Matt Kenseth is currently 20th in the points standings. Darrell Ingham/Getty Images

I looked everywhere, scanning the crowd of 210,000, trying to find evidence of a NASCAR fan. Two weeks ago I was in Barcelona for Spanish Grand Prix, a Formula One race. On race day I arrived early at the Circuit de Catalunya, located 15 miles outside of Barcelona, to see if I could locate any NASCAR fans taking in an event at the world's most popular racing series.

I walked across the lush green hills that surround the winding road course and were teeming with tailgaters of vast nationalities. Nothing. I strolled through the parking lots, where kegs of Estrella Damm were flowing freely and the Sangria was plentiful. Still no sight of any member of NASCAR nation. I went into the track and sidled around the infield. Nada. During the race I closely inspected the grandstands, looking for a Dale Jr. shirt or Jeff Gordon hat; still nothing.

A few hours after the race, which was won by Finland's Kimi Raikkonen, I continued my wandering around the outer fields. And just before I hitched a ride back into the city, I hit the jackpot: A German fan that was sitting on a blanket on a sun-drenched knoll was wearing --- you guessed it -- a Matt Kenseth T-shirt. Astonished, I approached. As our German friend drank something that looked and smelled like homemade Jägermeister, I asked him why he liked Kenseth.

"Matt siz a pro's pro," he said in his choppy English. "There are many of us in Germany who zink he is great."

So there you have it, race fans -- Matt Kenseth: international racing star. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, does it?

But talking to that German fan got me wondering about what, exactly, is wrong this season with Kenseth, who is currently 20th in the points standing. So far in 2005 the '03 Cup champion has been dramatically underwhelming. In 11 starts he has zero top-5 finishes, one top 10, and five 25th place or worse finishes. What's more, his Roush Racing teammates Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch have consistently ran near the front of the pack, winning a combined four races and compiling a total of eight top-five finishes. All of which means that the caliber of Kenseth's equipment isn't the problem.

So what is? Here's a quick rundown of Kenseth's season to date: At Daytona he blew an engine (he finished 42nd). At California he cut a tire (26th). In Las Vegas he again had tire problems, but still had a solid race (eighth). In Atlanta he wrecked in the first lap (31st). At Bristol he suffered another flat tire (16th). He ran well at Martinsville (11th). In Texas he got busted for speeding on pit road (18th). In Phoenix he blew a tire and smashed into the wall (42nd). At Talladega he was in several wrecks but scratched out a decent finish (11th). At Darlington his car was simply junk (26th). And last week at Richmond, where Kenseth has performed well in the past, the setup on his DeWalt Ford was always just a little off (12th).

"It's frustrating, but there's not a lot you can really do about it," says Kenseth. "It's not going to do any good to get mad or do anything else. You just got to keep working on it. Everybody is working on the cars as hard as they can work on them. They've been testing and trying to get the stuff better. We know we have the equipment to do it; we just have to keep working on it and figure out what we need to make the cars go fast."

So can Kenseth turn it around and make the Chase? It's possible, but unlikely. What he's got going for him is superior equipment, a crafty crew chief in Robbie Reiser, and loads of talent behind the wheel. What he doesn't have going for him is the fact that he and Reiser, for whatever reason, have been slower than most of the elite driver-crew chief combos to adjust to the shorter rear spoiler and softer tires that NASCAR has mandated this season. But if Kenseth can string together five or six Top-10 finishes -- and he's eminently capable of that -- then he'll be back in the hunt to qualify for the Chase.

Last year Kenseth won the All-Star race. That well-lubricated German fan that I came across in Barcelona predicted that Kenseth would again take the checkers this Saturday night. I agree. It'll be an upset -- and perhaps, if it happens, it will kick-start Kenseth's season, which so far has been stuck in neutral.

O'Brien's O'Pinion

Last week my points lead over Rich O'Brien, SI's NASCAR editor swelled. I picked Tony Stewart to win at Richmond (he came in second) while Rich went with Dale Jr., who finished 14th. For the season I hold a 105-point edge over Rich (1,029 to 924).

Even though the All-Star race is a non-points event, Rich and I will treat it as such. Here's his take on what will transpire on Saturday night under the lights at Lowe's Motor Speedway:

"It's hard to pick against the 48 car (Jimmie Johnson) at Charlotte, but that team has hit a rough patch of late and may need a little time to iron things out," says Rich. "Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon had a monster test session at Lowe's recently and figures to be as strong as ever, but where's the fun in that pick? For the All-Star I'm going with the Alltel -- Ryan Newman has quietly raced himself up to seventh in the standings and has looked like a possible winner in the past two races. Seems like they've got the aero package worked out at last. Kasey Kahne got Dodge its first win of the season at Richmond and I think Newman will grab another in the Challenge."