Ecstatic Kenseth also finds relief in first win with Gibbs
It took Matt Kenseth just three races to find Victory Lane with his new Joe Gibbs Racing team, but the way he reacted on Sunday one might have thought it was the first time he had won a race in his career.
Kenseth lit up on the radio after taking the checkered flag for the third time in the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas and the 25th time in his career. The win coming by holding off the dominant Kasey Kahne, who had led 114 of the races 267 laps. For Kenseth, it was a matter of putting all the pieces in his new puzzle together as quickly as they could.
“I’m pretty proud to be driving this car. I felt a lot of pressure that I put on myself to come in here and perform,” revealed Kenseth afterwards. “I felt like coming over here and getting to know [crew chief] Jason [Ratcliff], and really everybody in the shop and the organization, it’s just a great feeling about the season.
“We’re only three weeks in, but man, all three races we had a car, if everything would have went right, that could have won, and it feels awesome to have this win here.”
The win wasn’t a surprise for Kenseth and Ratcliff, just how fast they accomplished it was. After starting off Daytona Speedweeks with racecars that were fast enough to win every race they were entered, Kenseth noted that he wasn’t even disappointed to leave Daytona with a DNF because of an engine failure. He was perhaps, or so he guesses, the most enthusiastic person in the organization because he knew that great things were ahead.
Phoenix was more of the same. Kenseth had one of the fastest cars in practice and earned a seventh place finish. Except Ratcliff said in Vegas, they could have won that race had it not been for problems on pit road. So, Sunday, they weren’t about to let it happen again as he called for just fuel only on their final spot and left it to Kenseth to hold off Kahne.
“Three weeks in, I knew this day would come, but to do it just in our third race is really special,” said Ratcliff after the win. “The hard work that these guys have put in over the winter, we’ve just got a great group here and we’ve got Matt and we’re going to win a lot of races, I think.
“He’ll probably get mad at me for saying that because he doesn’t like that. But, I knew that we would get to Victory Lane at some point, and to do it this early in the season is great and I’m looking for to rest of the season.”
Kenseth couldn’t be mad at his crew chief because it was a sentiment that he fully endorsed. After he crossed the finish line for his first win since Kansas last fall with Roush Fenway Racing, he exploded over the radio with happiness. There was the chorus of “yeses!” and “woohoo!” before praising the Lord for putting him in that position.
He even sounded choked up at one point, while telling the team that this win was just the beginning. For a driver that seems to have made a career for being the silent but deadly type, it was quite refreshing to see the raw emotion.
In 2005 he was even featured as a robot in a Nextel commercial because of his lack of emotion and pure business style, though Kenseth has shown more of his humorous side the last few seasons, letting his goofy side come out on camera. Or through social networking sites, specifically Twitter where he has grown a following of over 139,000 and never fails to let the comments fly.
But Sunday night, it was a different kind of emotion. It seemed more honest, open and thankful. There was also a lot of relief, that even though he knew he could win and would, that he did so early. That being the only goal, said Kenseth that he would set for himself entering the season.
“I was pretty comfortable where I was at. We [Roush] had cars that could win races. We had an organization that could win races,” he said about his emotional display after the race.
“Pretty comfortable and although I knew, and I still know it’s not really that much of a risk and I’m one hundred percent sure it was the right thing and all that, there’s still some pressure, there’s some unknowns. I hope to have a lot of wins and hopefully championships in front of me still.
“Before this year I can’t remember the last time I’ve ever been nervous at all inside of a racecar and every week it gets a little bit better. But you’re always a little bit nervous and you want to meet their expectations or exceed them, and you want to go do your job the best of your ability.
“I’m pretty fired up to win with these guys. I hope there’s a lot more in front of us, but just really excited to be part of the organization and part of the family. They’ve made me feel so welcome there and part of that group, and just glad that I was able to do my job today and get the win and hopefully we can keep moving forward.”
Rating the race – Las Vegas can be exciting, sometimes just a real relaxing way to spend a Sunday
Why did I watch?
Well, I wanted to see if Denny Hamlin was going to race or not. I do not much care for Hamlin. Something about him has always rubbed me the wrong way. That may be about to change. After Phoenix, Hamlin made what I thought was a rather respectful critique of the Gen 6 car, and for that NASCAR got its granny panties all in a knot and fined him $25,000. Have at ‘er boys, but Lord help you if you hurt NASCAR’s feelings. Hey, if you got a nice sleek muscle car and you pull out to pass a line of traffic, and I can’t, you would be rather put out, too. You probably would not be near as respectful as Hamlin was. Was. Heading into the weekend, he was not going to pay that fine, they could suspend him in they want. This is a sport spawned from moonshine, oil, grease, and gas. Tell me, when did the governing body of ladies soccer take it over?
