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Jeff Gordon is one of the few drivers in the Winston Cup garage who truly understands the satisfying momentum Matt Kenseth is enjoying these days.
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| Matt Kenseth is off to one of the fastest starts in decades.(Getty Images) |
He knows what it's like to lay back in the field most of the day, only to suddenly appear near the front on the final laps, frustrating the other title contenders with a late charge to the front, resulting in yet another top 5 finish.
He knows what it's like to pad your point lead almost every single week, maintaining it or stretching it no matter how well the competition runs, building an advantage that seems almost insurmountable.
Gordon, chasing Kenseth for this year's Winston Cup championship, is not ready to hand Kenseth the title just yet, not when the 36-race circuit hasn't even reached its halfway point. But he looks at Kenseth's 185-point lead -- 223 over Gordon -- and at Kenseth's performance and is not encouraged.
"I think as long as he keeps doing what he's doing, he's going to be tough to beat," Gordon says.
What Kenseth has been doing is thoroughly frustrating the competition by scoring consistent finish after consistent finish in his quest to win his first Winston Cup title.
He grabbed the lead with a strong start and has held it for 12 straight weeks. Since charging to the top with a fourth-place finish in the season's fourth race, Kenseth has padded that lead almost every week.
His 185-point margin over Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the largest of the season and the largest after 15 races since 1983.
Kenseth has been so consistent that he has practically eliminated all but five contenders and it's hard to believe all of them have a legitimate shot to catch him.
Bobby Labonte, the 2000 champion, is 277 points behind while fourth-place Kurt Busch, a Kenseth teammate and Sunday's winner at Michigan, is 342 back.
Michael Waltrip, who has just four top 5 finishes, is sixth, 375 back. After that, there are few other contenders within realistic striking distance. Jimmie Johnson, Rusty Wallace and Sterling Marlin are all more than 400 points behind while 10th-place Mark Martin, last year's runner-up, is 535 back.
Defending champion Tony Stewart is also likely out of the race, trailing by 553 points, a testament to not only Stewart's miserable luck, but Kenseth's amazing consistency and good fortune.
As Gordon, the four-time champion, knows, Kenseth is having a championship-type year. In 15 races, he has seven top 5 finishes, including one win, and 13 top 10s. Only twice in 15 races has he finished outside the top 10, an incredible streak that only champions like Gordon, Labonte and Stewart can fathom.
"They've got the team, Matt's a great driver, they've got the performance going for them," Gordon says of Kenseth and his No. 17 Roush Racing team. "They're smart and obviously putting great, reliable race cars out there for him. You get a guy like that who has those kinds of finishes, you're not going to beat him. Even if you win races, you're really not beating him because he finishes right behind you."
Sunday's performance at Michigan was typical Kenseth. He was decent most of the race, hanging around the latter half of the top 10, but not a threat to win. But then, thanks to a clever pit stop with just seven laps remaining, Kenseth came charging to the front at the end, blasting past Stewart, Waltrip, Marlin and Earnhardt Jr. to finish fourth.
"There were times in the race when we ran really good and I thought we ran good enough to run in the top 5 and there were times in the race where we ran good enough for 25th," Kenseth said. "It was an up-and-down day ... but we got lucky at the end."
Lucky and good. Kenseth and crew chief Robbie Reiser have become masters at making their car better throughout the race. Michigan was a typical example. At the end, he was better than all but the top three.
He even irked rival, friend and chief contender Earnhardt Jr., bumping him on his way to the front during his late charge.
Earnhardt Jr., disappointed that Kenseth outran him again, continuing to pad his point lead, was livid after the race.
"Every time we're racing each other he runs me into the wall," a frustrated Earnhardt Jr. said. "We're buddies and all but hopefully he won't get mad when I plant him. ... If that's how they want to battle, that's how we'll battle."
"We got those tires at the end and you've got to be real aggressive," Kenseth said. "I probably didn't quite have Dale Jr. cleared as much as I thought I did and we got together a little bit. That got him mad. I'm sorry for that, but we were just racing as hard as we could and I'm glad to come home fourth."
That's why Kenseth continues to run away with the points race. He understands that a solid top 5 finish is nearly as good as a victory when he has the rest of the title contenders at a safe distance in his rearview mirror.
The only thing that could derail Kenseth at this point is bad luck, which he hasn't had so far. Amazingly, he doesn't have a single DNF (Did Not Finish), a dubious stat that has as much to do with the season-long champion as anything else.
Stewart had six last year and still won the title. Even in a good year, the series champion usually has at least three or four.
Earnhardt Jr., Gordon and Labonte all have just one, yet they are still way behind Kenseth.
"Not to wish anyone bad luck, but he hasn't had any," Gordon says. "It's really how you come through the tough times and those bad-luck days is really what determines whether you become champion. It really comes down to that bad day instead of all those good days.
"If he keeps doing what he's doing, it's going to be hard to catch him. You have to think that the percentages will catch up with him, and then it's our job to capitalize on it if it happens. We're not even halfway through the season yet, so we'll have to see what happens."
Kenseth's biggest test could come in the next two races. Like most stock car stars, he is not a particularly strong road racer, so this weekend's road course race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., could be a challenge.
If he stumbles, it could be the place where Gordon gains the most ground. He has won at his home track three times.
Then comes Daytona, where Roush Racing drivers typically struggle or, at least, always seem to suffer some misfortune.
If Kenseth can survive those two races, he will be hard to beat during the long, summer stretch.
