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Sprint Cup
CUP: Kenseth Survives Kansas
Matt Kenseth outran the caution flag to win at Kansas…
Yellow fever swept over Kansas Speedway like the plague Sunday, and the color threatened to pollute the Sprint Cup championship race as Matt Kenseth survived a tough afternoon to take the checkered flag.
The demons in the newly repaved track rose up and gnawed on a long list of drivers, including championship contender Jimmie Johnson, who led 44 laps and appeared to be in position to win before losing control and slamming into the turn four wall near the race’s halfway point.
Point leader Brad Keselowski barely slipped through a crash scene late in the race as Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman tangled.
That was only one of a record 14 caution periods during a long, tough afternoon as cars skated when they drifted out of the main groove or when their right front tires failed. There were numerous hard-impact meetings with the outside wall, and almost half of the field was involved in one or more incidents by day’s end.
Keselowski finished eighth, one spot in front of Johnson, whose crew did remarkable work in repairing his car and giving him the opportunity to dodge a big bullet in the championship race.
Entering next week’s race at Martinsville, with four stops (Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead) left in the Chase, Keselowski leads Johnson by seven points and third-place Denny Hamlin by 20. Hamlin finished 13th Sunday, losing five points to the lead.
Johnson’s team needed a series of pit stops to repair the damaged rear of the car as the 48 crew kept Johnson on the lead lap. He was running 20th at the time of the wreck after making a green-flag pit stop.
When the green flag flew to end the caution period, Johnson was 29th, the final car on the lead lap. The damage to his car didn’t seem to be a significant negative as he moved through the field into the top 10.
Kenseth took the lead for good with 49 laps to go. He led a total of 78 laps.
The race began with a spirited run by Aric Almirola, who is among the drivers still looking to nail down a ride for 2013.
Almirola led 62 of the first 69 laps – his best career run up front – and built several-second advantages. He led a total of 69 laps before a tire issue shot his Ford into the wall on lap 123, damaging the right side. He held the lead at the time during a green-flag pit cycle and later left the race after hitting the fourth-turn wall.
Two key drivers were involved in incidents in the race’s first 70 laps.
Kyle Busch lost control of his car in turn four and slid onto the grassy area adjacent to the track on lap 41. AJ Allmendinger blew a tire and sailed into the wall between turns three and four on lap 72.
The fourth caution appeared on lap 84 when contact between Jeff Burton and Tony Stewart sent Burton up into the wall, damaging his car.
Two Chasers – Stewart and Greg Biffle – were nailed for violations on pit road, Stewart for carrying equipment from his pit and Biffle for speeding as he returned to the track.
Kasey Kahne finished fourth but gained only five points on Keselowski and is 30 behind going into Martinsville. Clint Bowyer finished sixth, gaining three on the point leader. He trails by 25.
Danica Patrick crashed on lap 156 after some on-track shenanigans with Landon Cassill. Their two cars touched side-to-side, irritating Patrick, who then bumped Cassill in the rear, sending him into a slide and wrecking both cars.
Later, Patrick defended her move by saying she had had numerous problems with Cassill. Cassill suggested over his team radio that Patrick learn how to wreck drivers without also wrecking herself.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
The demons in the newly repaved track rose up and gnawed on a long list of drivers, including championship contender Jimmie Johnson, who led 44 laps and appeared to be in position to win before losing control and slamming into the turn four wall near the race’s halfway point.
Point leader Brad Keselowski barely slipped through a crash scene late in the race as Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman tangled.
That was only one of a record 14 caution periods during a long, tough afternoon as cars skated when they drifted out of the main groove or when their right front tires failed. There were numerous hard-impact meetings with the outside wall, and almost half of the field was involved in one or more incidents by day’s end.
Keselowski finished eighth, one spot in front of Johnson, whose crew did remarkable work in repairing his car and giving him the opportunity to dodge a big bullet in the championship race.
Entering next week’s race at Martinsville, with four stops (Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead) left in the Chase, Keselowski leads Johnson by seven points and third-place Denny Hamlin by 20. Hamlin finished 13th Sunday, losing five points to the lead.
Johnson’s team needed a series of pit stops to repair the damaged rear of the car as the 48 crew kept Johnson on the lead lap. He was running 20th at the time of the wreck after making a green-flag pit stop.
When the green flag flew to end the caution period, Johnson was 29th, the final car on the lead lap. The damage to his car didn’t seem to be a significant negative as he moved through the field into the top 10.
Kenseth took the lead for good with 49 laps to go. He led a total of 78 laps.
The race began with a spirited run by Aric Almirola, who is among the drivers still looking to nail down a ride for 2013.
Almirola led 62 of the first 69 laps – his best career run up front – and built several-second advantages. He led a total of 69 laps before a tire issue shot his Ford into the wall on lap 123, damaging the right side. He held the lead at the time during a green-flag pit cycle and later left the race after hitting the fourth-turn wall.
Two key drivers were involved in incidents in the race’s first 70 laps.
Kyle Busch lost control of his car in turn four and slid onto the grassy area adjacent to the track on lap 41. AJ Allmendinger blew a tire and sailed into the wall between turns three and four on lap 72.
The fourth caution appeared on lap 84 when contact between Jeff Burton and Tony Stewart sent Burton up into the wall, damaging his car.
Two Chasers – Stewart and Greg Biffle – were nailed for violations on pit road, Stewart for carrying equipment from his pit and Biffle for speeding as he returned to the track.
Kasey Kahne finished fourth but gained only five points on Keselowski and is 30 behind going into Martinsville. Clint Bowyer finished sixth, gaining three on the point leader. He trails by 25.
Danica Patrick crashed on lap 156 after some on-track shenanigans with Landon Cassill. Their two cars touched side-to-side, irritating Patrick, who then bumped Cassill in the rear, sending him into a slide and wrecking both cars.
Later, Patrick defended her move by saying she had had numerous problems with Cassill. Cassill suggested over his team radio that Patrick learn how to wreck drivers without also wrecking herself.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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