The Race
Hamlin is appealing the penalty, he got to race, and we know that in time cooler heads will prevail with the boy eventually paying the cash. We were left watching to see if the car might pay off on the first of the numerous mile-and-a-half tracks it was truly designed for.
It was bumpy on the inside and just plain slick everywhere else. We lost of lot of the boys, and the girl, early as ill-handling cars and a lack of cautions buried them deep. Ryan Newman was no where to be seen, until he blew up, to wind up 38th. Danica Patrick (33rd) did nothing all day. Clint Bowyer (27th) was two down and dead last 20 laps in, but at least he got one of those laps back. Jeff Gordon (25th) slid back quickly.
Where was Matt Kenseth? He was around but not the center of attention until late when all he did was win on his 41st birthday, his first win for Joe Gibbs. He did it by coming out of the pits ahead of the day’s most dominant driver, Kasey Kahne, who stayed on his tail waiting for that mistake that Matt refused to offer up. Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards rounded out the Top Five, while Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Kevin Harvick all had Top Tens. Tony Stewart rode around a lap down for most of it, but he managed to get it back with just over seventy laps to go to end up 11th.
Rating the Race — 8/10
I liked it, I quietly sat back and watched it all, but I not once found myself on the edge of my seat. Maybe it was due to a track that offered some idiosyncrasies, with the bumps and the slickness and even a below the line shortcut. Only half the field stayed on the lead lap, though the top two were close right to the end. The announce team enhanced the action and the visuals were appealing, Some races can be downright exciting. This, on the other hand, was just a pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
It was more than who was the leader of the pack. We watched Kyle aggressively move up on the starts, we wondered if Tony’s persistence would get him back on the lead lap, and we watched Joe Nemechek park just behind Michael McDowell early…again. This time, however, he returned to the track, to move from 42nd to 40th as Landon Cassill and Scott Speed tossed in the towel. Joe got to within a lap of moving ahead of Travis Kvapil as Nemechek earned his money on this day. It was relaxing and it was interesting to watch. Would I have had the same experience if ESPN had called this one? Probably not. However, the FOX team had me watching and kept me watching. That was good enough.
Sometimes it is hard to describe why you liked something, other than to realize that for some reason you just did. As for Hamlin, he had his issues but still managed to finish 15th. Now as long as he doesn’t try to answer another damn car question.
Matt Kenseth Kobalt 400 Victory
This is a guest post by Vince Evans. Vince has grown up around cars but is currently in between rigs after his 1980 Firebird flew the coop. When he’s not trying to resurrect American muscle he writes about NASCAR or New York used cars.
Matt Kenseth maneuvered his way into the victory lane in Sunday’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a solid race, brilliant tactical planning, and non-stop defensive driving late in the race.
It was Kahne that was the race favorite with the fastest car on the track, not to mention his home field advantage. Kahne lived up to much his fan’s hopes by leading 113 laps. Matt Kenseth hung back while maintaining a position in the top ten drivers. It wasn’t until the second to last caution flag that Kenseth became a serious contender for the victory lane. As the rest of the racers pit stopped for fresh tires, Kenseth’s team decided to trade the potential of a better performing car for a restart at the front of the pack. On the restart Kenseth pushed his car, completing his fastest lap of the race and assuring that only he and Kahne were the contenders for victory lane.
Kahne, with two fresh tires, quickly returned to second place. With the fastest car in the practice round and fresh tires, Kahne’s car was in better condition than Kenseth’s. Kahne’s victory would have been assured if he passed Kenseth. During the last 25 laps, Kenseth, knowing Kahne would attempt to pass on the inside of the track, he blocked each attempt. He maintained his lead position through a second caution flag and final restart and then once again put a gap between the two lead drivers and the rest of the race.
When that led to lapping Danica Patrick and other drivers, the lapped drivers moved to the bottom of the track, leaving a gap at the far end of the track for Kenseth to drive without his lead position being jeopardized by Kahne passing under the lapped drivers or Kenseth losing enough speed for Kahne to pass. The few seconds that it took to overtake the lapped drivers allowed Kenseth a slight lead and a break from blocking Kahne’s attempts to pass. As the number of laps to the finish dwindled, Kenseth continued to block and Kahne continued to slow after each attempt to pass.
