Matt Kenseth Wins Quaker State 400 After Rain Delay
Matt Kenseth won the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway after a rain delay forced the race to run on Sunday instead of Saturday night.
With a series-best fourth race win on Sunday, Kenseth is poised to make a run at this year’s NASCAR Sprint Cup title. The Joe Gibbs racer stayed out ahead of the field after stopping for just fuel during the final pit stop.
While Jimmie Johnson appeared as the star of the day again, it wasn’t meant to be. The No. 48 driver spun out on the final restart, giving Kenseth a shot at the lead.
After Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, and Kyle Busch crossed the line. Kenseth, whose last championship was 10 years ago, exclaimed over the radio, “I don’t even know what to say guys! This is unbelievable! Thank you so much.”
Along with the rain delay on Saturday, the race was also red flagged on Sunday for 19 minutes when Kurt Busch caused a pileup going into Turn 1. Busch slid up into Brad Keselowski, who wasn’t able to control the car. The No. 2 Ford spun up the track and was hit by several cars.
Going into this weekend’s race, Matt Kenseth already had wins at Las Vegas, Kansas, and Darlington. Speaking from victory lane, the driver stated:
“I didn’t roll the dice [crew chief] Jason [Ratliffe] did. I thought he was crazy when he made that call. Just an unbelievable season and year of my life.”
While Kenseth celebrated a good day, he likely worried about Joe Gibbs teammate Denny Hamlin, who suffered a hard crash on Lap 147 near the exit of Turn 4. Hamlin blew a right front tire and hit the wall hard in an impact reminiscent of his crash in late March that cause a compression fracture in his back.
After leaving the infield care center, Hamlin assured that he wasn’t affected by the accident. He stated, “My back feels good — really good, I’d say. It feels the same as it did this morning. Really, that was the least of the concerns after this hit.”
Were you glad to see Matt Kenseth win Sunday’s Quaker State 400 in Kentucky?
[Image via Beelde Photography / Shutterstock.com]
