FanHouse MattKenseth

Join 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Matt Kenseth on Friday at 12:15 PM ET for a live chat. Kenseth, who will drive the No. 17 R+L Carriers Ford Fushion in Saturday's Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, is ranked 12th in the championship standings. He is one of two drivers in position to have qualified for the Chase for the Championship playoff format every year since its 2004 inception.

Next Wednesday, Kenseth will join an elite lineup of the sport's best when he competes in the Gillette Young Guns Prelude to the Dream at Eldora (Ohio) Speedway -- a charity race organized by Tony Stewart and broadcast live on HBO pay-per-view. Join this year's Daytona 500 winner on the chat as he answers your questions live.

Where: Lowe's Motor Speedway
Time: Sunday 5:45 p.m./EDT
TV/Radio: FOX Sports, PRN Radio
Twitter: In-race updates at FanHouseRacing
Forecast: 64 degrees, 80% chance of rain
Distance: 400 laps (600 miles)
Pole Winner: Ryan Newman
2008 Winner: Kasey Kahne
First-time NASCAR winners have been commonplace at Lowe's Motor Speedway for quite a few years now. Jeff Gordon got his first there as did Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth and Casey Mears.

Sunday night, though, the favorites look to be of the veteran variety.

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) -- Tony Stewart won his first race as a team owner Saturday night, breaking through for a $1 million payday with a victory in the annual All-Star race.

Stewart passed Matt Kenseth with two laps to go of a thrilling final 10-lap shootout to win his first All-Star event in 11 previous starts. It was the first victory since he left Joe Gibbs Racing at the end of last year, after two championships and 10 successful seasons, to become co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing.

If NASCAR's looking for a good way to spice up qualifying, they've already got the format ready to roll.

But before we tackle that issue, Jimmie Johnson will lead off Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint All-Star Challenge at Lowe's Motor Speedway after he and his team dropped a fast time of 121.416 seconds in the three lap and four-tire pit stop qualifying process.

Johnson will lead Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth to the green flag for the first segment after one of the most-enjoyable ways to qualifying for a race the sport has come up with.

Where: Darlington Raceway
Time: Saturday 7:20 p.m./EDT
TV/Radio: FOX Sports, MRN Radio
Twitter: In-race updates at FanHouseRacing
Forecast: 64 degrees, 20% chance of storms
Distance: 367 laps (500.1 miles)
Pole Winner: Matt Kenseth
2008 Winner: Kyle Busch

NASCAR's gettin' used to this two day show format, it would seem. Both this weekend's action at Darlington Raceway and last weekend's run at Richmond have been run in a quick and simple two day pattern.

Less than impressed.

That was pretty much the consensus of drivers following Wednesday's Goodyear tire test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway -- the sixth test since a tire debacle at the track during last year's NASCAR race resulted in no green flag runs more than 16 laps.

"The tires still are not ideal,'' said Ryan Newman, who represented the Chevrolet contingent in the four-car test. "I know Goodyear is still working on that. It is just a tough situation, man."

David Ragan's first NASCAR victory in 196 starts was the major story of Saturday's Nationwide race, but it definitely wasn't the biggest highlight. As Holly mentioned in her recap, a wild wreck by Matt Kenseth had every spectator in awe at Talladega.

After Kenseth lost control with 12 laps left, the car skidded on its roof, flipped three times and caught fire along the grass. Thankfully he was able to make a quick escape from the car as his pregnant wife, Katie, watched with bated breath.

Just weeks ago, the name Matt Kenseth was the only available substitute for '2009 Sprint Cup winner'.

The Roush Fenway Racing driver picked up the Harley J. Earl Trophy for winning the rain-soaked Daytona 500 and followed it up a week later with a 'W' in the season's second race at Auto Club Speedway.

Since then, however, Kenseth has fallen through the standings at a clip rivaling a Ryan Newman qualifying lap.

Less than a lap into Sunday's Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Matt Kenseth's chance to make NASCAR history went up in smoke.

As did the chances for victory for David Ragan and Mark Martin after both of their engines expired early in the third race of the season.

The on-track problems weren't just relegated to those with engine problems as many drivers in the Top-10 of the point standings had issues on Sunday.