Roush Fenway scores one-two finish; places three cars in top four at Charlotte
Team notches record 11th Nationwide win at Charlotte
1. Matt Kenseth, No. 16 Fastenal Ford Mustang
2. Carl Edwards, No. 60 Fastenal Ford Mustang
4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 6 Fastenal Ford Mustang
CONCORD, N.C. (May 28, 2011) – Roush Fenway Racing continued its NASCAR domination, with the ‘Fastenal Fast Fleet’ posting a one-two finish and placing three cars inside the top four of Saturday’s Top Gear 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Matt Kenseth – filling in for Trevor Bayne – and Carl Edwards battled for much of the race, with Kenseth making the final pass for the victory with just three laps to go. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. backed up last week’s win at Iowa Speedway, with a pole and a fourth-place finish, and moved to within one point of the Nationwide Series point lead.
“What a great day for Fastenal and Ford Mustang,” said Kenseth in victory lane. “It was intense there. I cleared Carl the one time and he passed me right back. We had new tires and were able to get him there at the end. It was the first time I’ve driven a Mustang out there and just had a blast. I’m glad Trevor is feeling better and will be back next week, but I had a blast driving for him today.
“It really wasn’t easy,” added Kenseth. “But the cars are just really fast. It feels good to beat Carl. He’s really one of the best out there and when you can beat him, you know you had a good game.”
On the day, Roush Fenway captured its 11th Nationwide Series win at Charlotte and its 13th NNS pole at the 1.5-mile track. The win is Roush Fenway’s fifth this season in the Nationwide Series and its eighth NASCAR win this season. It was Kenseth’s 26th career Nationwide Series win and this third at CMS.
Roush Fenway led 116 of 200 laps on the day, with all three of the Fastenal Fleet leading.
NASCAR and Roush Fenway returns to action tomorrow in the Sprint Cup Series for the season’s longest race of the year, the Coca-Cola 600.
Today’s win sets Roush Fenway up with the opportunity to sweep the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series’ three weeks in a row. It also marked the second consecutive week that Roush Fenway has finished one-two in the Nationwide Series.
The Nationwide Series moves to Chicagoland next season.
