Posted on by Staff Report

Sprint Cup teams to fine-tune, develop intermediate-track rules

RELATED: Full Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage

NASCAR will continue to develop its intermediate track package with a test scheduled at Charlotte Motor Speedway after the upcoming Sprint Cup Series event at the 1.5-mile facility.

NASCAR announced Monday that it will hold a Sprint Cup test at Charlotte on Monday, Oct. 15. Cars will be on the track from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. ET, and the goal will be research and development on the circuit’s mile-and-a-half track rules package.

Before this season, NASCAR and its manufacturer partners implemented the Generation-6 car, which contained a number of stylistic elements designed to strengthen the ties with respective passenger models. The vehicle also featured new performance characteristics including higher rear grip and lighter overall weight, which has translated into record speeds at many tracks.

Next week’s test will continue the development of that platform on intermediate tracks. Officials said that aerodynamic enhancements, chassis ride heights and drafting scenarios would be among the components to be tested.

"They have a couple of wickers that they’re going to put on the car, and they have a much larger spoiler that they’re going to try. I haven’t seen everything, but until you go try the stuff on the track, it’s hard to give your opinion," Jamie McMurray said last week at Kansas Speedway.

"I like the idea that they’re trying, and they’re trying some, I would say, off-the-wall ideas and stuff that you would think would never happen in NASCAR. So it will be interesting after that test to see how that works out, and try all the ideas that they have."

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WATCH: Final Laps:
Harvick wins at Kansas

READ: Kansas curse
hits Busch again

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have pit road problems

WATCH: Patrick slams
into wall on opening lap
Posted on by Staff Report

Team: ‘Proactive measure’ should not affect his 2014 return

RELATED: Full Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage

Three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart underwent a third surgery on his right leg Monday morning according to the Stewart-Haas Racing team, which characterized the procedure as a "proactive" measure.

The operation, performed at a North Carolina hospital, was to "examine and close a wound on his shin." The team said it is not expected to impact Stewart’s potential return date at the beginning of the 2014 season.

Stewart, who broke his right tibia and fibula in a sprint car crash Aug. 5 in Oskaloosa, Iowa, had previous surgeries in the days immediately after the accident to stabilize and clean the injury and then a second operation for doctors to insert a metal rod inside the tibia to achieve proper anatomical position.

Stewart will remain hospitalized overnight Monday for observation.

Veteran Mark Martin filled in for Stewart in the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet this Sunday at Kansas, finishing 22nd. Martin will drive the car for the remainder of the season with the exception of the Oct. 20 race at Talladega, Ala., where NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader Austin Dillon will handle driving duties.


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WATCH: Final Laps:
Harvick wins at Kansas

READ: Kansas curse
hits Busch again

WATCH: Kenseth, Logano
have pit road problems

WATCH: Patrick slams
into wall on opening lap
Posted on by Nascar

‘It’s not Goodyear’s fault’ says race-winner Kevin Harvick

RELATED: Full Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — NASCAR and Goodyear officials will meet Tuesday to discuss, among other things, tire selection for this past weekend’s Hollywood Casino 400.

The meeting wasn’t scheduled in light of driver comments following the season’s 30th Sprint Cup Series race.

"We meet with Goodyear every Tuesday," Sprint Cup Series director John Darby said following Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway.

"We’ll download everything — Goodyear’s side of it as well as what team information we can give everyone. … We’ll kind of get a better feel for it then."

Goodyear officials provided teams with a new tire combination for the 1.5-mile track, utilizing the same multi-zone technology that produced tires used last month at Atlanta. The Kansas package consisted of a more tractive compound on the left side to provide more grip while the right was a combination of a harder inner shoulder with the same compound used at Kansas earlier this year on the outside.

The combination was verified earlier this year during a mid-July test, and all teams were allowed to test here on Thursday before the weekend’s regularly scheduled activities got underway.

Spins by Kyle and Kurt Busch on Saturday resulted in both drivers having to go to backup entries for Sunday’s race. Five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson also spun during practice, as did points leader Matt Kenseth. Concerns were voiced.

