Matt Kenseth won the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway, scoring his 13th Nextel Cup victory in his 243rd career start.
This was Kenseths third victory in 2006. He also won at California and Dover.
Kenseth moved into 46th on NASCARs all-time winners list tied with Tim Richmond and Dick Rathmann.
Kenseth scored his second victory at Michigan International Speedway and 11th victory on a superspeedway. His last victory at Michigan came in June 2002.
Kenseth won the race from the third-place starting position.
Kenseth scored his 13th top-10 finish in 23 races this season.
Kenseth remained second in the point standings, now 475 ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne.
Kenseth led the most laps for the third time in 2006 and the first time since Chicagoland, five races ago.
Kenseth led six times for 87 laps including the final 32 laps in the GFS Marketplace 400.
This was team owner Jack Roushs 93rd Nextel Cup victory. Roush has scored nine Nextel Cup victories at Michigan.
Jack Roush Racing has won at least one race each season 1997-2006, 10 consecutive years.
Notebook Items
Jeff Gordon (second) scored his 10th top-10 finish in 2006. It marked his 19th top-10 finish in 28 races at Michigan International Speedway. This is Gordons sixth runner-up finish at Michigan. Gordon climbed from ninth to sixth in the point standings and is 99 points ahead of 11th place Kasey Kahne.
Tony Stewart (third) scored his 13th top-10 finish in 2006. It was his 10th top-10 finish in 16 races at Michigan. Stewart climbed from seventh to fifth in the point standings, 127 points ahead of 11th place Kasey Kahne.
Kasey Kahne (fourth) scored his 12th top-10 finish in 2006. It was his fourth top-10 finish in six races at Michigan. Kahne is now 49 points behind 10th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr..
Mark Martin (fifth) scored his 11th top-10 finish in 2006. It was his 27th top-10 finish in 42 races at Michigan International Speedway. Martin climbed from sixth to fourth in the point standings, 138 points ahead of 11th place Kasey Kahne.
Kevin Harvick (11th) extended a 35-race streak of running at the finish that began at California last September, the longest current streak. Harvick ended a streak of six straight top-10 finishes that began at Daytona in July.
At least one of the Raybestos Rookie-of-the Year contenders has scored a top-15 finish in all 23 races this season. Reed Sorenson finished eighth and Denny Hamlin finished ninth, the seventh time in 2006 that two or more rookies finished in the top 10. For Hamlin it marked his 11th top-10 finish in 2006, the most among the rookie contenders.
Kyle Busch (39th) ended a streak of eight straight top-15 finishes that began at Michigan in June.
Jeff Burton (42nd) ended a streak of 16 straight top-15 finish that began at Texas in April. Burtons last DNF came at Talladega in October 2005. Burton dropped from fourth to ninth in the point standings and is just 84 points ahead of 11th-place Kasey Kahne.
Point leader Jimmie Johnson (13th today) has been ranked among the top 10 for 92 consecutive races. He now leads secondplace Matt Kenseth by just 58 points.
The 10 caution periods set the record for the most at Michigan since 1969. The previous record was nine caution periods set in five previous races.(NASCAR Statistical Services)(8-20-2006)
