It wasn’t pretty, but Matt Kenseth was just happy to be in a NASCAR Nationwide Series victory circle after nearly a year.
Kenseth passed Jeff Burton for the lead on lap 186 of Saturday’s Nicorette 300, a race extended three laps beyond its scheduled 195 laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., by a late caution flag.
Kenseth, who acknowledged he didn’t have the fastest car, managed to hold off Kevin Harvick by about three car lengths, winning for the first time since April 14, 2007, at Texas — a stretch of 18 races.
“About time, huh?” Kenseth said. “You certainly think about getting beat at the end. That happened to us a few times last year.”
Kyle Busch looked like a runaway winner as he led 153 of the first 170 laps before blowing a tire and hitting the wall for the second straight week. That left the battle to Kenseth, Burton and Harvick.
After Kenseth took the lead, Burton faded and Harvick gave chase, looking several times like he could catch him. But a bad pit stop and ill-timed caution flags at the end allowed Kenseth to maintain control on the way to victory.
Ferrari mechanic off hook.
Formula One will take no action against former Ferrari mechanic Nigel Stepney for his part in a spy scandal.
Stepney was head of performance development at Ferrari when the scandal broke after a technical dossier on Ferrari cars was found at the home of McLaren chief designer Mike Coughlan.
Today’s race
NASCAR SPRINT CUP
Kobalt Tools 500
Site: Hampton, Ga.
TV: Fox, 11:30 a.m.
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway (quad-oval, 1.54 miles, 24 degrees banking in turns).
Race distance: 500.5 miles, 325 laps.
Last race: Carl Edwards’ second consecutive victory was short-lived: His winning Ford Fusion failed a postrace inspection at Las Vegas that could lead to severe penalties for his team. NASCAR officials discovered the lid was not on the oil tank box of his car.
Last year: Jimmie Johnson used a late-race charge to catch and pass Tony Stewart three laps from the end and drive away with a victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Fast facts: Johnson will try to become the first driver to win three straight races at Atlanta. He has posted eight top-five finishes and nine top-10 placings in 13 career starts at the track. Last week, Johnson was denied a fourth straight victory at Las Vegas. . . . Ryan Newman is tied with Buddy Baker for most poles at Atlanta with seven, but has not carried any of those into a win.
Next race: Food City 500, March 16, Bristol, Tenn.
On the Net: www.nascar.com