But while Sunday’s race saw a record number of caution flags (15), several drivers said the track’s still-new surface was the culprit, not the tire.

"I think the issue is the pavement and the things they keep repaving these race tracks with that put Goodyear in a box," race-winner Kevin Harvick said.

"It’s not Goodyear’s fault; they have to make a tire that’s not going to blow out. So when you’re running an average of 187 or 185, whatever the average speed is, they have to make the tire durable."

Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon called the racing surfaces on newly paved tracks "too smooth."

"We don’t want bumps," Gordon said. "I’m not talking about bumps. I’m talking about the abrasiveness of the race track. It doesn’t dissipate heat, doesn’t wear the tires … all it does is cause friction and heat and failures and then Goodyear has to build a very hard, durable tire."

The Kansas surface was repaved last year, between the facility’s two Cup dates.

Gordon said he "applauded" Goodyear’s efforts, saying the supplier is "doing the best they can."

"To me, it’s really the surface," he said. "We’re paving these race tracks with what we’re paving new highways with. This is not a highway — it’s a race track and it’s a race car and a racing tire."

Not everyone was as understanding. Kenseth called the conditions "the worst I’ve raced in in I don’t know how long.

"This right side tire was obviously not the answer," he said after an 11th-place finish. "I’m sure Kevin (Harvick) is happy, but other than that, I think everybody kind of struggled with it."

Kenseth described the right side tire used previously as "fine" but said the addition of the left, with more grip, would have been the same combination that resulted in tire issues at Michigan.

"And they were worried about that," he said. "So they took grip away from the right side. Well, we should have just run what we ran last time, or else put the softer left and just leave the other right on.

"This right was just really unpredictable."

Kyle Busch, involved in a pair of separate incidents on Sunday, called the track "the worst race track I’ve driven on" and the tires "the worst tires I’ve ever driven on."

"Track position is everything. You can’t do anything unless you’re out front," he said.

It was, Harvick said, "like driving on a razor blade."

It was difficult and treacherous and the cars were a handful.

Temperatures that started out in the high 80s on Thursday had plummeted into the upper 50s by Sunday, adding to the concern.

"What you don’t know," Darby said, "is if it was a typically 80-, 85-degree day, would it have been perfect? You don’t know that."

MORE:

WATCH: Final Laps:
Harvick wins at Kansas

READ: Kansas curse
hits Busch again

WATCH: Kenseth, Logano
have pit road problems

WATCH: Patrick slams
into wall on opening lap
Posted on by Staff Report

See who’s who for 32nd annual Dollar General 300

Click here for NASCAR Nationwide Series entry list for the Dollar General 300 from Charlotte Motor Speedway.


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WATCH: Final Laps:
Harvick wins at Kansas

READ: Kansas curse
hits Busch again

WATCH: Kenseth, Logano
have pit road problems

WATCH: Patrick slams
into wall on opening lap
Posted on by Staff Report

Sold-Out ‘BBQ Pit Stop With Dale Jr.’ Event Fetches More Than $23,000 In Live Auction Of Earnhardt Jr. Items

FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 4, 2013) – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s pit stops traditionally consist of four Goodyear tires and Sunoco fuel, but on Thursday evening his pit-stop service included fueling up with brisket, chicken, ribs, pork chops and jalapeno sausage.

Earnhardt Jr., visiting the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex to promote the upcoming AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, played host to a sold-out “BBQ Pit Stop with Dale Jr.” fan event to benefit Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter at Hard Eight Pit BBQ in Roanoke, Texas.

Earnhardt Jr., who has developed a passion for BBQ cooking, toured the family-owned restaurant’s huge BBQ fire pits with Hard Eight Pit BBQ Owner & President Chad Decker and the duo shared their BBQ tips with more than 130 guests in attendance, all while helping raise more than $32,000 for Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas Chapter.

“Every time I come to Texas, it’s always fun,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “You guys (Texas Motor Speedway fans) are so welcoming and just make me feel like part of the family.”

