NSCS Race Recap - Samsung Mobile 500

Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCAR

Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Ford) broke his 76-race winless streak by capturing the checkered flag at the conclusion of the Samsung Mobile 500. His last victory was back in February 2009 at Auto Club Speedway. This is Kenseth's first victory and fourth top-10 finish in the 2011 Sprint Cup season. He crossed the finish line approximately 8.315 seconds ahead of hard-charging Clint Bowyer (No. 33 Chevy).

"I've said it after every win, but especially after over two years, I didn't know if I'd ever have a chance to get here again," Kenseth said after climbing out of his car in Victory Lane. "We had a packed house tonight, and it probably wasn't the closet finish for them, but we had great racing all night."

Kenseth felt that the long green flag runs aided in his win and he had this to say about that: "A couple of times, when we got behind a little bit, it took a while to get to the front. We were short on fuel (due to a fueling issue on pit road), but because of the tire situation - how much time you could gain on new tires - we got lucky. When we pitted, it forced the field to pit. That was the key to long runs."

Roush Fenway Racing was definitely a dominating force for the entire weekend at Texas Motor Speedway (Carl Edwards won the Nationwide race on Friday night). The next stop for the Sprint Cup Series is Talladega, Alabama, for the Aaron's 499 on April 17 to be broadcast at 1 p.m. EST. 

RACE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Roush Fenway Racing had all four cars starting in the top-10: David Ragan (Pole), Carl Edwards (P2), Matt Kenseth (P4) and Greg Biffle (P9). They all finished there too: Kenseth (P1), Edwards (P3), Biffle (P4), Ragan (P7).
  
• Kenseth led 169 of the 334-lap race
  
  
• 31 lead changes and 13 different race leaders
  
  
• 5 cautions throughout the race: Lap 10 - Tony Raines (No. 37) engine smoke; Lap 46 - David Gilliand (No. 34) hit the wall; Lap 114 - Kenny Schrader (No. 32) blown right front tire; Lap 208 - Debris on the track; and Lap 215 - Three car crash that involved Martin Truex Jr. (No. 56), Mark Martin (No. 5) and Regan Smith (No. 78)
• Tony Stewart was penalized for entering pit road too fast on Lap 276
  
• Andy Lally became the highest-finishing rookie by crossing the finish line 32nd
  
• Carl Edwards holds the lead in the points standings by 9 over Kyle Busch

UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:

1. Matt Kenseth
2. Clint Bowyer
3. Carl Edwards
4. Greg Biffle
5. Paul Menard
6. Marcos Ambrose
7. David Ragan
8. Jimmie Johnson
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
10. Kurt Busch
11. Jeff Burton
12. Tony Stewart
13. Juan Pablo Montoya
14. Ryan Newman
15. Denny Hamlin
16. Kyle Busch
17. Trevor Bayne
18. Brad Keselowski
19. A.J. Allmendinger
20. Kevin Harvick
21. Kasey Kahne
22. Jamie McMurray
23. Jeff Gordon
24. Joey Logano
25. Bobby Labonte
26. Casey Mears
27. Brian Vickers
28. Landon Cassill
29. David Reutimann
30. Dave Blaney
31. Robby Gordon
32. Andy Lally*
33. Ken Schrader
34. Tony Raines
35. Martin Truex, Jr.
36. Mark Martin
37. Regan Smith
38. David Starr
39. Joe Nemechek
40. Michael McDowell
41. J. J. Yeley
42. David Gilliand
43. Mike Skinner

(* annotates rookie)