From hell?s heart, he spits at Jeff Gordon.
Matt Kenseth is a man on a mission. Last Sunday?s USG Sheetrock 400, NASCAR?s Nextel Cup event at Chicagoland Speedway, will not go down in the books as one of Kenseth?s career highlights. Gordon rammed him from behind with just four laps remaining, knocking Kenseth out of first place and taking the checkered flag for himself soon afterward. Kenseth had to settle for 22nd place after starting eighth on the grid.
?I certainly didn?t mean to wreck him,? Gordon told reporters afterward, ?but I didn?t mind moving him out of the way, either.?
NASCAR observers are waiting with bated breath to see how Kenseth will respond at this Sunday?s Lenox Industrial Tools 300 (formerly the New England 300), which takes place at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon. Kenseth?s blood must be boiling by now; not only did NASCAR officials fail to penalize Gordon for his actions (which the sport?s governing body did to Carl Edwards for a less hostile collision at the Daytona 500), Kenseth was also rear-ended in street traffic Monday by a student driver and instructor. No injuries or thrown helmets were reported in that incident.
Kenseth is keeping his cool, at least in public, calling Gordon?s maneuver ?part of the business.? Kenseth apparently believes Gordon was simply earning a measure of revenge after Kenseth knocked him out of March?s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. But things are not always what they seem. Gordon probably had the better car at Chicagoland (Kenseth also spun out a second time, then ran out of gas), and his decision to ram Kenseth may have been borne out of strategy more than ill will.
With that in mind, it?s interesting to see Kenseth at +900 for this Sunday?s event, while Gordon slips to +1000. Gordon won this race back in 1995 when it was still called the Slick 50 300; he also has two other victories and an impressive nine Top-5 results in 22 appearances at Loudon, not to mention two wins in his last three Cup races. Kenseth has yet to win this event or any other at Loudon since joining the Cup circuit in 1998, a span of 12 races. Is revenge enough motivation to make up the difference?
Speaking of anger, Tony Stewart is the favorite for Sunday at +600, not to mention the defending champion with another win back in 2000 on his resume. Stewart just can?t seem to do much wrong in New Hampshire. He?s been outstanding at Loudon with eight Top-5 finishes in 14 races. But Stewart seems to have the same problems with gas that Kenseth has ? fuel, that is. Stewart also saw his tank come up dry in the waning moments of last week?s race.
Greg Biffle is second on the odds list at +800. The former Truck Series and Busch Series champion is still trying to get into the Chase so he can add the Nextel Cup to his overflowing trophy case. Biffle sits in 11th in the standings, as he was before Chicagoland, but he?s a lot further behind after Gordon?s win (he?s in 10th), plus Top-4 results by both Kyle Busch (in eighth) and Kevin Harvick (in ninth). Biffle doesn?t really have the kind of track record at Loudon to breathe life into his Chase chances ? just three Top-10 results and no victories in seven appearances.
Joining Kenseth at +900 is Cup standings leader Jimmie Johnson. Kenseth?s troubles at Chicagoland allowed Johnson to open up a 51-point gap between the two, although that will be relatively meaningless once the Chase begins and the points are redistributed. Johnson keeps grinding away in the meantime, leading all Cup drivers this season with 15 Top-10 results (including four wins). He won both Cup stops at Loudon in 2003; those were Johnson?s only two Top-5 finishes in eight career races.
The New Hampshire International Speedway is one of the newer tracks on the circuit, having opened in 1990. Other than the nickname ?The Magic Mile,? there?s nothing particularly notable about the track ? no famous quirks to cater to the abilities of any specific driver. There?s a logjam on the odds list behind the aforementioned drivers; in total, there are 14 men with odds of +1500 or shorter. That group includes 2004 winner Kurt Busch at +1200. The only other former winner on the list is 2001 champion Dale Jarrett, way down at the bottom of the pile at +10000 along with Joe Nemechek and Martin Truex Jr.
