Arizona Travel 200 - Phoenix International Raceway

Kenseth Wins Busch Race in Phoenix from the Pole
Matt Kenseth’s crew had been iffy on his first two pit stops at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday, but during his last stop with just over 30 laps to go his crew was stellar, sending Kenseth into the lead and on his way to his second win of the year and his first NASCAR Busch Series victory at PIR. Kenseth had captured his fourth Busch Pole of the season earlier in the day, then had the dominant car during the first half of the 200-lap Arizona.Travel 200. However his crew surrendered his lead on his first two pit stops allowing Shane Huffman and Clint Bowyer to carry on a spirited battle for a lead over some 15 laps before Bowyer eventually overtook the rookie who drives for Dale Earnhardt Jr. But Bowyer and Huffman had difficulties in the pits during the last key stop following the eighth caution of the race. Bowyer stopped on the air hose after coming dangerously close to sliding out of his pit while Huffman’s crew had trouble tightening lug nuts. Both errors cost each driver valuable time and track position. Kenseth, on four fresh tires and enough fuel to finish the event, exited pit road in first place with 2006 NASCAR Busch Series champion Kevin Harvick just behind. Kenseth’s Roush Racing teammate, Carl Edwards, opted to take only two tires and the move cost him during the race’s waning laps. Kenseth cemented his win during the final two cautions of the race. With 22 laps to go, his restart, although a bit slow, was good enough to hold off the hard-charging Harvick who was aiming for his record-tying 10th win of the season. Harvick clanged the wall with six laps left chasing Kenseth down, effectively ending his opportunity to catch the leader. A final caution one lap later resulted in a green-white-checkered sprint to the finish, but Kenseth saved his best restart of the day for last and pulled away from the field for the win. Harvick finished second, followed by Denny Hamlin in third, Bowyer in fourth and Edwards in fifth. Huffman posted a solid eighth-place finish among a top-10 that featured eight full-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers.

Arizona.Travel 200 Notes

· Race Results · Ford Post-Race Quotes · Rookie Post-Race Quotes · Point Standings · Owner Point Standings · WIX Filters Lap Leader Notes · Starting Lineup · Qualifying Results · Ford Qualifying Quotes · Final Practice · Practice 2: Rookie Practice · Practice 1 · Qualifying Order · Entry List · Weekend Schedule · Raybestos Rookie Notes · Sam Hornish Jr. · Willie Allen Notes · Erin Crocker Notes · Bobby Labonte

· Kevin Harvick Notes · Carl Edwards Notes · Clint Bowyer Notes · Paul Menard Notes · Kyle Busch Notes · Greg Biffle Notes · Reed Sorenson Notes · Kenny Wallace Notes · John Andretti Notes · Jason Leffler Notes · Todd Kluever Notes · Danny O’Quinn, Jr. Notes · Matt Kenseth Notes · Jamie McMurray Notes · Auggie Vidovich Notes · Ron Hornaday Notes · Steve Wallace Notes · Casey Atwood Notes · Shane Huffman Notes · Stephen Leicht Notes

Kenseth on Phoenix Busch Series Pole
Matt Kenseth won the pole position for today’s NASCAR Busch Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. Kenseth posted a qualifying lap of 27.243 seconds, at an average speed of 132.144 mph, and will lead the field to the green flag for the Arizona Travel 200. Kenseth’s Roush Racing teammate Carl Edwards will join him on the front row of the starting grid after qualifying second. Kenny Wallace will roll off third, followed by Shane Huffman and Denny Hamlin.