A visit by NASCAR’s most popular driver to Roanoke, nicknamed the “Unique Dining Capital of Texas,” included a hero’s welcome as throngs of fans lined North Oak Street of downtown Roanoke for Earnhardt Jr.’s arrival. Led by a police escort, AAA Texas 500 Chevrolet Camaro pace car and Wild Asphalt Circus vehicles, Earnhardt Jr. rode in the bed of a Texas Motor Speedway Chevrolet Silverado similar to NASCAR pre-race parade laps, waving to fans as well as curious onlookers en route to Hard Eight Pit BBQ.

Roanoke Mayor Scooter Gierisch officially welcomed Earnhardt Jr. to his quaint town of 6,500 by presenting him with a key to the city and a special proclamation that announced Oct. 3, 2013, as “Dale Earnhardt Jr. Day.”  

“I’m really humbled,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I want to thank the citizens of Roanoke for allowing me to come here. This is the kind of town we like to come and visit when we’re traveling to all these different race tracks and staying in the motor coaches every weekend. These are the kinds of places we like to get out to because this place is just like home, it’s a small town. It’s just like Mooresville (N.C.) to me.”

Earnhardt Jr., a passionate grill master when he is not behind the wheel of his No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet, made the perfect student for Decker’s BBQ 101 demonstration. To make sure Earnhardt Jr. looked the part of an official grill master, Decker presented him with a customized black chef’s coat that featured the driver’s iconic No. 88 and “Pit Master” embroidered on the back, Texas state flag on the sleeve and the Hard Eight Pit BBQ logo and Jr. on the front.

His lessons included a tour of Hard Eight Pit BBQ’s massive fire pits and grill that featured an array of smoked meats, including brisket, ribs and steaks. Earnhardt Jr. also got into the action as he learned how Hard Eight Pit BBQ grills its signature rib eye with onions to perfection.  

“We cook some brisket and do ribs every once in a while,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “We’ve had a lot of good and bad results, but that’s what it’s about. I enjoy it because it is real similar to preparing a race car for a weekend of racing. There is a right way to do it and there are steps and a process. I enjoy it, plus it is something that lasts the entire day. You start in the morning getting the smoker ready and you are cooking the meat for hours on end. It’s something you get your friends and families together and enjoy an entire day.”

Earnhardt Jr. fans traveled from as far as Houston and Baytown for the one-of-a-kind event and Speedway Children’s Charities-Texas was a big winner thanks to their support. Guests had an opportunity to purchase charity raffle tickets for an opportunity for the ultimate upgrade of their seats and join Earnhardt Jr. for dinner at his personal table. Dana Kirby, of Keller; Pam Bailey, of Addison; Shelley Head, of Gainesville; Randy Kleam of Bridgeport; and Ann Clark and Judie Kochenower, of Houston, were the big winners as they got to rub elbows with Earnhardt Jr. in addition to other VIP perks for the evening.

A live auction brought in more than $23,000 for the SCC-Texas Chapter for only a handful of unique items, including an autographed, race-used Goodyear tire from his No. 88 Chevrolet that ran in April’s Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway; pre-race parade laps with him for the upcoming AAA Texas 500; autographed racing shoes and an autographed vintage Earnhardt Jr. 1998 NASCAR Busch Series No. 3 ACDelco championship car die-cast.

The most sought-after auction item proved to be the opportunity to serve as an “Honorary Pit Crew Member” for Earnhardt Jr. at the Nov. 3 AAA Texas 500. The experience, courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports, included access to the drivers’ meeting, private tour of the No. 88 hauler, pit crew shirt, pre-race photo with Earnhardt Jr. by his car, and watching a portion of the AAA Texas 500 from Earnhardt Jr.’s pit box. With the experience selling for $8,500, Earnhardt Jr. doubled down and offered a second “Honorary Pit Crew Member” experience to the other bidder that lost out and sold the pair for $17,000.

