Image by fdtate via FlickrMatt Kenseth out-dueled Carl Edwards to win Saturday's Top Gear 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was Kenseth's first Nationwide Series start this year, and his first in the new Nationwide car.
The race became a battle between Kenseth, Edwards and Kyle Busch, but the two Fords quickly pulled away after the final restart on Lap 154, leaving Busch to settle for third. Kenseth, filling in for Trevor Bayne, passed Edwards on Lap 197 (of 200) and pulled away to win by 0.763 as Edwards ran out of gas coming to the finish line. Roush Fenway Fords have now finished 1-2 in the last two Nationwide races -- a first for the team in the series. Polesitter Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished fourth to give the team three of the top four finishes. Reed Sorenson finished fifth. (Race results)
Bayne, the 2011 Daytona 500 winner, now seems to be fully recovered from the mysterious illness that sidelined him since April 23. The team set him down for one more week as a precaution, and he's expected to be back on the track for next weekend's race at Chicagoland Speedway. Stenhouse will make his Sprint Cup debut tomorrow subbing for Bayne in the Coca-Cola 600 in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford.
Kimi Raikkonen made his Nationwide Series debut. It was not a success. An ill-handling car, a pit road speeding penalty and damage to the front splitter combined to give Raikkonen a 27th-place finish.
Elliott Sadler, who finished tenth, saw his series points lead shrink to just a single point over Stenhouse. Sorenson is just two points back. (Standings)
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