Matt Kenseth nearly had another Vegas victory for Jack Roush. Credit: Autostock

Final yellow dooms dominant Kenseth

Looking for third Vegas win, '03 champ says motor slowed at end

LAS VEGAS -- Matt Kenseth had that sinking feeling when he heard the dreaded three words:

"Caution is out."

Kenseth survived a green-white-checkered two weeks ago to win in Fontana, but he knew he couldn't do it two times in a row. His car was simply ailing too much at the end at Las Vegas, where he led a whopping 146 of 267 laps.

Credit: Autostock

Results UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Pos. Driver Make 1. Jimmie Johnson Chevy 2. Matt Kenseth Ford 3. Kyle Busch Chevy 4. Kasey Kahne Dodge 5. Jeff Gordon Chevrolet • Complete results, click here • Driver standings, click here Victory LaneJimmie Johnson celebrates his Las Vegas victory Final lapsJohnson passes Kenseth in the last turn to take the win Runner-upKenseth disappointed with his second-place finish Rough racingThings get heated between Stewart and Kyle Busch Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Jimmie Johnson screamed by Kenseth in Turn 4, leaving Kenseth to wonder what happened in the final 15 laps of the race.

How had his dominating car slipped so much in the end?

"It just felt like the motor was laying down a little bit or something," Kenseth said. "I felt like it was handling the same. I just couldn't win it. We got real slow the 15 laps."

Kenseth was headed for the win when the caution came out for debris with three laps to go. Initially, Kenseth called it a "ridiculous" caution, but he later said that he clearly saw debris on the track when the field passed by it under caution.

"I know there was a piece of junk, but I just knew there was going to be a green-white-checkered and I knew we were in trouble if there was one," Kenseth said.

Kenseth still had a shot to beat Johnson if he blocked him on the final lap, but Johnson got a tremendous run on him heading down the backstretch.

Johnson's Chevrolet was already under Kenseth heading into Turn 3, and Kenseth admitted that he didn't give himself much of a chance to get off the final corner at maximum speed.

"I went to the bottom and I went to the gas as early as it could, but it wasn't early enough," Kenseth said. "I didn't get a good entry into [Turn] 3. He was already spinning the tires. I couldn't do anymore."

The runner-up finish was the third consecutive time Kenseth has showed up at a Nextel Cup race with a well-handling car. As a result, he is just 52 points out of the series lead.

At this point in 2005, Kenseth was 28th in points.

"The first three weeks, we have had cars capable of winning," Kenseth said.