A trip to Texas Motor Speedway remains one of Earnhardt Jr.’s favorite stops on the NASCAR schedule considering the historical significance the 1.5-mile speedway has played in his career. Texas Motor Speedway was the site for his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series victories, coming in the 2000  DIRECT500  and 1998 Coca-Cola 300, respectively.

Texas Motor Speedway has served as one of his stronger tracks throughout the course of his 15-year career in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Along with his victory in 2000, he has earned 12 top-10 finishes, which places him in a tie for fourth-most all time among Sprint Cup Series drivers.

“This place has always been special to me having won the first races down here in the Nationwide Series and the Cup Series,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “Texas is a great race track. We’ve had great success here. The surface of the race track has aged really well and the drivers really appreciate that. You can use all kinds of different grooves in the corners.”

Earnhardt Jr. was asked if Texas Motor Speedway would be a strong candidate in the future to host the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season finale for the crowning of the champion.

“I think it would be exciting,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “This is a great market here for us. We always seem to get great support from this area. The fans have really latched on to the race track and made it their own. I think it would be awesome if the season ended here. It’s tough to pick the perfect track at the end of the year, but Texas is definitely on that list.” 

Posted on by Staff Report

The Sprint Cup Series returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway

RELATED: Full Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage

Click here to see the entry list for the Bank of America 500.


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WATCH: Final Laps:
Harvick wins at Kansas

READ: Kansas curse
hits Busch again

WATCH: Kenseth, Logano
have pit road problems

WATCH: Patrick slams
into wall on opening lap
Posted on by George Winkler

Harvick is killer at Kansas, but what’s his track record like at Charlotte?

RELATED: Play NASCAR Fantasy Live

Fantasy owners who jumped at Kevin Harvick after he won his first Coors Light Pole since 2006 despite a high price of $28 knew right from the start of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway that they had made a strong choice. Harvick led the first 44 laps en route to piling up the most fantasy points for the week.

It wasn’t a walk-over, though, as a caution-filled race caused plenty of opportunities for drivers to slip in the scoring. Luckily, though, the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was able to overcome a bit of bad luck when he was shuffled toward the back during a debris caution on Lap 86. Harvick took just two tires on a later pit stop and was able to make up ground.

From there it was fairly smooth sailing for the No. 29, and Harvick finished ahead of second-place Kurt Busch with plenty of room to spare for his 22nd victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Harvick finished with 147.5 fantasy points and made for a shrewd pairing with Jimmie Johnson, who was second in fantasy scoring.

If you were able to squeeze in a Joey Logano, Kurt Busch or Jeff Gordon onto your roster, too, then you were in business with multiple top-five fantasy plays this weekend. If not, you might be wondering whether you should grab Harvick while the going is good heading into the next race at Charlotte.

It’s buyer beware, though, because Harvick doesn’t have a standout record at the 1.5-mile track in NASCAR’s hotbed, even though he won there this year in the Coca-Cola 600. In 25 career starts there, he does have the two wins but just eight top-10 finishes. And his average finish of 17.3 at the track is somewhat pedestrian by his standards.

A quick look at NASCAR Statistical Service’s Loop Data shows that Harvick is 19th in average place at Charlotte and 18th in driver rating. Based on all that, it might be good to take your gains this week and unload him for a cheaper option for the next race. We’ll see how practice and qualify go, but let’s not get too happy with Harvick just yet.

Key Fantasy Moment: Justin Allgaier was a fantasy favorite entering the Kansas race in his second Sprint Cup Series start for Phoenix Racing in the No. 51. He qualified 21st and was cheap at $5.25. He was worth a flier because of the salary he’d free up to get other drivers. And things were going well for Allgaier until Lap 136 when he blew a tire and collided with the No. 39 driven by Ryan Newman. In one fell swoop Allgaier ruined his chances for a big fantasy day and damaged Newman’s. That double-whammy led to Newman finishing 41st in fantasy scoring and Allgaier ending up 42nd. The only driver with a worse fantasy score was Danica Patrick, who crashed out on Lap 1.

