KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Matt Kenseth avoided trouble during each of the first 28 races of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, allowing him to build a 436-point lead after the Sept. 21 race at Dover, Del.
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A blown engine last week at Talladega, Ala., and a crash on the 69th lap Sunday during the Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway has nearly cut his lead in half.
Kenseth, who had finished off the lead lap only twice in the first 28 races , finished 36th at Kansas, 47 laps behind race winner Ryan Newman.
"It's been a tough week, really," Kenseth said. "It started last week breaking an engine and then this week I wrecked on the first lap (of practice) on the track (on Friday). Ultimately this weekend was 80- or 90-percent my fault.
"We've had a couple bad weeks, that's for sure. A lot of time you create your own luck. Last week breaking an engine wasn't bad luck. It was poor decisions. This week it wasn't really bad luck, it was poor driving by me and poor decisions with the car, so I can't really blame it on luck."
Kenseth now has 4,282 points heading into next Saturday night's race at the Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C.
Kevin Harvick is second, 259 points behind, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. (325 points behind) in third, Newman (364) in fourth, Jimmie Johnson (380) in fifth, Jeff Gordon (420) in sixth and Bobby Labonte (637) in seventh.
CALENDER OF EVENTS: Apparently nobody in Kansas City owns a calendar.
Sunday's NASCAR race drew a state-record crowd of more than 90,000 fans, but was second in local interest to the Kansas City Chiefs-Denver Broncos game at nearby Arrowhead Stadium.
Thousands of fans brought small televisions to watch the game at the race. Many local reporters spent the afternoon watching on hand-held televisions or huddled in one of the speedway's lounge areas where the game, not the race, was on television.
Speedway announcers gave live scoring updates on the Chiefs-Broncos game; there were no leader updates given at the football game.
If that wasn't enough, the 24th annual American Royal Barbecue contest - the self-proclaimed biggest barbecue competition in the world - attracted 450 teams and thousands of rib-loving fans to the downtown area during the weekend.
RASING KAHNE: While Kasey Kahne and everyone associated with his Akins Motorsports race team insist he will return for a full season in 2004, a big question remains whether the young driver will jump ship to the Nextel Cup Series.
Kahne admitted he's had talks with "five or six" teams during the last two months about a promotion to the senior circuit.
"Hopefully something will happen where I can run some Cup races and run the full Busch schedule," Kahne said. "You have to listen if you get the right opportunity. I've talked to some people who seem to think I'm ready. People are taking notice and they're looking for young drivers. I'm a young driver looking out for his future, so I don't see anything wrong with talking to these people."
Kahne said he's talked with car owners Ray Evernham, Richard Childress and Joe Gibbs. None of the teams that have expressed interest in his future are from the Ford camp, he said.
"I'd like to stay with a Ford team," he said. "I don't know about contracts and that kind of stuff."
Kahne has a two-year contract with Robert Yates and a commitment with Brad Akins to drive his Great Clips Ford on the Busch circuit next year. Both said they intend to make Kahne honor his deal.
"We just announced a two-year commitment with Great Clips; we have a one-year commitment with (Kahne)," Akins said from his car dealership in Winder, Ga. "Talk is cheap. He's been approached from some other teams to do various things. From out perspective, we're buttoned up with a sponsor and a driver for next year. We'll see what the future brings. As far as our team, we're all good to go."
Kahne said the same thing, but suggested there is a chance he could leave.
"As of right now, I'm definitely staying where I'm at," Kahne said. "I'm in the Busch Series next year, no matter what."
Then asked if he would turn down a ride on the Nextel Cup Series to fulfill that commitment, Kahne wasn't as sure.
"No," he said. "I can't lie to you."
The resignation of Tommy Baldwin from Ultra Motorsports and Bill Elliott's expected move to a part-time schedule next season fueled speculation Baldwin and Kahne will team up at Evernham Motorsports next year.
PIT STOPS: James Ince, the crew chief for Johnny Benson, has taken a leave of absence from the team to tend to some family problems. He was replaced Sunday by car chief Jay Guy 5/8 Brett Bodine was at the speedway, but he left shortly before the command to start the engines. "I'm not a good spectator," he said. Bodine has a new sponsor signed for the 2004 season, but he plans to run the final three races of this year so his team can get used to working with each other 5/8 In three starts at Kansas, Ryan Newman has one win and two second-place finishes.
