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A matter of inches Green holds off Kenseth for Carquest 300 win
Updated: Saturday May 26, 2001 7:56 PM
By Stephen Thomas, CNNSI.com CONCORD, N.C. -- For five laps, Jeff Green managed to parry each of Matt Kenseth's thrusts. For five laps, Green clung to the inside line and Kenseth ran the outside. For 4 1/2 of those last five laps, it seemed that Green would have enough to hold off Kenseth and earn his first win in 12 tries at Lowe's Motor Speedway. But with less than half a mile remaining in the CarQuest Auto Parts 300, Kenseth ducked inside Green's rear bumper and inched up on his friend's left, poised to steal the win. But Kenseth, bumping with Green down the final stretch, came up just short, finishing a scant .055 seconds behind. "That was heck of a race there," Kenseth said. "The track was really slick, the slickest it's ever been in a Busch car for sure, with the added horsepower. [Green] did everything he had to do to win. I wasn't going to wreck him or anyone for the win. He just let off the gas and slowed way down in three to keep me behind him. "Unless I punted him out of the way, I couldn't get underneath him. We made a little contact, he turned left and we rubbed all the way to the flag and he held me off. I had a lot of fun and I hope he did too." Indeed Green did, and by winning the 12th race of his career and his first in 12 tries at Charlotte, he passed Kevin Harvick for the overall lead in the race for his second consecutive Busch Grand National Series title. Green, second entering this race, now leads Kevin Harvick, who finished 26th, by 19 points, and Greg Biffle, who finished a disappointed sixth, by 94 points. "I just drove her wide open," a relieved Green said after the race. "My hat's off to Matt, that would have been a recipe for a wreck if it had been anyone other than Matt back there. He could've spun me out, but he didn't and I have to thank him for that. We're best of friends, that was just great racing. I got loose, got the lead back ... that was just a great." Green and Kenseth's battle was great, but for most of the afternoon, far and away the most interesting race was the one being acted out between leader Biffle and Harvick, who was as many as five laps down at the time. Indeed, Biffle was so dominant, leading 137 of the first 146 laps (and 154 overall) that only question that seemed to need answering was Will Greg give Kevin another lap back on this caution? And when, during the sixth caution of the day, Harvick waived a warning finger in Biffle's direction (because the latter wouldn't give up another lap to Harvick) it seemed that, if nothing else, fans would be treated to another chapter. However, when Kenseth passed Biffle on lap 146 and the eighth and final caution of the day came out two laps later, Biffle was finished -- he and his crew made the wrong adjustments to his car and he quickly faded from contention. "I didn't think anyone was going to be able to run with us," Biffle said. "I thought we could make some adjustments and we did, but, we didn't make the right adjustments. The car was a real handful, I was just happy to hang on to sixth. This track can change in a hurry." Biffle was understandably frustrated, but he won't find much sympathy from Green. "I don't know if he got worse there at the end," he said. "But we got better. I'd rather lead the last lap more than any other, 'cause that's what pays the money."
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