In the end it was Kenseth that finished first, earning himself a third Kobalt 400 victory to go with his wins in 2003 and 2004. Sunday’s win also landed Kenseth in the record books as the third NASCAR driver to win a race on his birthday. At forty-one years old, Kenseth has one win, one top five, and two top ten finishes so far in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup.
At 93 points, Kenseth is 36 points and six ranks behind the current Sprint Cup leader Jimmie Johnson. If Kenseth can continue to perform as he did in Sunday’s race, he will be a serious contender for the 2013 Sprint Cup.
Birthday Boy Kenseth wins at Vegas
Matt Kenseth won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor speedway for his first win of the season and first win with his new team at Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR).
This was Kenseth’s 25th victory career Sprint Cup victory and it was on his 41st birthday. He joins Cale Yarborough and Kyle Busch who have also won a race on their birthday.
This was Kenseth’s third victory and seventh top-10 finish in 14 races at Las Vegas.
“This is awesome,” Kenseth said in victory lane. “I just want to start by thanking the Lord for giving us this opportunity. I just knew it. I knew with working with Jason Ratcliff that we could do this.”
Kasey Kahne finished second, Brad Keselowski third, Kyle Busch fourth and Carl Edwards rounded out the top five.
“Never ever give up. Never give up. This team doesn’t and we didn’t today. You get a good run like we did and that is a product of that effort. I thought we had some really good speed there at the end. I almost want another yellow to race the 5 and the 20. Matt (Kenseth) did a great job executing the restarts really well. We were so close.” Keselowski said.
Keselowski started on the pole due to the cancellation of qualifying because for rain. Keselowski led the first lap with Bowyer right behind the blue deuce. Bowyer tried to get the lead but he got loose in turn 4 and fell back to fourth place and continued to fall lap after lap. Bowyer dropped 24 spots before coming to pit road because of severe loose conditions.
Kahne, who had the dominate car of the day, took over the race lead on lap 11 from Keselowski in turns 1 and 2.
Biffle also came in on lap 40 because he told his team his car was too loose.
Green flag pit stops occurred on lap 45 with Kahne and Martin Truex Jr. coming in. Kahne came in for some four tires and fuel and some adjustments and was on his way. Keselowski got an air pressure adjustment while Jeff Gordon got a chassis adjustment. Busch came in and got his pit stop but was too fast entering and has to come in for a pass through penalty
The first caution waved on lap 66 for debris on the backstretch. Ryan Newman got the free pas and there will be 19 cars on the lead lap. Everybody came in and got two tires and fuel except for the No.1 of Jamie McMurray who got fuel only and came out 6th.
Green flag waved on lap 70 with Kahne leading them into turn 1. Kahne easily cared the No.2 and Johnson over took the blue deuce and got 2nd. Johnson then took the lead on lap 75 in turn 4.
The second round of green flag stops began with Keselowski coming in saying he thought a tire was flat. Earnhardt Jr, Trevor Bayne and other came in and got there stops completed and were on their way. Hamlin got a speeding penalty for too fast entering. Johnson kept the lead until lap 137 when Kahne took the top spot over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate.
The second caution waved for the second time with 108 laps to go when the No.9 of Marcos Ambrose was trying to get on pit road but spun it out instead. All of the leaders came into pit and 5-time Johnson came out first with four tires as everybody took four good years. Hamlin got the free pass to put 15 cars on the lead lap.
They went back to green with 102 laps to go and Rowdy Busch went three wide to take the lead into turn 1. He passed Kahne and Johnson and took the lead in his hometown track.
Caution is out for a spin by Bobby Labonte on lap 195. The leaders came in and everybody got two tires and fuel. Kahne came in first and went out first.
The green flag was waved with 68 laps to go and Kahne and Busch were battling for the lead in turns 1 and 2 and Busch over took him on the backstretch. Kahne then took the lead back from Busch and pulled away.
Fourth Caution waved with 43 laps to go when the No.93 of Travis Kvapil blew up on the exit of turn 4 and spewed fluid everywhere around the track. the No.10 of Danica Patrick was right behind him and she got tons of oil on her windshield as she came in and got a tear off and four tires with fuel. Leaders also came in for, what could be there final stop, and most of them got 2 tires and fuel. Truex Jr. could not get his car started and stalled it and lost multiple spots. Kahne was trying to get out but got boxed in by Stewart and also lost some spots. Keselowski and Kenseth did not take tires and they will restart in the lead.
