With 30 laps left in Sunday’s STP 500, Matt Kenseth surged into the lead past Tony Stewart, who was driving on old tires.
But Kenseth couldn’t hold the position. He lost the top spot to race winner and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin on Lap 473 and later gave way to the Team Penske Fords of runner-up Brad Keselowski and third-place Joey Logano.
Nevertheless, a fourth-place run at a track that had given him fits until he joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2013 and leaned heavily on Hamlin’s expertise provided some consolation for the 2003 premier series champion.
“In the long run, and at the end of the race, I thought we had the best car—me and Denny,” Kenseth said. “Then, on that last restart (Lap 467), the recent set of tires just didn’t agree with it. We didn’t have any grip and couldn’t go anywhere. Just kind of hanging on, which is unfortunate.
“It’s hard to be disappointed with a fourth at Martinsville. Really happy that Denny is in Victory Lane. He’s one of the biggest reasons I can actually run in the top 10. Good for him, and a great teammate—glad for him.”
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