Kenseth cruises back to Victory Lane

FONTANA, Calif. --- Matt Kenseth got a big assist from rain to win the Daytona 500. A week later he got just as much help from his pit crew to win the Auto Club 500.

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Associated Press

Matt Kenseth celebrates winning the Auto Club 500 on Sunday. The driver has two victories after going winless in 2008.

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Associated Press

Matt Kenseth became the fifth driver in NASCAR history to win the season's first two races.

After going winless in 2008, Kenseth is undefeated in 2009. His pit crew got him off pit road first during the final two pit stops, and from there Kenseth did the rest in his No. 17 Ford.

"It's these guys behind me; I have such a great race team," Kenseth said. "They gave me the pit stops that gave me the clean air. That was huge for me."

In the process he became the fifth driver in the 61-year NASCAR history to win the first two races of the season. The others were Marvin Panch in 1957, Bob Welbourn in 1959, David Pearson in 1976 and Jeff Gordon in 1997.

He also kept Kyle Busch from creating his own history as the only driver to win all three national touring divisions in the same weekend.

A light rain started during driver introductions and never really cleared the area. There were two cautions in the first 45 laps to dry the track.

Jimmie Johnson started on the outside pole and quickly shot to the lead on the first lap. The only thing that slowed him down in the first 78 laps was the bad weather.

Although Johnson was comfortably up front early, there was considerable focus on the middle of the pack. Most watched Busch's progress to see if he could become the first driver in NASCAR history to win all three national touring events in the same weekend.

On Saturday, he won the Camping World Truck Series race and the Nationwide Series event. He got as high as fourth early in the race and spent most of the first 400 miles making adjustments on his Toyota.

With 40 laps to go, he was in contention for the win, but Kenseth easily pulled away and was out of sight at the finish. Gordon took control on Lap 78 by driving on the track apron in the third turn and finally getting ahead of Johnson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate.

Greg Biffle's team got him off pit road the quickest during a round of green-flag stops at halfway to put him out front, but he lost it to Kenseth on the next pit stop during the third caution for rain.

Gordon re-assumed the lead by passing Kenseth on the 196th lap, but Kenseth used another fast pit stop after Kevin Harvick blew an engine and hit the wall with 42 laps to go to get back out front for the re-start. Gordon emerged from pit road in second place and Busch was third with 35 laps remaining.

For Harvick, it was the first time in 82 consecutive races -- more than two years--- he wasn't running at the finish.

Gordon got on Kenseth's rear bumper twice in the final 20 laps, but both times Kenseth kept his car glued to the bottom groove -- and out front. Gordon's car finally faded in the final 12 laps, allowing Kenseth to run away to an easy 100-yard victory.

"It was a lot of fun," Gordon said. "This is a new team. We've still got a little bit of work to do. I'm so excited on one side. I feel like we had what it took tonight. When I caught him, I just couldn't do anything with him. We're a long ways ahead of where we were this time last year."