Earlier in the week Matt Kenseth tweeted “I wonder if I will get any crap over having http://duoflush.com on the hood” The paint scheme on the #17 Ford of Kenseth has changed almost on a weekly basis since primary sponsor Crown Royal decided not to return for the 2012 season. Since then the company has sold off races it was scheduled to run this season as well.
Just before the race he posted a photo of a toilet wrapped in duoflush colors saying “I hope this isn’t an indication of how are night is going to go…”
Charlotte Motor Speedway has been a special place for Kenseth. He won his first Sprint Cup (then Winston Cup) race at the track during his rookie season of 2000.
Kenseth started the night second next to Tony Stewart. As the race developed Greg Biffle ran out front and Kyle Busch made his way up from last due to an engine swap.
While the race dragged on my wife couldn’t help but say that the #17 of Kenseth was one of the ugliest cars shes ever seen. She said it reminded her of the Grinch who stole Christmas.
Biffle saw his night go awry when they left off a lug nut on green flag pit stop. He eventually got back on the lead lap and into the top-10 but lost his car into the wall as the race closed. He finished 15th.
Kyle Busch made short work of the field, climbing all the way to first and claiming the bonus point for leading the most laps. All this despite complaining about the difficulty to pass and the ABC announcers suggesting that the cars were so equal.
On lap 311 Kenseth took the lead, he held off Busch on a subsequent restart to claim his third win of the season. The win moved Kenseth up to third in the point standings just 7 behind his teamate Carl Edwards who finished third.
Edwards and Busch had a discussion following the race in regards to how they raced each other for second. In a post race press conference Edwards suggested he’d spin Busch the next time he attempted to block his line while Busch seemed to believe the incident was Edwards’ making. Edwards bested Busch for the Nationwide victory there on Friday night.
Five time champion Jimmie Johnson was up front most of the night but hit the wall late while trying to pass Ryan Newman. Johnson’s car hit the wall head on with the rear end jumping off the ground. He was checked and released from the infield care center. Johnson’s biggest pain is likely to be the 7 drivers in front of him in the standings and 35 points he is behind first.
