Mike Shaner
February 22, 2012
Daytona Beach Florida- If the first of the Daytona
qualifying races was somewhat bullish, the second was dazzling. Matt Kenseth
white knuckled his #17 Ford Fusion to victory with a Da Vinci like performance.
Kenseth outlasted teammate Greg Biffle
(who led the most laps) to give car owner Jack Roush his first victory in 25 twin
150 qualifying races. Biffle started on the pole and led the first three laps
before being overtaken by Kenseth.
J.J. Yeley
experienced car trouble bringing out the race’s only caution on lap 6. Kenseth
took the restart and powered away until Joey Logano passed him for the lead on
lap 12. At that point, Kenseth faded back and seemingly away, forgotten but not
gone.
Logano lead until Lap 18, when teammate Kyle Busch
decided to take a turn at the front. Busch, fresh off a victory in last
Saturday’s Bud Shootout lead the next 5 laps before Biffle charged to the front
with a thunderous push from Kenseth. Inexplicably, Biffle then pulled up and
left Kenseth to fend for himself, once again regulating him to the back of the
pack, out of sight but still lurking.
Biffle dominated from that moment, leading the next
35 circuits, but with two laps remaining Kenseth, with an unlikely assist from
Chevy driver Jimmy Johnson, motored his way to the front. Over the next two
laps Kenseth put on a clinic, showing both muscle and precision.
Kenseth and Johnson were running on the high side
passing cars in a furious display of gasoline fueled adrenaline, when Biffle
moved up to block. Kenseth, as with the stroke of a brush, or the cut of a scalpel,
turned low to simultaneously pass Biffle and lose Johnson. Johnson fell back to
third, while Biffle finished fifth. Non factors Regan Smith and Elliott Sadler
finished second and fourth respectively. Matt Kenseth proved to be a brilliant
tactician on Thursday, the only question is: Did he peak three days to soon?
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