They restarted with 35 laps to go and the restart was a train wreck. It looked like Edwards did not go and bottled up Kahne, Paul Menard and others. Kenseth took the lead with Keselowski right behind him. Caution waved just a few laps later when the No.39 of Ryan Newman missed a shift and blew his engine.
They restarted the race with 26 laps to go and Kenseth shot up like a rocket and took the top spot over Keselowski. Kahne passed Johnson and Keselowski for the second position and was in search for the No.20. Kahne gained a tenth every couple laps and with 14 to go, he caught Kenseth. He finally got to the bumper of Kenseth with eight to go but just could not make the pass.
The race had 22 lead changes among eight drivers and five caution flags for 25 laps.
Johnson leads the series point standings by five points over Keselowski.
| Unofficial Race Results | |||||
| Kobalt Tools 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway | |||||
| http://www.speedwaymedia.com/cup/race.php?race=3 | |||||
| ========================================= | |||||
| Pos. | St. | No. | Driver | Make | Points |
| ========================================= | |||||
| 1 | 18 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | 47 |
| 2 | 4 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | 44 |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 42 |
| 4 | 13 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 41 |
| 5 | 16 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 39 |
| 6 | 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 39 |
| 7 | 12 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | 37 |
| 8 | 11 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 36 |
| 9 | 8 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 35 |
| 10 | 17 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | 34 |
| 11 | 9 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | 33 |
| 12 | 21 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 32 |
| 13 | 23 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | 32 |
| 14 | 15 | 55 | Mark Martin | Toyota | 30 |
| 15 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 30 |
| 16 | 22 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 28 |
| 17 | 5 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 27 |
| 18 | 7 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # | Ford | 27 |
| 19 | 25 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chevrolet | 25 |
| 20 | 24 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | 24 |
| 21 | 27 | 51 | Austin Dillon(i) | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 22 | 19 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | 22 |
| 23 | 36 | 21 | Trevor Bayne(i) | Ford | 0 |
| 24 | 33 | 7 | Dave Blaney | Chevrolet | 20 |
| 25 | 10 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 19 |
| 26 | 20 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | 18 |
| 27 | 2 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 17 |
| 28 | 31 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | 16 |
| 29 | 30 | 13 | Casey Mears | Ford | 15 |
| 30 | 26 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | Toyota | 14 |
| 31 | 29 | 34 | David Ragan | Ford | 13 |
| 32 | 38 | 30 | David Stremme | Toyota | 12 |
| 33 | 37 | 10 | Danica Patrick # | Chevrolet | 11 |
| 34 | 32 | 83 | David Reutimann | Toyota | 10 |
| 35 | 43 | 35 | Josh Wise(i) | Ford | 0 |
| 36 | 35 | 36 | JJ Yeley | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 37 | 34 | 32 | Ken Schrader | Ford | 7 |
| 38 | 14 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 39 | 28 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | Toyota | 5 |
| 40 | 42 | 87 | Joe Nemechek(i) | Toyota | 0 |
| 41 | 40 | 95 | Scott Speed | Ford | 3 |
| 42 | 41 | 33 | Landon Cassill | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 43 | 39 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 1 |
Lap by Lap: Kobalt Tools 400 won by Matt Kenseth
Matt Kenseth would give himself a 41st birthday present by winning the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It marks his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing and his 25th career victory.
Lap 1 Brad Keselowski leads
Lap 4 Clint Bowyer goes for the lead, but gets major loose
Lap 12 Kasey Kahne grabs the lead
Lap 18 Clint Bowyer makes an unscheduled pit stop
Lap 26 Kahne leads Keselowski Ky Busch Johnson Harvick Truex Stenhouse Earnhardt Hamlin Kenseth
Lap 36 Kahne Keselowski Ky Busch Johnson Harvick Truex Earnhardt Kenesth Edwards Stenhouse
Lap 38 Greg Biffle comes down pit road.
Lap 44 Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Danica Patrick and Martin Truex Jr. come down pit road with others. Kyle Busch to the lead
Lap 45 Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, Trevor Bayne, Aric Almirola, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Paul Menard, Tony Stewart to the pits.
Lap 46 Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson pit. Jamie McMurray to the lead.
Lap 47 Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick pit. Jamie McMurray to the lead while Kyle Busch receives a penalty for being too fast entering section one of pit road.
Lap 48 Jamie McMurray pits. J.J. Yeley and Joey Logano gets a penalty for too fast exiting pit road. Kasey Kahne goes back to the lead.
