Matt Kenseth’s car was fast on the track and deemed illegal off it, as NASCAR determined Kenseth’s No. 20 car did not meet specifications after he won Sunday’s NASCAR race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Kenseth’s car failed the postrace laser inspection system station, which measures various parts pertaining to the chassis including alignment, tire chamber and axle housing. Officials will bring the car back to NASCAR’s research and developmental center in Concord, N.C., for additional scrutiny.
The infraction is not serious enough to warrant NASCAR taking away the victory, Kenseth’s second of the season. Traditionally teams that have cars fail laser inspection have been assessed a 15-point deduction and a $25,000 fine for the crew chief.
Any penalties will be announced on Wednesday.
Kenseth’s win capped a dominating afternoon for Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing and JGR’s affiliate team, Furniture Row Racing, which saw their cars combine to lead 299 of 301 laps. Kyle Busch (JGR) led a race-high 133 laps, with Martin Truex Jr. (FRR) out front for 123 circuits.
Kenseth used fresh tires to complete the winning pass of teammate Denny Hamlin with 31 laps remaining, then withstood three restarts to maintain that lead. Tony Stewart finished second, with Joey Logano third, Kevin Harvick fourth and Greg Biffle fifth.
“Every restart you’re just hoping not to mess up and spin the tires too bad,” Kenseth said. “Thankfully, we had good ones and we had great power and we had good traction and we were able to get going pretty good in a straight line, and then after a couple laps we were able to roll the middle and get away.”
Kenseth’s triumph is his second consecutive at New Hampshire and third in the past six races on the one-mile track. He had been 0-for-27 prior to his first win there in 2013.
“It’s been a real turnaround for me,” Kenseth said. “It used to be one of my worst places and now I feel like it’s one of our better places.”
Truex appeared set to win his second race of 2016, but as he went to leave pit road following a late stop his gear shifter broke apart, locking the car in fourth gear and preventing him from getting up to speed quickly on restarts. He finished 16th.
Having a victory slip away again fits a recurring theme that’s hindered Truex several times throughout the season. No driver has led more laps than Truex this season, but mistakes, bad luck and other mitigating factors cost him potential wins at Daytona, Texas, Kansas, Dover and Kentucky.
“We’re doing everything right, but we’re taking some on the chin here, but this isn’t when it counts so we’ll just keep our heads up and keep working,” Truex said. “Our race cars are fast and everyone is doing a great job. Sooner or later we’ll get everything straight.”
Until hitting the wall due to a cut tire, Alex Bowman impressed filling in for the sidelined Dale Earnhardt Jr, who announced on Thursday he was suffering from concussion-like symptoms. Bowman was running in the top 10 when contact with several cars on a Lap 269 restart resulted in the tire failure, sending the 23-year-old crashing into the outside Turn 1 wall. He finished 26th.
“I hate the circumstances, obviously, and I hope Dale is feeling better,” Bowman said. “I’m just so appreciative of the opportunity to be here. I’m really disappointed to end our day that way, but we showed we were a top 10 car all day long.”
Team owner Rick Hendrick told reporters on Sunday he is hopeful Earnhardt will return for next week’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. If Earnhardt is not medically cleared, retired four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon will substitute.
New Hampshire 301 Results
