Kenseth

After last night's Sharpie 500 in Bristol, Tenn., Matt Kenseth held a 351-point lead in his pursuit of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series title. A comfortable lead. Is it insurmountable, as well? No one knows because over the years Winston Cup drivers have demonstrated a wonderful ability to stage the kind of comebacks that dramas are made of. Teams can make up a maximum of 151 points in a single race - a race win with a maximum of 10 bonus points vs. a last-place finish. The biggest comeback of all time was made by Darrell Waltrip, who in 1981 overcame a 341-point deficit in the final 17 races and won the title.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -As the rain clouds crept closer to Daytona International Speedway yesterday, Matt Kenseth crept closer to the front of the field. He passed Elliott Sadler with a push from Kevin Harvick to take the lead on Lap 146 of the Daytona 500. And as the rain came down six laps later, Kenseth, known for his even-keeled and calm personality, started screaming into his radio: "Rain! Rain! Rain! Rain!" It caught his crew chief off guard, but this was a big moment. Kenseth was in first place when the race was red-flagged because of rain.

Every week, it's another manifestation of the boys having at it. Monday it came from Jeff Gordon , who was so furious at Matt Kenseth for bumping him late in the race, he made it his mission to make sure Kenseth didn't win. "If somebody hits me, I'm going to hit them," Gordon said. "I'm glad I did what I did on the back straightaway. If a guy gives you a cheap shot like that, he doesn't deserve to win the race." Yes, that was Jeff Gordon showing that emotion. Kenseth's response wasn't timid either.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR's 2005 Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart made it clear he wanted NASCAR to crack down on aggressive drivers in this Daytona 500 and NASCAR listened. The first driver to be penalized was Stewart, who drove his No. 20 Chevrolet across three lanes of traffic to push driver Matt Kenseth into the grass entering Turn 3 at Daytona International Speedway yesterday on Lap 108. "He took me out intentionally because he was mad," said Kenseth, who earlier in the race had leaned into Stewart when he said his car momentarily lost its grip.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Rookie Winston Cup driver Matt Kenseth won his first race at Daytona International Speedway yesterday. But it was in the Busch Series' NAPA Auto Parts 300. Kenseth held off Joe Nemechek and Terry Labonte for the victory, averaging 140.7351 mph in his Visine Chevrolet to win by 0.153 seconds. "I think the 500 is going to be a lot harder than this," said the rookie, who earned $98,750. "My Busch car is more stable, twice as stable as my Daytona 500 car. With the new shock and spring rule it's hard to make them run well because of the limited adjustments you can make."

Matt Kenseth, the first NASCAR Sprint Cup driver in 11 years to win the opening two races of the season, was in Towson yesterday for a sponsor appearance at DeWalt Industrial Tool Co. Instead of writing a mundane article about the Daytona 500 winner from Wisconsin, we posed him a series of questions he might never have been asked before --- and likely won't again. Who is bigger in Wisconsin, you or Brett Favre? I'd have to say Brett Favre - although since he left and went to the [New York]

FORT WORTH, Texas --Tony Stewart says he's racing in a different league from NASCAR's playoff contenders. Checker Auto Parts 500 Sunday, 3 p.m., Phoenix International Raceway, chs. 11, 4

He'll share a laugh with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the way to drivers' introductions, and he'll be cordial to other drivers during a night out arranged by his sponsor or car manufacturer. But, for the most part, Winston Cup points leader Matt Kenseth keeps to himself during race weekends. "There's something to be said for people not knowing you very well," said driver Jimmy Johnson. "There's a little intimidation factor, a little mystery. ... If no one knows you, they can't pick you apart.

Matt Kenseth is like nearly every other Winston Cup driver. He just wants to drive his race car. If all he had to do every day were to get up, get dressed and race, life would be perfect. But that's not the way it is. If a driver wants to race, he has to have a sponsor. The bigger the sponsor, the better the car. And to achieve harmony with that sponsor, a driver has to spend days like the one Kenseth spent in Baltimore recently, looking over the company's products, glad-handing employees and signing autographs.

NEW YORK - The city is dressed for celebration this time of year and, at the fashionable 21 Club, guests passed a large Christmas tree as they entered the restaurant. A fire blazed in the fireplace, and the staff was eager to help Winston Cup champion Matt Kenseth store his coat and find his way to the dining room, where he was to meet the media for lunch. But a funny thing happened as introductions were being made at the luncheon. The master of ceremonies introduced car owner Jack Roush and crew chief Robbie Reiser, who both got up and said a few words.