Biggest Bargain: Casey Mears finished just 17th in fantasy scoring, but at $13 it was well worth it. Consider this: If you resisted spending $3.50 more to roster Ricky Stenhouse Jr., despite the No. 17’s good practice and qualifying runs (started on the front row), you were a savvy fantasy player. Because not only did you pocket the extra $3.50, but you also got 45 more fantasy points than Stenhouse Jr. produced. And that is the type of low- to mid-range gamble that can make a big difference in whether you pulled away from the pack on Sunday.

Biggest Bust: It’s hard not to dogpile on Kyle Busch, even though it’s the last thing he needs after a tough day at Kansas. But when you’re the highest-priced driver coming into the race at $29 and you spend the afternoon spinning and sliding and eventually crashing out of the contest, forgive fantasy owners if we’re a little bitter. Busch brought home a negative score of minus-7.5 points largely due to a minus-16 in place differential. Fantasy owners should have known better, given Busch’s struggles at Kansas, where he had just two top-10 finishes in 12 starts leading up to Sunday. He now has three straight finishes of 31st or worse.

Tip to take to next week: Kyle Busch could bounce back at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he has a strong history, and Jimmie Johnson has been dominant there, too. But what else is new? If you’re looking for a slightly under-the-radar pick for the Bank of America 500, Joey Logano is someone to consider. According to NASCAR Statistical Services, Logano has the best average finish, 9.8, in the past eight seasons at the track. Now, Logano hasn’t been racing in the Cup Series there that long, but it’s still impressive that in nine races at the facility he has managed six top-10s, including three top-fives. He might not be a bad deal at $23.50 and coming off back-to-back top-fives at Dover and Kansas.

MORE:

WATCH: Final Laps:
Harvick wins at Kansas

READ: Kansas curse
hits Busch again

WATCH: Kenseth, Logano
have pit road problems

WATCH: Patrick slams
into wall on opening lap
Posted on by

Chase standings tighten as race features 15 cautions

RELATED: Results | Standings | Full Chase coverage | Shop for Winner’s Gear

KANSAS CITY, Kan. —  Kevin Harvick crashed the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup party.

Kyle Busch simply crashed — at a track that continues to bedevil him.

And with a bizarre power failure in the last two laps, Jimmie Johnson failed to cash in decisively on Matt Kenseth’s skittishness with the new tire combination Goodyear brought to Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

The fourth race in the Chase ended as it began, with Harvick out front. The driver of the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet crossed the finish line more than a football field ahead of runner-up Kurt Busch, with Jeff Gordon trailing Busch in third.

Joey Logano, Carl Edwards and Johnson ran fourth through sixth, respectively, allowing Johnson to trim Kenseth’s advantage in the championship standings from eight to three points.

The victory was Harvick’s third of the season, his first at Kansas and the 22nd of his career. With the win, Harvick moved into third place in the standings, 25 points behind Kenseth. Kyle Busch, who entered the race third in the Chase and 12 points behind Kenseth, scored his third straight DNF at Kansas after crashing out in 34th place and dropping to fifth in points, 35 out of the lead.

"To sit on the pole and win the race, obviously, is a great weekend," Harvick said. "Controlling our own destiny by doing that, putting ourselves closer to where we need to be with the championship race … so we’ll just keep having fun and doing what we’re doing." 

Harvick’s car out front in clean air was radically different than the same car in traffic.

"It was like driving two different cars," said Harvick, who will leave RCR at the end of the year to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing. "Out front, it was not even close, and in traffic, you were just another one of the cars and had a lot of trouble."

After Harvick got shuffled back in traffic by an inopportune debris caution on Lap 87, crew chief Gil Martin opted to keep him out on old tires under caution for a wreck involving Justin Allgaier and Ryan Newman on Lap 136.

The move paid off, and Harvick was able to stay in position near the front of the field for the balance of the race.

Johnson likewise had a strong car but couldn’t get the track position he need to make a run at the win. He felt a strong vibration in his car with two laps left, but the car regained power on the backstretch of the final lap and Johnson held sixth at the finish.