Lap 51 Kahne Keselowski Harvick Johnson
Lap 59 Kahne leads Keselowski Harvick Johnson Earnhardt Truex Kenseth Edwards Hamlin Stenhouse
Lap 66 Stenhouse passes Hamlin. Caution for debris. Ryan Newman gets the lucky dog. Pit stops. Some take two, some take four, McMurray fuel only. Kahne leads Keselowski Harvick Johnson Earnhardt McMurray Edwards Truex Kenseth and Hamlin off pit road. Greg Biffle gets penalized for an uncontrolled tire. Some people take the wave around to get back on the lead lap/only one lap down
Restart lap 70 Kahne leads ahead of Johnson and Keselowski
Lap 71 Kahne leads Johnson and Keselowski
Lap 74 Kahne lead Johnson Keselowski Harvick Truex Earnhardt Hamlin Edwards Kenseth Martin
Lap 75 Kahne and Johnson side-by-side for the lead. Johnson takes the lead off of turn four.
Lap 77 Johnson leads Kahne Keselowski Harvick Truex Earnhardt Hamlin Edwards Kenseth and Martin. Cassill to the garage with engine trouble.
Lap 80 Johnson leads Kahne Keselowski Harvick Truex Eanhardt Hamlin Edwards Kenseth Ky Busch
Lap 88 Ky Busch passes Kenseth for ninth
lap 105 Hamlin passes Earnhardt for sixth
lap 107 Edwards passes Earnhardt for seventh
lap 109 Johnson leads Kahne Keselowski Harvick Truex Hamlin Edwards Earnhardt Ky Busch Kenseth
lap 112 Keselowski pits with a flat tire. Earnhardt Jr. has also pitted, among others
lap 116 Harvick, Montoya, Kahne, Hamlin, Dillon, Ku Busch, Martin, Truex and Menard pit.
Lap 117 Almirola and Bayne pit
Lap 118 Kenseth, Gordon, Johnson, Ky Busch and Stewart pit. Hamlin was too fast entering section one of pit road.
Lap 119 Stenhouse Jr. and Patrick pit. Johnson back to the lead. Danica Patrick gets a penalty for a tire being outside her pit.
Lap 126 Johnson leads Kahne Keselowski Truex Earnhardt Harvick Kenseth Ky Busch Edwards Martin
Lap 138 Johnson leads Kahne Keselowski Truex Earnhardt Ky Busch……Kahne drives around Johnson for the lead
Lap 139 Kahne leads Johnson Keselowski Truex Earnhardt Ky Busch
Lap 140 Ky Busch passes Earnhardt for fifth
Lap 145 Kahne leads Johnson Keselowski Ky Busch Truex Kenseth Earnhardt Edwards Martin Harvick
Lap 148 Joey Logano makes a green flag pit stop.
Lap 152 Kenseth passes Truex for fifth
Lap 159 Kahne leads Johnson Keselowski Ky Busch Kenseth Earnhardt Truex Edwards Martin Stenhouse
Caution lap 160 Ambrose gets sideways trying to come on pit road. Denny Hamlin gets the lucky dog. Leaders make their way down pit road. Johnson leads Kahne Ky Busch Kenseth Earnhardt Edwards Truex Martin Menard and McMurray off pit road. Keselowski came in third, had left side troubles.
Restart 102 to go Kahne doesn’t get up to speed, Ky Busch makes it three-wide with Johnson and Kahne. Ky Busch to the lead ahead of Johnson and Kahne
99 to go Ky Busch leads Johnson Kahne Earnhardt Kenseth Edwards Truex Martin Menard Almirola
98 to go Stenhouse gets into the wall
96 to go Keselowski and Harvick pass Almirola
95 to go Harvick passes Keselowski for 10th
92 to go Ky Busch leads Kahne Johnson Earnhardt Kenseth Edwards Truex Martin Menard Harvick
Lap 181 Kasey Kahne passes Ky Busch to take back the lead
81 to go Kahne leads Ky Busch Johnson Kenseth Edwards Earnhardt Truex Harvick Martin Keselowski
79 to go Keselowski passes Martin for ninth
73 to go Caution big spin by Bobby Labonte. Tony Stewart got a lucky dog. Most took two tires. Kahne leads Ky Busch Johnson Kenseth Edwards Earnhardt Harvick McMurray Truex Keselowski. Hamlin stayed out, takes over the lead. Keselowski is the first in line with four tires.
Restart 68 to go Kahne grabs the lead off of two ahead of Ky Busch and Hamlin.
