Kenseth unstoppable in Bristol
Matt Kenseth took a double victory at Bristol Motor Speedway, winning the Busch race on Friday night and following that with a crucial Nextel Cup win the following day
Kenseth, who pulled a breathtaking pass on Kevin Harvick in the Busch race with 15 laps to go, had less work on his hands in the main even on Saturday night, passing Dale Earnhardt Jr 50 laps from the flag, then keeping his lead in a control measure to finish ahead of Kyle Busch.
The victory means Kenseth is now just seven points behind points leader Jimmie Johnson in the Cup standings, with both drivers mathematically guaranteed a place in the Chase for the Cup, which begins in three weeks.
"The last two weeks have been just unbelievable," said Kenseth, who also won in Michigan last weekend. "If we can go into the Chase like this, we'll have a shot at the championship.
"I was worried about going into the Chase and not running good. But this is what it's about, bringing your best piece and go there and try to win some races."
Johnson himself finished a rather uneventful race in 10th place, but many of the Chase contenders have moved up the standings ladder following the Bristol event.
Second place finisher Kyle Busch has been elevated to fourth in the standings, Earnhardt Jr moved up a spot to ninth, after finishing the race third, and Denny Hamlin used his fifth-place finish to move up a spot as well, into sixth.
Earnhardt in particular had every reason to be content, after battling with a recalcitrant car throughout the weekend.
"I feel a whole lot better now as far as trying to get in [to the Chase]," Earnhardt said. "All of us have really just got to watch what we are doing - minimise mistakes and utilize every minute of practice we get.
"I think we've got a really good shot of it. Before, it was really just 50-50, up for grabs."
Kenseth, who also won the Sharpie 500 at Bristol last year, is the first driver since Dale Earnhardt in 1987-88 to win the night race for two consecutive seasons.
And, with a summer momentum reminiscent of Tony Stewart's drive into the Chase last year, he now stands a real chance to reclaim his Cup title once the Chase begins.
Pos Driver Make Laps 1. Matt Kenseth Ford 500 2. Kyle Busch Chevrolet 500 3. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet 500 4. Scott Riggs Dodge 500 5. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet 500 6. Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 500 7. Carl Edwards Ford 500 8. Ryan Newman Dodge 500 9. Jeff Burton Chevrolet 500 10. Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 500 11. Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 500 12. Kasey Kahne Dodge 500 13. Ken Schrader Ford 500 14. Dave Blaney Dodge 500 15. Dale Jarrett Ford 499 16. Michael Waltrip Dodge 499 17. Casey Mears Dodge 499 18. Martin Truex Jr. Chevrolet 499 19. Greg Biffle Ford 499 20. Travis Kvapil Chevrolet 499 21. Kevin Lepage Dodge 498 22. Tony Stewart Chevrolet 498 23. Bobby Labonte Dodge 498 24. Jeff Green Chevrolet 498 25. Tony Raines Chevrolet 498 26. Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 498 27. Robby Gordon Chevrolet 498 28. Mark Martin Ford 496 29. Jamie McMurray Ford 496 30. Kenny Wallace Chevrolet 493 31. J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 492 32. Sterling Marlin Chevrolet 490 33. Brian Vickers Chevrolet 487 34. Kyle Petty Dodge 481 35. David Stremme Dodge 468 36. Reed Sorenson Dodge 460 37. Kurt Busch Dodge 446 38. Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 415 39. Elliott Sadler Dodge 395 40. David Gilliland Ford 346 41. Carl Long Chevrolet 256 42. Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 209 43. Derrike Cope Dodge 7 Secure position for the Chase: ------------------------------ 1. Jimmie Johnson 3499 2. Matt Kenseth 3492 -7 Current Chase contenders: ------------------------- 3. Kevin Harvick 3178 -321 4. Kyle Busch 3097 -402 5. Jeff Gordon 3091 -408 6. Denny Hamlin* 3070 -429 7. Jeff Burton 3064 -435 8. Tony Stewart 3056 -443 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 3051 -448 10. Mark Martin 3049 -450 Still with a chance for the Chase: ---------------------------------- 11. Kasey Kahne 2959 -540 12. Greg Biffle 2798 -701 13. Carl Edwards 2788 -711
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