"All in all, it was just a crazy day," said the five-time champion, who lost fifth place to Edwards on the final lap. "There were weird restarts, wacky restarts, a lot of chaos there. Then caution after caution for who knows what …

"We rebounded from all that, passed a lot of race cars, and then with two to go, we came down the back and started shaking real bad. I thought it was over, but I limped it around and got to the finish line. It started running down the back coming to the checkered (flag), so I was at least able to maintain over whoever was in seventh there (Paul Menard)."

Kyle Busch’s championship hopes suffered most, but no driver seemed immune from adversity. Gordon, Johnson, Busch and Harvick all lost positions — and in some cases, laps — when cautions interrupted cycles of green-flag pit stops.

But the record 15 cautions for a record 71 laps — one because of a grass fire on the bank outside Turn 1 that shrouded the track in smoke — provided ample opportunity for wave-arounds and restarts that allowed drivers to make up lost ground.

With a loose handling condition that plagued him throughout the race, Kenseth salvaged an 11th-place run that kept him at the top of the standings — barely.

Throughout the weekend, Kenseth expressed uneasiness with a lack of grip he felt with the dual-tread right-side tire Goodyear provided for the race. Nevertheless, with a manic drive through traffic during the final 19-lap green-flag run, Kenseth gained four positions after the final restart to retain his points lead.


MORE:

WATCH: Final Laps:
Harvick wins at Kansas

READ: Kansas curse
hits Busch again

WATCH: Kenseth, Logano
have pit road problems

WATCH: Patrick slams
into wall on opening lap
Posted on by Staff Report

Moments that changed the course of the fourth race in the 2013 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

UPS


THREE INCIDENTS FOR KYLE BUSCH AT KANSAS 
A long day at the end of a long weekend for Kyle Busch culminated in a Lap 201 wreck that knocked him out of the Hollywood Casino 400, and possibly out of the championship picture.

In a dinged-up No. 18 Toyota, Busch was involved in his third incident of the day in a wreck with Brian Vickers, sending his machine hard into the high wall and strewing pieces of his fender across Turn 2.

Busch had started from the back in his backup car after wrecking in Saturday’s first practice session. He narrowly avoided a wreck with Danica Patrick on the first lap, and spun out after contact with Juan Pablo Montoya on Lap 188.

The performance continued a Kansas curse for the driver, who will finish outside the top 30 for the third consecutive time at the 1.5-mile oval.

"This race track is the worst race track ever, these tires are the worst tires ever," Busch said after getting cleared at the infield medical center.

KEVIN HARVICK’S POLE LEADS TO WIN
The fourth race in the Chase ended as it began, with Kevin Harvick out front. The driver of the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet crossed the finish line more than a football field ahead of runner-up Kurt Busch, with Jeff Gordon trailing Busch in third.

Joey Logano, Carl Edwards and Johnson ran third through sixth, respectively, allowing Johnson to trim Kenseth’s advantage in the championship standings from eight to three points.

The victory was Harvick’s third of the season, his first at Kansas and the 22nd of his career. With the win, Harvick moved into third place in the standings, 25 points behind Kenseth.

MATT KENSETH RETAINS POINTS LEAD WITH LATE RUN
With a bizarre power failure in the last two laps, Jimmie Johnson failed to cash in decisively on Matt Kenseth’s skittishness with the new tire combination Goodyear brought to Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Johnson felt a strong vibration in his car with two laps left, but the car regained power on the backstretch of the final lap and Johnson held sixth at the finish. With a loose handling condition that plagued him throughout the race, Kenseth salvaged an 11th-place run that kept him at the top of the standings — barely.

Throughout the weekend, Kenseth expressed uneasiness with a lack of grip he felt with the dual-tread right-side tire Goodyear provided for the race.

Nevertheless, with a manic drive through traffic during the final 19-lap green-flag run, Kenseth gained four positions after the final restart to retain his points lead.

The NASCAR Wire Service and NASCAR.com’s Brad Norman contributed to this report.

