Catch the first replay at 0:10:



As you can see, Kenseth's yellow and black DeWalt Ford suddenly swiped up the track directly into the right rear corner of David Gilliland's No. 38. Naturally, the No. 38 quickly spun up against the turn 2 wall.


There was no wiggle, no bump, but rather Kenseth's ride taking a beeline straight towards Gilliland's car. Really, Matt, can't you at least make it look a little less obvious?

The move by Kenseth drew the driver a two-lap penalty in the pits to add to the plethora of issues the No. 17 had Sunday. He would finish 30th, four laps down.

Matt Kenseth Won't Wreck You Discreetly originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>GoodysCoolOrange500MartinsvilleSpeedwayMattKensethNASCARVideosGeoffrey MillerMon, 31 Mar 2008 15:55:00 EST NASCAR Crash Video of the Week: Las Vegashttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/03/07/nascar-crash-video-of-the-week-las-vegas/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/03/07/nascar-crash-video-of-the-week-las-vegas/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/03/07/nascar-crash-video-of-the-week-las-vegas/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

This week's crash video of the week takes on a particularly nasty tone with 4-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon.

This incident, from Sunday's UAW-Dodge 400 in Las Vegas, happened after a restart with 5 laps to go. As you'll see, Gordon (in the green car) will slide underneath Dale Earnhardt Jr. (white car) as Matt Kenseth (blue car) heads up top.

As they enter turn 1, Gordon and Kenseth draw alongside each other and when they exit turn 2 at 0:14, they make contact.



Gordon admitted fault for the accident after he got tight off of turn 2, slid into Kenseth, and then lost control himself. The No. 24 then slid into a break in the inside wall, catching the front end and ripping it all to pieces.
He had his breath taken away and walked gingerly to the waiting ambulance.

The hit was so hard that the transmission was knocked out of the race car. Calling it the hardest hit he's ever taken, Gordon wasn't happy with the wall's design.
"I couldn't have hit the wall at a worse angle," said Gordon. "It really tore the thing up. I'm really disappointed right now in this speedway for not having a soft wall back there. And even being able to get to that part of the wall shouldn't happen."
Las Vegas Motor Speedway and NASCAR are both looking at the wall, and hopefully there will be changes done to all NASCAR tracks in light of this huge incident.

One thing that I missed completely the first time I watched was the incredible save that Matt Kenseth had (2:47). His car spun completely sideways off of turn 2, and he had straightened out and still nearly up to speed by the time he reached turn 3.

Gordon and Kenseth have had a history together including a shove at Bristol and a punt at Chicagoland. Both of those hung heavy on Kenseth, who wound up 20th.
%Gallery-15996%

NASCAR Crash Video of the Week: Las Vegas originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Geoffrey MillerFri, 07 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST Vegas Vacation? Not for Past Championshttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/03/04/vegas-vacation-not-so-much-for-past-champs/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/03/04/vegas-vacation-not-so-much-for-past-champs/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/03/04/vegas-vacation-not-so-much-for-past-champs/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

It wasn't a particularly good weekend at Las Vegas for former champions of the Sprint Cup series in the UAW-Dodge 400.

Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Dale Jarrett, and Matt Kenseth all had trouble at some point during the event that saw a record 11 cautions.

Defending two-time champion Jimmie Johnson was just horrendous all day.

The highest-finishing past champ was Bobby Labonte in the 17th-position. The rest are counted down by their finishing position:

20th - Matt Kenseth, No. 17 USG Sheetrock Ford

Kenseth had a very decent run going Sunday and looked to be the more-dominant of the Roush Fenway group through the middle parts of the race. His trouble came after contact with Gordon off of turn 2 with four laps remaining.

Gordon's No. 24 got tight, slid up the track, and barely clipped Kenseth's rear, spinning the No. 17 from 2nd-place. Kenseth saved the car with two flat tires, pitted and would up 20th after leading 70 laps.

29th - Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Lowes Chevrolet

Terrible wouldn't even begin to describe the type of handling that Johnson experienced Sunday at Las Vegas. Crew chief Chad Knaus threw two or three kitchen sinks at the car throughout the race and nothing worked.

By the time it was all over, Johnson found himself two laps down and basically running a glorified testing session and pit stop practice. Of all the finishers, this could be the most shocking with the brutal consistency were used to from Johnson & Co.

35th - Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Dupont/Nicorette Chevrolet

Gordon's day at Vegas was starting to make us believe that despite the suspension problem at Daytona, 2008 was going to be another impressively consistent season in the Sprint Cup series for the 4-time champ. He led 19 laps and spent little time out of the Top-5.

That was the case, at least, until Gordon and Kenseth got together off of turn 2. It ended with Gordon finishing 35th after one of his hardest crashes ever, and also left the No. 24 22nd in the season standings.

38th - Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

The Las Vegas native was hoping to win his first race at his home track Sunday after starting 9th on the grid. On lap 53 though, things started to go south for Busch.

The No. 2 was cited for being too fast on pit road during green flag stops and had to serve a pass-through penalty, dropping Busch a lap down. He eventually fought back towards the front until lap 255 -- just 12 from the finish. Busch exploded a right front tire and pounded the wall off of turn 4.

The impact completely destroyed Busch's front-end and right side.

