Matt Kenseth holds off charging Kasey Kahne for STP 400 win

Matt Kenseth holds off charging Kasey Kahne for STP 400 win

Apr. 21, 2013  Will update with quotes and results.

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Polesitter Matt Kenseth held off fast-closing Kasey Kahne during a 43-lap green-flag run to the finish to win Sunday's STP 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.

The victory was Kenseth's second at Kansas, his second of the season and the 26th of his career. Kenseth has won both races since the 1.5-mile intermediate track was repaved last year.

Kahne, who started 27th, crossed the stripe in the runner-up position .151 seconds behind Kenseth. Jimmie Johnson ran third, followed by Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer.

Defending Cup champion Brad Keselowski came home sixth, despite sustaining heavy damage to his rear bumper when the field checked up on the first lap.

That damage had far-reaching effects and changed the complexion of the race on Lap 218. The rear bumper cover from Keselowski's No. 2 Ford dislodged, causing the eighth caution—right after Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle had made green-flag pit stops.

But since all lead-lap cars came to pit road under the yellow, those four drivers were able to regain the lead lap through wave-arounds. Kenseth led the field to the restart on Lap 225, with Truex beside him and Hendrick teammates Johnson and Kahne on the second row.

Kenseth pulled away after the restart, and Kahne charged into the second spot. On Lap 236, Johnson passed Truex for the third position. That's the order in which they ran to the finish.