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Since winning the first two races, Matt Kenseth has an average finish of 27.7.By the Numbers: Texas
Kenseth hopes to get back on track in Lone Star State
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It's not often you see a guy win the first two races of the season and then fall off the face of the earth -- but that's exactly what has happened to Matt Kenseth.
Kenseth started the season 2-for-2, winning the rain-shortened Daytona 500 and backing it up with an impressive Fontana victory, leading 84 laps and winning by more than a second. Since then, it's been one debacle after another. Kenseth hasn't seen a top-10 finish in the last four races and has fallen from the point leader to 12th.
If Kenseth is to turn his season around, the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday (1:30 p.m. ET, FOX) could be just the event.
In the last four races in Fort Worth, Kenseth has scored more points than anyone (631) and he ranks among the top-five in almost every statistical category at Texas Motor Speedway.
"We've had a lot of strong races there and we expect to go there and run well this weekend," Kenseth said. "We've had a pretty rough couple of weeks and I can't think of a better track that we'd like to go to get back on track."
Inside the Data
Matt Kenseth at Texas Motor Speedway
5Number of top-fives for Matt Kenseth in 13 Cup races at Texas, tied for second-most at the track. Jeff Gordon leads with six and Kenseth is tied with Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin.
8Number of top-10s for Matt Kenseth in 13 Cup races at Texas, the most at the track. Kenseth's eight is matched by Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson.
10Number of lead lap finishes for Matt Kenseth in 13 races at Texas, tied for second-most at the track. Mark Martin leads with 11 and Jeff Gordon joins Kenseth with 10.
10.1Average finish for Matt Kenseth at Texas, second-best at the track. Jimmie Johnson leads all active drivers with an average finish of 9.1.
442Number of laps Matt Kenseth has led in 13 Cup races at Texas, third-most at the track. Kenseth ranks behind Carl Edwards (467) and Tony Stewart (453).
3,348Number of laps Matt Kenseth has completed in the last 10 races at Texas, tops among all drivers. Kenseth has completed all but two laps in those 10 races.
Necessitous Numbers
2Number of tracks Jeff Gordon has yet to win a race at on the Cup Series schedule -- Texas and Homestead. Gordon has no wins at Texas and the track is the only place Gordon has finished 43rd -- and he's done it twice.
4Number of drivers who have competed in all 16 Cup Series races at Texas Motor Speedway -- Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin. All four drivers will take the green flag for the 17th time on Sunday.
7Number of races, out of 16, Roush Fenway Racing has won at Texas. (Jeff Burton, '97; Mark Martin, '98; Matt Kenseth, '02; Greg Biffle, '05; Carl Edwards, '05, '08, '08).
9.25Average starting position of the winner at Texas. Twelve of the 16 races have been won from a starting position of eighth or better with two race winners starting 30th or worse. Only one race has been won from the pole (Kasey Kahne, 2006).
341Number of laps Jeff Gordon has led at Texas, tops among active drivers without a win. In 16 races he has six top-fives and eight top-10s but also has five finishes of 25th or worse with three DNFs.
495Number of points Kyle Busch has earned in the last three races at Texas, tops among all drivers. Busch finished fourth, third and sixth and led laps in each race. The second-most points in that stretch goes to Jimmie Johnson with 483.
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Texas Motor Speedway
Track winners
| Driver | Starts | Wins | Top-fives | Top-10s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Edwards | 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Jeff Burton | 16 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| Terry Labonte | 12 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Matt Kenseth | 13 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Kasey Kahne | 9 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 11 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Ryan Newman | 11 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Elliott Sadler | 14 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 13 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Mark Martin | 16 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Greg Biffle | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Tony Stewart | 14 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
Cup Series News
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- Martin can't mount charge needed to push Johnson
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