67 to go Ky Busch grabs the lead at the line ahead of Kahne and Kenseth
62 to go Ky Busch leads Kahne Johnson Kenseth Hamlin Earnhardt Edwards Harvick Truex McMurray
56 to go Kahne grabs the lead back from Ky Busch
54 to go Kahne leads Ky Busch Johnson Kenseth Hamlin Earnhardt Harvick Edwards Truex Keselowski
49 to go Hamlin pits for two tires
42 to go Caution Travis Kvapil blows up majorly. Joey Logano gets the lucky dog. Leaders pit. Kenseth leads Keselowski Johnson Edwards Earnhardt Kahne Ky Busch Menard Truex and Almirola. Some took two, some took four, some took no tires.
Restart 37 to go leaders don’t get going….Kenseth has the lead down the backstretch ahead of Keselowski and Johnson.
33 to go Kenseth leads Keselowski Johnson Earnhardt Kahne Ky Busch Edwards Truex Martin and Menard……Kahne passes Earnhardt.
Caution 32 to go Ryan Newman goes up in smoke. Leaders stay out, Hamlin pits.
30 laps to go Kenseth Keselowski Johnson Kahne Dale Jr KyBusch Edwards Truex Martin Menard Almirola Stewart Harvick McMurray Stenhouse
Restart 26 to go Keselowski and Kenseth side-by-side into turn one…..Kenseth to the lead off of turn two…….Kahne passes Keselowski for second into turn three
25 to go Kenseth leads Kahne ahead of Ky Busch and Keselowski.
24 to go Kenseth leads Kahne Ky Busch Keselowski Johnson Truex Earnhardt Edwards Menard Stewart
16 to go Edwards passes Earnhardt for seventh; Harvick passes Stewart for 10th
8 to go Keselowski passes Ky Busch for third
6 to go Harvick passes Menard for ninth
4 to go Kenseth still leads, Kahne in toe
Happy Birthday Kenseth!! Kahne. Keselowski. Ky Busch. Edwards. Johnson. Earnhardt. Truex. Harvick.
| Unofficial Race Results | |||||
| Kobalt Tools 400, Las Vegas Motor Speedway | |||||
| http://www.speedwaymedia.com/cup/race.php?race=3 | |||||
| ========================================= | |||||
| Pos. | St. | No. | Driver | Make | Points |
| ========================================= | |||||
| 1 | 18 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | 47 |
| 2 | 4 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | 44 |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 42 |
| 4 | 13 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 41 |
| 5 | 16 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 39 |
| 6 | 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 39 |
| 7 | 12 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | 37 |
| 8 | 11 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 36 |
| 9 | 8 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 35 |
| 10 | 17 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | 34 |
| 11 | 9 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | 33 |
| 12 | 21 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 32 |
| 13 | 23 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | 32 |
| 14 | 15 | 55 | Mark Martin | Toyota | 30 |
| 15 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 30 |
| 16 | 22 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 28 |
| 17 | 5 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 27 |
| 18 | 7 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # | Ford | 27 |
| 19 | 25 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chevrolet | 25 |
| 20 | 24 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | 24 |
| 21 | 27 | 51 | Austin Dillon(i) | Chevrolet | 0 |
| 22 | 19 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | 22 |
| 23 | 36 | 21 | Trevor Bayne(i) | Ford | 0 |
| 24 | 33 | 7 | Dave Blaney | Chevrolet | 20 |
| 25 | 10 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 19 |
| 26 | 20 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | 18 |
| 27 | 2 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 17 |
| 28 | 31 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | 16 |
| 29 | 30 | 13 | Casey Mears | Ford | 15 |
| 30 | 26 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | Toyota | 14 |
| 31 | 29 | 34 | David Ragan | Ford | 13 |
| 32 | 38 | 30 | David Stremme | Toyota | 12 |
| 33 | 37 | 10 | Danica Patrick # | Chevrolet | 11 |
| 34 | 32 | 83 | David Reutimann | Toyota | 10 |
| 35 | 43 | 35 | Josh Wise(i) | Ford | 0 |
| 36 | 35 | 36 | JJ Yeley | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 37 | 34 | 32 | Ken Schrader | Ford | 7 |
| 38 | 14 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 39 | 28 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | Toyota | 5 |
| 40 | 42 | 87 | Joe Nemechek(i) | Toyota | 0 |
| 41 | 40 | 95 | Scott Speed | Ford | 3 |
| 42 | 41 | 33 | Landon Cassill | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 43 | 39 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 1 |
