Motorsports

Kenseth: Old team, just new approach

Matt Kenseth considered himself out of the running for the Chase months ago, but has since managed a win, five top fives and eight top 10s to change that.

By BRANT JAMES
Published September 6, 2005

Matt Kenseth has expended too much energy racing his way back into the Chase for the Championship to embrace the label of favorite, even if mentor and teammate Mark Martin is the one trying to thrust it upon him.

"I don't know about that," Kenseth said of Martin's comments after finishing seventh Sunday at California Speedway and jumping two spots to ninth in driver points. "The team is the same. They did a good job at the beginning of the year and they're doing a good job now. We had a lot of things happen to us at the beginning of the year - a lot of flat tires, some broken parts and I wrecked some stuff."

The top 10 drivers and any within 400 points of the leader after Saturday's race in Richmond qualify for the 10-race Chase. Because the 10th-place driver - Jamie McMurray - is 641 behind leader Tony Stewart , there will be no bonus spots for the second year of the Chase format.

With nearly everyone focused on the battle for the final spots in the Chase, 20-year-old Kyle Busch stole the show at Fontana with his first career victory, becoming the youngest winner in NASCAR's top stock car series. The previous youngest winner was Donald Thomas , who was four days older than Busch when he won in Atlanta in November 1952.

Driving a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, Busch led 95 laps on the way to the victory in his 31st career start. Busch was leading on Lap 240 when debris brought out the 10th of 11 cautions in the race. With the race scheduled to end on Lap 250, Busch faked as if he was going to pit on Lap 241 and, when all the other leaders followed, he went ahead and pitted.

His crew put on only two tires and Busch beat everyone else back onto the track and held the lead to the end.

Kenseth, coming off his first victory of the season last week in Bristol, had another strong race to shake things up in the Chase. Kenseth considered himself out of the running 10 races ago, a frustrating notion considering his team is basically intact from its 2003 Nextel Cup championship season and his Roush Racing teammates - Greg Biffle (third), Martin (fifth), Kurt Busch (sixth) and Carl Edwards (eighth) have been in the top 10 in the standings virtually all season. Kenseth was 24th in points, 320 out of 10th place after finishing 32nd at Pocono on June 12.

"We had a lot of things happen and we didn't perform well, which wasn't really necessarily a team thing," Kenseth said. "We just weren't building our cars right. They were doing what they were supposed to do, but we just weren't telling them to do the right stuff."

He has a win, five top fives and eight top 10s in 11 races since.

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THE LOWDOWN: According to NASCAR's statistical department:

Stewart, Jimmie Johnson , Biffle, Rusty Wallace and Martin have clinched spots in the Chase. Stewart has clinched the top spot and will be assigned 5,050 points after Richmond. The next nine drivers will be awarded point values in descending five-point increments.

Busch (sixth) needs only to start to qualify for the Chase.

Jeremy Mayfield (currently seventh) will clinch a spot by finishing 39th or better at Richmond.

Edwards (eighth) clinches with a finish of 19th place.

Because the maximum one-race point gain possible over another starting driver is 156, Ryan Newman (one point from 10th), Jeff Gordon (30), Elliott Sadler (52), Dale Jarrett (117), Kevin Harvick (131) and Lakeland native Joe Nemechek (135) are mathematically viable.

CARS FOR STARS: According to thatsracin.com, comedians/film makers Marlon , Keenen , Damon and Shawn Wayans are investing in Star Motorsports, owned by sports agent Sean Holley . The group hopes to field a Nextel Cup program next season. The series would have two full-time African-American ownership groups if the Wayans and former NFL player Tim Brown are successful in reaching their deadlines.

BOOSTER SEAT: A little levity is good for the spirit in a long season about to reach its most pressurized point. According to thatsracin.com, NASCAR inspectors had a little fun at Bobby Hamilton 's expense at California this weekend, laying an Ontario, Calif., phone book where confiscated parts are kept at the Nextel Cup hauler. The item was labeled: "Unapproved, improperly mounted seat heightening device (booster seat)."

Hamilton, driver of the No.32 Chevrolet, is 5 feet 5 inches.

--The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Last modified September 6, 2005, 03:15:21]