--Perry
BetWWTS.com
Matt Kenseth is a man on a mission. Last Sunday?s USG Sheetrock 400, NASCAR?s Nextel Cup event at Chicagoland Speedway, will not go down in the books as one of Kenseth?s career highlights. Gordon rammed him from behind with just four laps remaining, knocking Kenseth out of first place and taking the checkered flag for himself soon afterward. Kenseth had to settle for 22nd place after starting eighth on the grid.
?I certainly didn?t mean to wreck him,? Gordon told reporters afterward, ?but I didn?t mind moving him out of the way, either.?
NASCAR observers are waiting with bated breath to see how Kenseth will respond at this Sunday?s Lenox Industrial Tools 300 (formerly the New England 300), which takes place at New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon. Kenseth?s blood must be boiling by now; not only did NASCAR officials fail to penalize Gordon for his actions (which the sport?s governing body did to Carl Edwards for a less hostile collision at the Daytona 500), Kenseth was also rear-ended in street traffic Monday by a student driver and instructor. No injuries or thrown helmets were reported in that incident.
Kenseth is keeping his cool, at least in public, calling Gordon?s maneuver ?part of the business.? Kenseth apparently believes Gordon was simply earning a measure of revenge after Kenseth knocked him out of March?s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. But things are not always what they seem. Gordon probably had the better car at Chicagoland (Kenseth also spun out a second time, then ran out of gas), and his decision to ram Kenseth may have been borne out of strategy more than ill will.
With that in mind, it?s interesting to see Kenseth at +900 for this Sunday?s event, while Gordon slips to +1000. Gordon won this race back in 1995 when it was still called the Slick 50 300; he also has two other victories and an impressive nine Top-5 results in 22 appearances at Loudon, not to mention two wins in his last three Cup races. Kenseth has yet to win this event or any other at Loudon since joining the Cup circuit in 1998, a span of 12 races. Is revenge enough motivation to make up the difference?
Speaking of anger, Tony Stewart is the favorite for Sunday at +600, not to mention the defending champion with another win back in 2000 on his resume. Stewart just can?t seem to do much wrong in New Hampshire. He?s been outstanding at Loudon with eight Top-5 finishes in 14 races. But Stewart seems to have the same problems with gas that Kenseth has ? fuel, that is. Stewart also saw his tank come up dry in the waning moments of last week?s race.
Greg Biffle is second on the odds list at +800. The former Truck Series and Busch Series champion is still trying to get into the Chase so he can add the Nextel Cup to his overflowing trophy case. Biffle sits in 11th in the standings, as he was before Chicagoland, but he?s a lot further behind after Gordon?s win (he?s in 10th), plus Top-4 results by both Kyle Busch (in eighth) and Kevin Harvick (in ninth). Biffle doesn?t really have the kind of track record at Loudon to breathe life into his Chase chances ? just three Top-10 results and no victories in seven appearances.
Joining Kenseth at +900 is Cup standings leader Jimmie Johnson. Kenseth?s troubles at Chicagoland allowed Johnson to open up a 51-point gap between the two, although that will be relatively meaningless once the Chase begins and the points are redistributed. Johnson keeps grinding away in the meantime, leading all Cup drivers this season with 15 Top-10 results (including four wins). He won both Cup stops at Loudon in 2003; those were Johnson?s only two Top-5 finishes in eight career races.
The New Hampshire International Speedway is one of the newer tracks on the circuit, having opened in 1990. Other than the nickname ?The Magic Mile,? there?s nothing particularly notable about the track ? no famous quirks to cater to the abilities of any specific driver. There?s a logjam on the odds list behind the aforementioned drivers; in total, there are 14 men with odds of +1500 or shorter. That group includes 2004 winner Kurt Busch at +1200. The only other former winner on the list is 2001 champion Dale Jarrett, way down at the bottom of the pile at +10000 along with Joe Nemechek and Martin Truex Jr.
--Perry
BetWWTS.com
