Kenseth Goes 2-for-2
Matt Kenseth won his second straight race (after winning none in 2008), following his win in the rain-shortened Daytona 500 with a comfortable win in Fontana. A couple more weeks like this and all he’ll need to do is avoid DNFs during the summer to make the Chase. Other observations after week 2:
Toyotas are running strong; partially this just reflects the move of JGR but 5 of the top 15 finishers were Toyotas, versus 4 Chevys, 3 Fords and 3 Dodges. Actually, the three Dodges may be more impresive since none of the Big Four teams drive them, but its still good to see Toyota prospering despite the American manufacturers bringing their traditional MO to NASCAR (i.e. produce an inferior product, then lobby top have the rules changed to handicap the more sucessful competitor). We live in Barry Obama’s America now; merit is for assholes.
Props to Tony Stewart, finishing 8th and being competitive all day. As things stand he will be the last owner-driver in NASCAR history with a credible chance to compete for the Cup. I remain somewhat skeptical of his chances over the long run, but I hope he proves me wrong and shows that you can be competitive outside the Big Four.
Speaking of which, Joey Logano did indeed do better than in Daytona, moving up 8 notches from his staring position to finish 26th. In truth, it was a mediocre performance - he only moved up by the number of cars that failed to finish the race - but for an 18 year old in his second start, mediocrity seems promising.
On to Las Vegas.