Remarkable pass propels Kenseth to victory

Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

Published August 26, 2006 at midnight

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BRISTOL, Tenn.— The most remarkable aspect of Friday night’s Food City 250 Busch Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway was that Kevin Harvick didn’t win it.

Instead, Matt Kenseth vanquished the runaway series points leader with an unlikely pass to the outside as his No. 17 Ford and Harvick’s No. 21 Chevrolet approached the flagstand on Lap 235.

Racing side-by-side the cars touched briefly, eliciting a puff of smoke, and Kenseth had the lead for good. Kenseth survived a speeding penalty and a race plagued by a record-tying 14 cautions in collecting his 19th Busch Series win, his third at Bristol, but his first here since 2001.

Ron Hornaday Jr. finished third, followed by Kasey Kahne, Jason Leffler and polesitter Ryan Newman.

Harvick started 30th and worked his way toward the front during the first half of the race. He took the lead for the first time on Lap 195, passing Kasey Kahne as the drivers approached the start/finish line. Harvick remained in front until Kenseth’s remarkable pass gave the lead to the driver of the No. 17 Ford. But that was just the last bit of drama in a race full of significant twists and turns. Of course, it helped that Kenseth had fresher tires at the crucial moment.

"The way he passed him on the outside when Kevin thought all he had to do was protect the bottom — that was priceless," said Jack Roush, Kenseth’s team owner.

Kenseth described the pass, which took place after a restart on Lap 233. "For some reason, on restarts, my car was really fast for about five laps," he said. "I got out there and it stuck really good. It got pretty exciting for about a corner. I had nothing to lose. I knew it was going to be tough even though he had worse tires. You don’t see that (an outside pass) very often here."

Harvick appeared headed for his fifth Busch Series victory at Bristol before Kenseth took it away.

"I got into the 39 (Newman) the last time we pitted," said Harvick, who extended his mammoth points lead to 519 over second-place Carl Edwards. "Ever since that point, it knocked in the fender, and it was a little bit tight. I knew we were in trouble when those guys came up with fresh tires and were behind us. "That was a lot of fun. Nobody running over each other, just good, hard Bristol racing."

The complexion of the race changed markedly after a Lap 94 wreck on the backstretch involving Shane Hall, Kertus Davis and Tim Sauter brought out the sixth caution of the evening.

Newman, who had led every lap up to that point, made his first pit stop, as did the cars running immediately behind him, including Kyle Busch, Harvick, Kenseth and Clint Bowyer, who were second through fifth. Mike Wallace, who had pitted earlier, inherited the lead, and his brother, Kenny Wallace, was second when the field took the restart on Lap 100. At the same juncture, Kahne also reaped the benefit of an early pit stop and moved up to third.

Kenseth, Edwards and Jeff Burton drew penalties for speeding on pit road during the caution caused by the Lap 94 crash and were relegated to the back of the field. By the time the race was red-flagged for the Lap 209 melee on the backstretch, Kenseth had worked his way to third, trailing only Harvick and

Kahne.

Newman helped eliminate one of his strongest competitors on Lap 24. In the process of lapping backmarker Eric McClure, Newman tapped McClure’s No. 04 Chevrolet on the backstretch, turning McClure into the path of Reed Sorenson, who had started beside Newman on the front row.

With no room to maneuver, Sorenson T-boned McClure and damaged his No. 41 Dodge beyond repair. Sorenson climbed from his car, and as Newman passed by on the first caution lap, gave the driver of the No. 39 Dodge an unfavorable

review: a sarcastic two thumb’s up.

Note: During the chain reaction wreck that stopped the race after Lap 209,

Tim Sauter’s No. 36 Chevrolet sustained extensive damage in a collision with Jamie McMurray, who was running second at the time. Sauter’s car came to rest against the inside SAFER barrier.

After emergency medical crews applied a neck brace, Sauter climbed from his car and walked to a gurney, where he was immobilized as a precautionary measure and transported to the infield care center. Sauter was then taken by ambulance to Bristol Regional Medical Center, where he was admitted and held overnight for further evaluation.

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