Matt Kenseth celebrates with his crew members in the winner’s circle after capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup auto race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky., Sunday, June 30, 2013.SPARTA, Ky. – Matt Kenseth has raced long enough to know that rough starts can still have good outcomes.
Especially when his crew chief takes chances.
Case in point was Kenseth’s fuel-only pit stop gamble that helped him beat Jimmie Johnson late to win the rescheduled 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday at Kentucky Speedway.
A race that was Johnson’s to lose ultimately became Kenseth’s series-high fourth victory of the season – and third on a 1.5-mile track – after crew chief Jason Ratcliff passed on putting new tires on the No. 20 Toyota following the race’s ninth caution.
“I thought he was slightly crazy when that happened,” said Kenseth, who widened his lead when the field went four-wide after the restart on lap 246 and saw Johnson’s No. 48 Chevy spin from second place on a day he led three times for 182 of 267 laps.