 | | Matt Kenseth was able to stay ahead of Kurt Busch for most of the day Sunday. Credit: Autostock |
By Ryan Smithson, NASCAR.COM
March 27, 2006
02:36 PM EST (19:36 GMT)
Pit Move of the Race Matt Kenseth admitted on Sunday that his pit crew was the sole reason he was able to fight it out for the lead in the final laps of the Food City 500 at Bristol. Because qualifying had been rained out, Kenseth was able to secure of the best stalls on Bristol's 500-foot-long frontstretch, and he easily moved off and pit road all day. During several stops, Kenseth was already finished with his stop while before some of the leaders had even reached their pit. The critical stop came in Lap 409, when Kenseth beat Kevin Harvick out of the pits. He held that lead until Kurt Busch passed him with four to go. "My pit crew just did a great job," said Kenseth. "We kind of had, I thought anywhere from a third to a seventh-place car most of the day and they got me out in front and gave me the opportunity at the end." Harvick loses spots in the end Harvick's pit crew certainly didn't cost him the race, but since he started 14th, he didn't have the best of stalls. Because of that, Harvick lost spots off pit road all day to Kenseth, Busch and Tony Stewart. During the critical stop on Lap 409, Harvick entered with the lead and promptly lost it despite a 14-second pit stop. Busch beat him out of the pits, and it is not a stretch to say that Harvick would have won easily had he been able to secure a better pit stall. Jarrett critical of time on pit road It is difficult to ascertain whether Dale Jarrett was frustrated with his pit stall or with the pit crew itself. Since he started 15th, it was mostly likely the latter. "We had a bad day in the pits," said Jarrett, who finished 20th. "You lose seven spots on one pit stop and lose another one on another stop, so I was just trying to make what I could as fast as I could get there." Quotable "I'm just so thankful for the great team that I have and the opportunities I have and the pit stops we have. I feel bad. I feel like I keep letting my guys down. They keep getting me the lead at the end and I lose it like I did at Vegas." -- Matt Kenseth, who lost in the final laps for the second time in three weeks | 
