ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Matt Kenseth shrugged off NASCAR's new points system — partially designed because he won just one race last season en route to the series championship — by nipping rookie Kasey Kahne at the finish line of North Carolina Speedway on Sunday to win the Subway 400, his first victory in nearly a year.
Kenseth led a race-high 259 laps, but had to fight furious charges from Kahne and Jamie McMurray over the final 10 laps before edging Kahne by .010 seconds — the nose of the No. 17 Ford.
It was yet another thrilling finish at what could be the final race at "The Rock." The tiny track has already lost one of its races under NASCAR's realignment plan and poor attendance could ultimately cost it its remaining date.
There were only about 50,000 fans in attendance at a track that seats 60,113, and those who stayed home missed the usually conservative Kenseth use aggressive moves to dominate the middle of the race then have to hang on tightly to win it.
Robby Gordon wrecked with 42 laps to go to bring out the final caution and several cars were already on pit road, including Kenseth. But he inexplicably stayed in front during a confusing exchange of stops that left just nine cars on the lead lap.
Kenseth was listed as the leader on the restart with just 30 laps to go, followed by Kahne, McMurray, Sterling Marlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Rusty Wallace, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Ward Burton.
Kenseth opened up a large lead on the restart as he pulled away while everyone behind him had to deal with traffic. But after Kahne and McMurray flopped spots, they set their sights on running down Kenseth.
The three ran nose-to-tail over the final laps, with Kenseth often taking the high line as Kahne tried to sweep below him in the No. 9 Dodge and into the lead. McMurray went even lower, but could never get past either in his Dodge.
It set up a battle between Kenseth and Kahne on the final lap, with Kahne pulling even down the final stretch before getting nosed out at the line.
Kahne, who took over for Bill Elliott this season in the car Elliott drove to victory here last November, finished second in his second Nextel Cup series event.
McMurray, who won the Busch series race on Saturday, finished third right behind them. Marlin, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, was fourth.
But it was Kenseth who drove off to Victory Lane, his first trip there since March 2 of last season at Las Vegas. It had to be a sweet feeling for the reigning champion, whose run to the title and personality were considered too boring for the new NASCAR.
Although Kenseth led the point standings for 33 straight weeks last season, that Vegas victory was his only win of the year and created heavy criticism on a points system that rewarded consistency over wins.
So NASCAR tweaked it this year, offering a five-point bonus to race winners and creating a new format that turns the last 10 races into a mini-playoff. Although the sanctioning body insisted it wasn't because of the way Kenseth earned his title, it was clearly a not-so-subtle slap at the champion.
None of that mattered to Kenseth on Sunday. He started 23rd and took his first of five leads 90 laps into the race.
By winning the race and leading the most laps, he picked up 10 bonus points and pulled into second in the standings. He trails Daytona 500 winner Earnhardt Jr., who finished a career-best fifth, by seven points in the standings.