BROOKLYN, Mich. -- With Jeff Gordon closing in and the checkered flag in sight Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, Matt Kenseth was thinking about three races he could have won and didn't.

"What I thought of was Las Vegas, Bristol and Chicago because we were in a position to win all three of them and I got run into twice and passed once," said Kenseth, who held on for his third Cup win of the season and the 13th of his career.

In all three of those races, Kenseth said an almost sure victory went away because he wore out his tires on the final stint and allowed other drivers to catch him.

Not this time.

Kenseth easily kept four-time NASCAR champion Gordon at bay in the final laps of the GFS Marketplace 400 by conscientiously taking care of his tires after his final pit stop.   More