Kenseth leading field west to one of his better tracks
Matt Kenseth leads the pack into Race 2 for the first time in his 10 full Cup Series seasons. His victory at the Daytona 500 sets the stage for a certain shake up in the point standings when the sun sets at Fontana on Sunday.
When the season opener was called 48 laps from conclusion, several championship-hopeful teams were left in the rain at Daytona — including four-time series champion Jeff Gordon. He enters Fontana in 12th place but has high hopes that a good run on Sunday will give his team a boost in the point standings.
“Because [Daytona] is a restrictor-plate track, I don’t think last Sunday’s results have any meaning on what kind of year you’re going to have,” Gordon said. “I think you get a better understanding of how you stack up against the other teams after the races at California and Las Vegas.
“Without testing, I think the teams that were successful on the intermediate tracks last year will probably be strong again. But that’s a double-edged sword. When you’re successful, you’re afraid to change too much. Teams that weren’t strong may roll the dice and look outside the box, and they may hit on something.
“We are one of those teams that haven’t adapted to this new car as quickly as we would have liked, so we may have to change our thought process.”
Changing a thought process is something Kenseth will have to do in the wake of the Daytona 500 winner’s media tour blitz. In years past he’s been among those who have packed up and headed for the next race. This week, he’s been here, there and everywhere — except at the garage and focusing his undivided attention on the next race.
“It really doesn’t take any pressure off,” Kenseth said. “It puts, I think, a little bit of a spring in everybody’s step. It probably gives everybody a little bit more confidence.
“Daytona is a totally different race than Fontana or Atlanta or Bristol or any of these tracks that are really the bread-and-butter of the season. I mean, those are the tracks you have to run good to be a serious championship contender, but it certainly does give everybody a little confidence.”
source: nascar.com












