Autostock
Matt Kenseth has led 374 laps at Texas Motor Speedway.By the Numbers: Texas
Kenseth looking to shake off second-place blues
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Second place is the first loser. Don't remind Matt Kenseth.
Kenseth is coming off a horrible turn of events last week at Martinsville that saw him get hit by Jeff Burton on pit road, get penalized for pitting outside his box, spin avoiding a crash, get turned by David Gilliland, then intentionally wreck Gilliland and finally get penalized two laps.
He took his beating, and left with a drop to 15th in the Cup standings, 238 points behind first and 63 out of 12th place.
Kenseth, however, traditionally has been strong at the fast, 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway, site of Sunday's Samsung 500 (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX). In 11 starts, he has six top-10s and a victory in 2002.
But since that victory, it's been more beatings. Not of the fender-banging kind, but rather the oh-so-close mold.
3Second-place finishes for Matt Kenseth in the last four Texas races. His average finish in the last five Texas races is 4.2.
Texas Motor Speedway
First- and second-place finishers, last three years
| Year | Race | Winner | Led | Second place | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Fall | Jimmie Johnson | 9 | Matt Kenseth | 44 |
| 2007 | Spring | Jeff Burton | 1 | Matt Kenseth | 16 |
| 2006 | Fall | Tony Stewart | 278 | Jimmie Johnson | 1 |
| 2006 | Spring | Kasey Kahne | 63 | Matt Kenseth | 14 |
| 2005 | Fall | Carl Edwards | 82 | Mark Martin | 42 |
| 2005 | Spring | Greg Biffle | 219 | Jamie McMurray | 0 |
Back in Time
Aug. 21, 2005Last time Matt Kenseth was 15th or worse in the Cup Series standings after six races into the season, his current position in points. Kenseth was 15th in the standings following the season's 23rd race in 2005 and had climbed from as low as 28th in the standings following the season's eighth race. The following week, on Aug. 27, he won at Bristol.
10 Key Facts
1Driver with multiple victories at Texas Motor Speedway: Jeff Burton. He won the inaugural race at the track in 1997 driving a Ford and the spring event in 2007 driving a Chevrolet.
1Lap Jeff Burton led in his spring 2007 victory at Texas Motor Speedway.
4Top-10 finishes for Denny Hamlin in five starts at Texas. Hamlin's average finish there is 11.8 with his best finish of fourth coming in the spring 2007 event.
11Former Texas winners on the entry list this weekend. Only two former winners are not entered: Terry Labonte (1999) and Dale Jarrett (2001).
11Races of the 14 events held at Texas that have been won from a top-10 starting position. The other three were won from positions 31 (2002, Matt Kenseth), 19 (2004, Elliott Sadler) and 30 (fall 2005, Carl Edwards).
12Laps led by Jimmie Johnson in his nine Texas starts, nine of which came in his fall 2007 victory. Johnson, however, has only finished outside the top 10 twice: 11th in the 2006 spring race, and 38th in the 2007 spring race.
25.8Average finish for Ryan Newman in his nine starts at Texas, the worst among the top 12 drivers in the standings. Newman, however, did win the 2003 Texas race.
42Position Jeff Burton finished the last time he started a race as the points leader. It happened in the 2006 Chase race at Martinsville, where Burton's blown engine dropped him from first to fifth and out of contention for the championship with four races to go.
326Laps led by Jeff Gordon at Texas, the most among active drivers who have not won at the track. The two tracks at which Gordon has never won are Texas and Homestead.
2006Last time Dale Earnhardt Jr. ranked in the top five in points before this year. He was third following the 2006 fall race at Texas. Earnhardt currently sits fourth in points, 69 behind leader Jeff Burton. The last time Earnhardt led the standings: Sept. 19, 2004.
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Texas Motor Speedway
Active drivers, based on victories
| Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-5 | Top-10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Burton | 14 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 9 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| Kasey Kahne | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Matt Kenseth | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Carl Edwards | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 11 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Tony Stewart | 12 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Mark Martin | 14 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Greg Biffle | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ryan Newman | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Elliott Sadler | 12 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Active drivers, based on average finish
| Driver | Starts | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Johnson | 9 | 9.6 | 9.2 | 12 |
| M. Truex Jr. | 5 | 19.0 | 9.4 | 18 |
| M. Kenseth | 11 | 19.9 | 10.3 | 374 |
| D. Hamlin | 5 | 8.4 | 11.8 | 86 |
| Ku. Busch | 10 | 14.7 | 12.0 | 93 |
Sprint Cup Series
Official Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | +3 | Jeff Burton | 915 | Leader |
| 2. | +1 | Kevin Harvick | 876 | -39 |
| 3. | -1 | Greg Biffle | 855 | -60 |
| 4. | +1 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 846 | -69 |
| 5. | -4 | Kyle Busch | 831 | -84 |
| 6. | +1 | Tony Stewart | 811 | -104 |
| 7. | -1 | Kasey Kahne | 786 | -129 |
| 8. | +7 | Denny Hamlin | 758 | -157 |
| 9. | +5 | Jeff Gordon | 749 | -166 |
| 10. | +3 | Jimmie Johnson | 746 | -169 |
| 11. | -3 | Ryan Newman | 741 | -174 |
| 12. | -3 | Clint Bowyer | 740 | -175 |
• Complete Standings click here
Cup Series News
- Points deal locks Martin into Daytona 500 field
- Waltrip to drive No. 40 for Hillman in Daytona 500
- Bayne has pressure to perform in Daytona return
- Shop address not all that changes for Ragan
- For Newman, good grade in chemistry difficult to maintain
- Kahne recovering after outpatient knee surgery
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