Posted on by Nascar

Kenseth’s lead over ‘Five-Time’ now stands at just three points

RELATED: Results | Standings | Full Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — There were "close moments," to be sure, Matt Kenseth said.

"I was over my head every lap. If I’m a cat, I don’t think I have any lives left. I used them all up today."

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver finished 11th in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, thanks in part to a speeding penalty that put him off sequence and a myriad of changes to his No. 20 Toyota Camry throughout the brisk afternoon.

It was enough, if only barely, to keep Kenseth, 41, on top of the points standings in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

An eight-point advantage over five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson was sliced and diced on what most drivers described as a "treacherous" 1.5-mile track. It wasn’t totally erased, however.

Johnson piloted his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a sixth-place finish, and now trails Kenseth by three points after the series’ fourth Chase race.

"We were really far off," Kenseth said of the condition of his team’s car when the 267-lap race got underway. "I kind of got lost and sped on pit road which actually ended up being a stroke of good luck in a way. Because we knew we could come in, really make the adjustments that (crew chief Jason Ratcliff) wanted to, that were going to take 30 or 40 seconds. We wouldn’t have done it unless that (had) happened.

"Really once that happened he made the car better; we had a good strategy call, we just got caught under the green flag pit stop and had (to take) the wave around."

The speeding penalty occurred during a round of pit stops following a crash involving Justin Allgaier and Ryan Newman on Lap 136. Fourth when he hit pit road, the penalty dropped Kenseth back to 30th.

He was running 16th later in the race when he pitted (on Lap 220), only to see the yellow appear again less than 10 laps later for debris. Once again, he found himself restarting the race from near the back, after taking the wave around to remain on the lead lap.

Slowly, his car came to life, and with little more than 40 laps remaining, he began working his way back through the field. He was inside the top 20 by Lap 240 and just outside the top 10 with a dozen laps remaining.

"That was by far the best we were," he said of his late charge. "As you get closer to the front it gets tougher, but we passed a lot of cars and climbed back in it.

"I feel lucky for not being wrecked and I feel fortunate to still be leading the points. It was not the day we wanted. The last two weeks we’ve struggled a little bit and … (it) could have been worse. I’m proud of this team, they didn’t give up on me today."

Ratcliff, who has helped guide Kenseth to a series-leading seven wins this year, said it wasn’t necessarily the changes his team made to the car.

"I think he just got used to it maybe," a relieved Ratcliff said.

"That’s the problem with this kind of tire, which they have to bring to these repaves because they’re so fast, so abusive. But the tire is so hard you need a really major setup change to really move the needle …just way more than you can typically do on pit road.

"Once we got behind there, we were going to have to start at the back … we took a big swing at it. Probably made it better there at the end. He was able to at least pass cars, which we hadn’t been able to do all day … I just wish we had restarted in the top 10 there at the end, and maybe had a shot at a top-five."

Ratcliff said struggles are to be expected in the Chase.

"I’m glad it’s over," he said. "I’m glad to come out of here with an 11th place finish. And the points lead. It was a struggle."

It was Kenseth’s first finish outside the top 10 in the Chase.

Johnson lost power briefly on the white-flag lap but managed to recover for the sixth-place finish.

"It started losing power and shaking real bad," he said. "All in all, it was just a crazy day. It started shaking real bad and I thought it was over. But I limped it around and got it to the finish line.

"It’s gratifying for sure (to gain points), and it’s nice to beat the 20 (of Kenseth). The 18 (of Kyle Busch) had a tough day. Got a couple on the 20, so that’s good; all in all, a good day."

Busch, third in points and only 12 out of the lead entering the race, was involved in a pair of crashes and wound up 34th in the 43-car field. The trouble dropped him to fifth in the points battle, and he now trails Kenseth by 35 points.

MORE:

WATCH: Final Laps:
Harvick wins at Kansas

READ: Kansas curse
hits Busch again

WATCH: Kenseth, Logano
have pit road problems

WATCH: Patrick slams
into wall on opening lap