Matt Kenseth Wins The Kobalt Tools 400 In Las Vegas
Matt Kenseth wins the Kobalt Tools 400 in Las Vegas after holding off Kasey Kahne with a little over 20 laps left in the race. Kenseth is now the third Sprint Cup driver to win on his birthday; He turned 41-years-old Sunday.
Kasey Kahne had the best car all day, but a mix-up on his last pit stop cost him a couple positions that he never fully recovered from. Matt Kenseth took advantage, playing the guessing game on fuel. Kenseth elected to stay out instead of pit to take the lead and he never gave it up.
Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson also had fast cars in Las Vegas, finishing fourth and sixth respectively. Last season’s champion Brad Keselowski started from the pole and had his best run of the season, finishing in third place.
This was Matt Kenseth’s first win as a member of Joe Gibbs racing as he jumps 11 spots in the standings to seventh. Jimmie Johnson continues to hold the lead after another top-10 finish.
Kasey Kahne led 112 laps on the day, better than anyone else on the track, and even Kenseth made note of it in Victory Lane.
“I was real nervous all day, he had the best car,” Kenseth said about Kasey Kahne.
Matt Kenseth finished seventh last week after a rough start to the season at Daytona. Kenseth started 12th at Daytona before falling to the back of the pack and finishing 37th.
Carl Edwards finished fifth after winning last week in Phoenix and is now 11th in the standings. Edwards jumped 19 spots in the standings last week and picked up six more spots Sunday.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was near the front all day long, and finished seventh. Even with the top-10 finish, Earnhardt Jr. lost the second spot in the standings to Brad Keselowski.
Multiple drivers were penalized for pit road incidents during the race, including Denny Hamlin and Danica Patrick. Hamlin was penalized for entering the pits too fast and Patrick for a tire violation.
Danica Patrick finished 33rd while Denny Hamlin managed to work his way back for a modest 15th place finish. The Sprint Cup Series moves forward to Bristol Motor Speedway next week for the Food City 500.
Kyle Busch was hoping to win in his home town Sunday, but will have a great chance to take the checkered flag next week at Bristol. Busch has won at Bristol five times during his Sprint Cup career.
Matt Kenseth stole the show from Kasey Kahne and used the don’t pit strategy to perfection. Kahne was getting a great run off the corners of one and two, and nobody thought Kenseth’s tires would hold off Kahne late.
Kenseth stuck to the high side and beat out Kahne by a few car lengths. Matt Kenseth wins the Kobalt Tools 400 by gambling with his pit strategy, the only way to do it in Las Vegas.
