30 Degrees of Banking

NASCAR Nuggest: STP 400

By Ryan Frisco

So you've heard the saying 'Better late than never.'  This review of Sunday's race is definitely late, and probably would have been better 'never,' but I'm writing it anyway.

Photo Cred www.kansascity.com

The Victor:  For the third week in a row we had a driver win their second race of the year.  Way to go Matt Kenseth!  It's amazing what someone with true talent can do behind the wheel of that #20 Joe Gibbs car (yes, that was a dig on Joey Logano).  Great start to the year, Kenseth keeps putting himself in the right place late in the race.  A solid block job on Kasey Kahne lookied eerily familiar to his victory earlier this season at Las Vegas. 

The First Loser:  And once again, Kasey Kahne shows up in this segment.  He just has the hardest time passing Matt Kenseth for the lead!  Kahne is proving himself a dominant force in NASCAR this year, and barring a lot of bad luck later this season (which has been the case for Kasey in 99% of his seasons), my preseason pick to win the cup may very well be hoisting in in Homestead.

Tough Break: Kyle Busch.  He had been on a tear up until this week.  He was driving the car so hard he spun it out on his own not just once, but twice!  The first time didn't hurt him except for losing a bit of ground.  The second time did him (and Joey Logano) in. Watch the below wreck.

Ouch!  Not a huge deal for Kyle, who already has two wins and has all but solidified a spot in the Chase.  For Logano though, after last week's 25 point penalty, this is a big blow.  He's got a lot of ground to make up and those kind of crashes cannot keep happening.

Up in Smoke: Let's talk about Tony Stewart.  What is going on with his season?!  Two years ago he won the championship, along with five races. Last season he proved himself extremely competitive, winning three races and making the Chase.  This year?  One Top 10.  His average running position is like 20th and he hasn't even been finishing in the Top 20.  Not sure what's going on in the Stewart-Haas racing team, but it's sure bringing Newman and Patrick down with him.  Tony needs to get things together over there.

Up next is an AWESOME  night race in Richmond!  Can't wait till Saturday night!