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Next few races will be test for Kenseth
By Mark Decotis
FLORIDA TODAY
Matt Kenseth added 140 points to his lead in the Winston Cup standings Sunday, and based on his performance at the next five tracks on the schedule, he'll need all of those and more.
Next up are Dover, Pocono, Michigan, Sears Point and Daytona. Over the same stretch of spring races following the Coca-Cola 600 last summer, Kenseth finished 40th, 35th, first, 39th and 30th.
He entered Dover second in points and left Daytona in eighth. He finished the season eighth despite a series-high five victories.
"I'm happy we gained all the points back we lost over the last four weeks," Kenseth said after the end of the rain-shortened 600. "I'm happy about that, obviously. I feel real good about where we're at."
He should. His closest pursuer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., fell from 20 points back to 160 behind after finishing 41st. Although Earnhardt's evening started well, he faded after encountering yet another problem on pit road -- a trend becoming disturbingly familiar -- and eventually wrecked.
"We were almost ready to go back out (after repairs) when they called the race," Earnhardt said. "It's a shame that our streak of finishing every race for a full year had to end because of rain . . . I told the guys that we can't expect to be a championship contender if we keep making mistakes on pit stops."
Earnhardt's debacle also ended a streak of five straight races of finishing in the top six. He needs to regain that momentum since his record over the next five races isn't much better than Kenseth's. Earnhardt was 30th at Dover last spring, 12th at Pocono, 22nd at Michigan, 30th at Sears Point and sixth at Daytona.
In his defense, Earnhardt was racing while impaired, suffering the after-effects of a concussion incurred at California. In his favor, Earnhardt is healthy this season and has finished in the top six in all but four races. If his pit crew gets its act together, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him atop the points leaving Daytona and heading into the second half of the schedule.
For NASCAR and NBC, which picks up the TV baton from Fox after Sears Point, Earnhardt leading the points is a dream scenario that can only fuel more interest.
Next few races will be test for Kenseth
By Mark Decotis
FLORIDA TODAY
Matt Kenseth added 140 points to his lead in the Winston Cup standings Sunday, and based on his performance at the next five tracks on the schedule, he'll need all of those and more.
Next up are Dover, Pocono, Michigan, Sears Point and Daytona. Over the same stretch of spring races following the Coca-Cola 600 last summer, Kenseth finished 40th, 35th, first, 39th and 30th.
He entered Dover second in points and left Daytona in eighth. He finished the season eighth despite a series-high five victories.
"I'm happy we gained all the points back we lost over the last four weeks," Kenseth said after the end of the rain-shortened 600. "I'm happy about that, obviously. I feel real good about where we're at."
He should. His closest pursuer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., fell from 20 points back to 160 behind after finishing 41st. Although Earnhardt's evening started well, he faded after encountering yet another problem on pit road -- a trend becoming disturbingly familiar -- and eventually wrecked.
"We were almost ready to go back out (after repairs) when they called the race," Earnhardt said. "It's a shame that our streak of finishing every race for a full year had to end because of rain . . . I told the guys that we can't expect to be a championship contender if we keep making mistakes on pit stops."
Earnhardt's debacle also ended a streak of five straight races of finishing in the top six. He needs to regain that momentum since his record over the next five races isn't much better than Kenseth's. Earnhardt was 30th at Dover last spring, 12th at Pocono, 22nd at Michigan, 30th at Sears Point and sixth at Daytona.
In his defense, Earnhardt was racing while impaired, suffering the after-effects of a concussion incurred at California. In his favor, Earnhardt is healthy this season and has finished in the top six in all but four races. If his pit crew gets its act together, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him atop the points leaving Daytona and heading into the second half of the schedule.
For NASCAR and NBC, which picks up the TV baton from Fox after Sears Point, Earnhardt leading the points is a dream scenario that can only fuel more interest.