39th - Dale Jarrett, No. 44 UPS Toyota

Jarrett, the 1999 champion, certainly hasn't started his final five races very well and that didn't change at Las Vegas. He'll be hanging up the wheel for good after the Sprint Showdown in May, and two late crashes at Vegas and California have taken him out of those events.

Sunday, Jarrett wasn't having an incredibly stellar day, but with 36 laps to go he got loose in turn 1, slid up, and hit the wall with the rear-end. It was enough to end the run for Jarrett who wrecked very similarly in California.

43rd - Tony Stewart, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota

The last time that Stewart finished 43rd was in the 2007 Daytona 500. That crash, while hard, didn't leave as much of an impact on the two-time champion.

Stewart wrecked hard on Saturday during the Nationwide Series event and bruised up his foot a little bit. On Sunday, another exploded right-front tire shot Stewart straight in to the turn 3 wall with a jarring impact. Stewart was left a little bit dazed and felt some pain in his lower back, but by the time he was released from the infield care center, he was feeling better.

Stewart was definitely sore on Monday, but he managed to participate in the Phoenix test sessions for Sprint Cup teams.

Vegas Vacation? Not for Past Champions originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>LasVegasLasVegasMotorSpeedwayNASCARCrashesSprintCupGeoffrey MillerTue, 04 Mar 2008 10:30:00 EST NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:<Br>Matt Kenseth, No. 17 Roush-Fenway Fordhttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/01/06/nascar-fanhouse-top-25-year-in-review-br-matt-kenseth-no-17-r/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/01/06/nascar-fanhouse-top-25-year-in-review-br-matt-kenseth-no-17-r/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2008/01/06/nascar-fanhouse-top-25-year-in-review-br-matt-kenseth-no-17-r/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Welcome to the 2007 NASCAR FanHouse Year in Review. Follow along each day as we look back on the top 25 drivers of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for the 2007 season. Heck, bookmark us if you have to! Today, we review the season of 4th-place Matt Kenseth.

Driver: Matt Kenseth -- Cambridge, Wisconsin
Team: No. 17 DeWalt Ford
Points: 4th (-425)
2006: 2nd in Cup Standings
Key Stats: 2 wins, 13 Top-5s, 22 Top-10s
Back in 2008?: Yes

Generally, when a driver changes crew chiefs in the off-season, one would tend to believe that the previous season was a total loss. Especially so when the two people involved are Matt Kenseth and Robbie Reiser.

Kenseth and Reiser have worked together from the get-go of Matt's NASCAR career. Two former rivals on the short-tracks of Wisconsin, they teamed up and headed south for the riches of NASCAR's top series nearly a decade ago and found success quickly. They latched on with Roush Racing and together won the 2003 Winston Cup Championship.

And so, in 2007, it looks like on paper that if Reiser is leaving, something went drastically wrong.

But it didn't.

Instead, Kenseth finished his 2007 campaign quite well in 4th-place after stringing together two wins at California in February and Homestead in November. Along the way, Kenseth didn't struggle to find his trademark consistency. Reiser, leaving to take a higher role in Roush-Fenway's team, kept the car tuned well enough to win potentially score another championship if not for some terrible luck in the Chase.

Kenseth finished the Chase with five-straight Top-5's, but sandwiched between a seventh at Loudon were finishes of 35th (Dover), 35th (Kansas), 26th (Talladega) and 34th (Lowes). At Dover, Kenseth should have walked out with a victory after leading 149 laps until a blown engine sealed his fate with 26 laps to go.

At Kansas, Matt led 49 laps and Talladega saw Kenseth finish 17 laps off the pace after an incident. Finally, Lowes Motor Speedway saw Kenseth led 32 laps before falling out.

Obviously, Kenseth's Chase had a ton of potential if not for some unfortunate luck, and for that reason, despite having a new crew chief in '08, I think you can look at the No. 17 to be at the front a lot. Is is a championship in the picture? I sure think so.

NASCAR FanHouse Top 25 Year-in-Review:
Matt Kenseth, No. 17 Roush-Fenway Ford originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>Top25DriversGeoffrey MillerSun, 06 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST NASCAR Off Season: Day Twohttp://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2007/11/20/nascar-off-season-day-two/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2007/11/20/nascar-off-season-day-two/http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2007/11/20/nascar-off-season-day-two/#commentsFiled under: , ,

State of Mind: Astonishment.

The season is really over. But the bore, snore, roar ... however you wanna look at it ... of NASCAR's 2007 season finale lives on in the Fanhouse Ford 500 Live Blog which was initially viewed by 299 readers and has been replayed 412 times. Trust me when I tell you ... it wasn't that interesting ... kind of like the race. But it was A LOT of fun and there have been a lot of requests to bring back reader-interactive live blogging in the Fanhouse next season. Count on it.

Thought for the day: Matt Kenseth is the new Greg Biffle

If a driver wins at Homestead-Miami does anyone remember? How about if they finish the season in the top 5. Is it is just me, or is Matt Kenseth the best, most-ignored driver in NASCAR? I know I'm guilty of it.

The #17 DeWalt team deserves a huge round of applause. Kenseth's 4th place finish is his sixth consecutive top 10 in his eight Nextel Cup seasons. Things could be different for Kenseth next year with a new crew chief, but at least Robby Reiser's not going far. Can Keseth continue the streak next season? I do believe he can.

NASCAR Off Season: Day Two originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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]]>tallglassofmilkTue, 20 Nov 2007 17:45:00 EST