Matt Kenseth wins the Bank of America 500

Victory celebration for Matt Kenseth after he wins the Bank of America 500,
Credit: Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

Tony Stewart started the Bank of America 500 on the pole; only six races to go until the Championship title is won and Stewart's Chase season has been on the right track after winning the first two races.

Matt  Kenseth was second tonight and he held on to that spot for a lap, until  Greg Biffle passed him.

AJ Allmendinger's No. 43 Best Buy Ford started the race in 4th position; he was optimistic and showed a lot of energy earlier today when talking about tonight's race. He was fast all weekend long, staying in the top 10 for practice. He's 14th in points as the season winds down. He maintained a top ten spot throughout the night although complained that the rear of  his car was loose.

It was one of those races that drivers had a hard time passing one another and many drivers were frustrated with their cars.

The first caution was thrown out on lap 78 for debris in turn one. Biffle was given a penalty because he had to pit a second time for missing a lug nut. It's his 15th penalty this year for violations on pit road.

Kenseth regained the lead  and Jimmie Johnson caught up to him. Johnson started in sixth position and held on to the top five. He and Kenseth fought for first place.

The second caution came out on lap 146 for debris.

The third caution came out after Mark Martin crashed and he was sent to the garage to fix the right front wheel hub. He would return to the track -47 laps down after repairs to the No. 5 car.

Kyle Busch may not have had the best of nights, starting in the rear because of having to make an engine changes to his car Friday night. Busch caught up to the lead and raced for first place with Stewart. He led a race high total of 111 laps.

The fourth caution came out when Trevor Bayne, driver of the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford, ran out of fuel and stopped on the backstretch.

The fifth caution came out due to oil on the track from the ailing car of Dave Blaney.

The six caution came out after Kasey Kahne, who had been fast all weekend spun out and caused the first accident of the night. Kahne was racing for fifth, sixth and seventh with David Ragan and Jeff Gordon.

Biffle again had problems, causing the seventh caution, after slamming into the wall upon making contact with Stewart.

Johnson tried to pass Ryan Newman in his No. 48 car and spun out. Johnson crashed, hitting the wall hard.  It was a brutal end to the night of the No. 48 team. Johnson climbed out of the car safely and was treated and released from the Infield Care Center. He finished 34th and fell back to 8th in the points standings.

In the end, Kenseth won, his 21st victory in 431 starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This is his third victory in 2011 and his second win at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kenseth is now the 3rd seed in the Chase, only 7 points behind the leader Edwards.

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