Kenseth charges late to nab Subway 400

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- A charge from fourth to first late in the race gave Matt Kenseth the victory Sunday in the Subway 400 at North Carolina Speedway.

Kenseth's Roush Racing Ford was among the fastest cars throughout the 393-lap event and his crew, which won the annual pit crew contest here last October in record time, kept him in front of the pack most of the day.

"We were slamming and banging out there and we just got real lucky," Kenseth said after driving to his second career victory and first since the Coca-Cola 600 in May 2000. This one was completed under yellow after NASCAR officials threw a caution flag for debris with just five laps remaining.

Kenseth, who finished 32nd in Daytona, averaged 115.478 mph in the race slowed by caution for a total of 57 laps. He won $157,400.

Kenseth built leads of more than 4 seconds after taking the top spot during a stop under caution on lap 257. He remained out front until pole-winner Rick Craven, who had fallen behind after leading the first 104 laps, regained the lead on lap 365 by staying on the 1.017-mile oval while the other leaders pitted under the eighth of nine cautions.

Kenseth was right behind Craven when the green flag flew on lap 370, but he got a poor restart and slipped to fourth, trailing Craven, Sterling Marlin and Rusty Wallace.

He managed to pass Wallace, but Bobby Labonte zoomed past both of them to grab third the next time around the oval.

Craven, whose tires were 14 laps older than the other leaders, started to give up ground quickly on the rough asphalt surface. Marlin, Labonte and Kenseth, all with fresh tires, passed his struggling Ford by lap 378, setting up the final drama.

On lap 386, Kenseth got a strong run on the low side of the third-turn banking, shot past Labonte's Pontiac and pulled alongside Marlin's Dodge coming off the fourth turn.

Marlin, right in the middle of the late battle the previous Sunday in the Daytona 500 until he collided with Jeff Gordon and bent a fender into his right front tire, tried hard to hold off Kenseth in this one.

But the No. 17 Ford, which led a race-high total of 152 laps, pulled into the lead on the first turn of lap 387 and one lap later the final yellow flag came out because pieces from Robby Gordon's blown tire littered the track.

Marlin, who finished second, took over the series lead by 18 points over Daytona winner Ward Burton, who finished 13th.

Labonte wound up third and Tony Stewart was fourth.