Matt Kenseth's team has to replace the front end of his No. 17 Ford. Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Pit accident ruins fine run for Kenseth

DOVER, Del. -- Opportunity knocked at Matt Kenseth's door Sunday afternoon, but bad luck called before he could get the door.

Kenseth's Ford was dialed in during the early stages of the MBNA America 400 at Dover International Speedway, leading 58 of the first 92 laps before the right front tire began to concern him.

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Afraid to be overaggressive in a championship chase where DNFs can prove eliminatory, he debated pit strategy with crew chief Robbie Reiser. Pit? Stay out?

Running second to Ryan Newman, Kenseth and Reiser chose the conservative route. He pitted on lap 120. But as Kenseth slowed to enter the tight pit lane, he lost control of the DeWalt Ford and plowed nose-first into a safety barrier at the entrance to pit road.

Goodbye opportunity.

"I got it slowed down okay, I thought, and when I got on the apron it looked clean but it was real slick from (Kasey Kahne) blowing up earlier and I just lost control of it," Kenseth said. "It was a dumb mistake."

Matt Kenseth

No doubt it was costly.

Kenseth, who qualified eighth, first took the lead on lap 33, and aside from a cycle of pit stops that enabled Newman and Ken Schrader to lead a lap apiece, he remained at the head of the field until lap 92. Twenty-eight laps later that was but a distant memory.

"My right-front tire didn't have any grip and I should have thought about that because I think I hurt a tire and it wouldn't turn on the track," Kenseth said. "Then I got loose and it wouldn't turn at all, and I just couldn't get it stopped."

The impact with the barrier resulted in a 12-minute red flag stoppage of the race. Per NASCAR rules, the DeWalt team could do no work on the car until the red flag was lifted. Once it was, they quickly sawed off the front end and replaced it with another nose as Kenseth looked on.

All said, the No. 17 crew needed just 51 laps to completely rebuild the front end.

MBNA 400 Videos Victory Lane Ryan Newman celebrates after leading 325 laps and winning at Dover Red Flag Matt Kenseth loses control entering pit road and jumps the retaining wall Double Whammy Brian Vickers tears up the front and back end of his car on Lap 48 Early Exit Kasey Kahne has engine troubles just 13 laps into the race Hard Hit J. Burton blows a tire, slams into the wall and his car starts on fire

Kenseth took a considerable hit in the championship point standings. He entered Sunday's event ranked fourth in the standings and just 10 points behind then co-leaders Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Kurt Busch.

But after Sunday's 32nd place finish, he steers on to Talladega ranked seventh overall, 99 points behind leader Jeff Gordon. Mark Martin, Kenseth's mentor at Roush Racing, can sympathize with his protégé.

"I've been coming here for 20 years - 22 years - and it's the same as it has always been, except now we have to be down to 35 miles and hour at those cones," Martin said after finishing second. "That's what the extra difficulty is.

"When you didn't have to be slowed to the first pit stall or whatever, you had a (decelerate) area there, but now you just really have to discipline yourself. I don't want to make any mistakes, so on my green-flag stop, I'm sure I got beat coming in there, but I was in 'Granny-Low' (gear) by the time I got down on that flat.

"I had already seen people have problems and I certainly didn't want to wind up like those guys, so you have to be thinking all the time. Everybody in the top 10 has to be on their toes. You may have some bad luck in those last 10 races, but you definitely can't bring something on yourself."

Kenseth's car is hauled back to the garage. Credit: CIA Stock Photo

Gordon, who took the series points lead after finishing third, concurs.

"It's a very, very difficult entrance," Gordon said. "No matter where those cones are, it's a touch entrance, and it certainly would be nice to make some improvements there. But it's the same as it's always been.

"Now the cones are moved back, and I think they're moved back for a reason. If they were further up there, guys would still be trying to challenge it. It gives them a little more flat area to be able to slow down.

"Knowing that they're back there means you've gotta be more conservative and you can't take chances there. It's not worth it. I know I get beat there on green flag stops, but I'd rather get beat there than lose the race or a shot at the championship."