Notes: Start-and-parkers to be watched more closely

LAS VEGAS -- NASCAR is apparently keeping an eye on teams who enter races with no intention of trying to finish the events.

The practice, which is called "start-and-park," has teams going to the track prepared well enough to qualify for the 43-car field. But the driver then pulls off the track shortly after the start of the race because the owner doesn't want to pay for tires or a pit crew.

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Sunday that the sanctioning body will now inspect the first car that drops out of the race and wasn't involved in an accident. It should force teams to attempt to run as many laps as possible to avoid NASCAR inspecting its motor.

Earnhardt

Junior's gains

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 16th-place finish wasn't very pretty considering his three Hendrick Motorsports teammates were inside the top five.

But team owner Rick Hendrick was pleased with the progress from the No. 88 team, which is currently 15th in the standings.

"We had a couple of bobbles in the pits with the pit crew," Hendrick said. "It seems like every time the car is good, the pit crew screws up. If the pit crew is on, the car, something breaks. So I feel they've made a ton of improvement. I think we're going to have a really good year. I'm looking forward to Atlanta."

Earnhardt is coming off a horrendous 2009 season that saw him go winless and finish 25th in the final standings. Hendrick made an offseason commitment to get Earnhardt on pace with the other HMS cars, and Hendrick doesn't think the early results are indicative of how much progress has been made.

Earnhardt broke an axle last week at Fontana and finished 32nd.

Kenseth

Kenseth solid again

Despite pitting out of sequence with what he thought was a loose wheel, fifth-place finisher Matt Kenseth posted his third top 10 of the season and his first top five with crew chief Todd Parrott, who took over from Drew Blickensderfer after the Daytona 500.

"It feels like we're on the right track, but me pitting off-sequence there probably got us an adjustment or two behind, because we were more worried about getting back on the lead lap -- at least I was -- than saving enough gas to get our [pit] windows closer together," Kenseth said.

"We probably didn't adjust on it quite the way we needed to and didn't have it exactly the way I wanted at the end, but overall it was a great day for us."

Sporting News Wire Service contributed to this report