Weekend Preview
Kenseth's strong start missing the one thing he needs
April 10, 2014
Staff Report
NASCAR Wire Service
Darlington
Raceway has never been a forgiving race track, sending drivers into
walls and challenging competitors with its tight turns and narrow
straightaways.
Then
why is it that several former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions are
hoping a race at Darlington in Saturday night's Bojangles' Southern 500
(6:30 p.m. ET on FOX) will be the tonic they need?
Answer:
It's another chance for a win, and in this new era of NASCAR
competition, that means everything. Under the new guidelines to qualify
for
the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, a win during the first 26 races
would likely secure a driver his or her place in the postseason. Winning
is everything … or at least it's the most important thing when trying
to make the Chase.
Through
the first seven races, seven different winners have celebrated in
Victory Lane, however, none of them are named Jimmie Johnson or Matt
Kenseth.
For comparison purposes, after the first eight races of the 2013
season, Johnson and Kenseth had each notched two victories. The two
finished 1-2 in the standings last season.
Kenseth finished the season with a season-high and career-best seven wins with Johnson collecting six.
Although
Kenseth, who wheels the No. 20 Home Depot Husky Toyota for Joe Gibbs
Racing, has yet to make a mark in the “Win” column this season, he's
run well enough to rank second in points, four points behind Jeff
Gordon. Coincidentally, Gordon is another former champion still hunting
down that first win.
After
starting the season off with a solid sixth-place finish in the Daytona
500, Kenseth placed in the top 10 in four other races. His lowest finish
is a respectable 13th-place showing in Bristol, where he led 165 of the
500 laps. Obviously, his stat line proves he's run well and is
certainly deserving of his second-place ranking, however, what it all
boils down to is that he's still missing the one thing
that counts more than anything else this year – a win.
Will Kenseth finally get his chance to wave a checkered flag in 2014 at Darlington?
Possibly.
He's the reigning race winner. In 2013, Kenseth passed JGR teammate
Kyle Busch with 13 laps to go and cruised to victory, beating his
other JGR teammate Denny Hamlin to the finish line by 3.155 seconds.
Kenseth led two other times for a race total of 17 laps led. His average
speed of 141.383 mph is a track race record.
“Winning
the Southern 500 last year was definitely special because that's one of
the biggest races of the year in my opinion,” Kenseth said. “It's
such a historic and prestigious race because the Southern 500 is one of
the three or four races that you always hear people talking about.
“It's
certainly one you always want to win, and to say that we were able to
get to Victory Lane last year was really a highlight for me.”
Prior
to last year's victory, however, the Wisconsin native had mixed results
at the challenging 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval. In his first 19 races
there, he collected eight top-10 finishes and one pole, but he also had
seven finishes lower than 20th.
Kenseth's average finish in 20 races at Darlington is a respectable, but not stellar 16.6. His driver rating is a decent 90.9.
In
the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Kenseth has three victories at the South
Carolina track, winning most recently in 2009. He will be pulling
double-duty
this weekend, driving for JGR in both series.
CAN SADLER DELIVER AT DARLINGTON?
As
the only full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series driver in Joe Gibbs
Racing's stable, Elliott Sadler has high expectations for Friday night's
VFW
Sports Clips Help A Hero 200 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN2) at Darlington
Raceway.
Sadler
has performed well through the first six races of 2014, compiling four
top 10s and one pole. His best outings are a pair of fifth-places
finishes (Daytona, Auto Club).
Although
he's never won at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, his best result came
last season when he finished runner-up to JGR teammate Kyle Busch,
who started on the pole. Starting position is of the utmost importance
at a track like Darlington Raceway where the narrow straightaways and
tight turns place a premium on passing.
“If
there's anywhere qualifying will be important it's definitely here this
weekend,” said Sadler, who sits fourth in the standings, 16 points
behind
leader Chase Elliott. “It's a short race. There's no time for
mistakes.”
Thirteen
Nationwide races at the track have been won from the pole, more than
any other spot on the starting grid. Five of the last eight races
have been won from the pole, all by Sadler's JGR teammates. In all,
seven of the last eight races have been won by JGR drivers: Denny Hamlin
(three), Kyle Busch (two), Tony Stewart (one) and Joey Logano (one).
Current
JGR driver Matt Kenseth won the eighth race while driving for Roush
Fenway Racing. He also won the race immediately prior to the
seven-of-eight
stretch.
Kenseth
and Busch will join Sadler in JGR's three entries Friday night at
Darlington, where Sadler hopes to continue the trend and become the next
JGR driver to visit Victory Lane.
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