Johnny Benson

Matt Kenseth has begun to climb up the points standings and is one of four active drivers to have won at least two Sprint Cup races at Bristol Motor Speedway. And I think he will trump the field yet again on Sunday in the World’s Fastest Half Mile.

The No. 17 Roush Fenway Ford rallied to an eighth-place finish in Atlanta last weekend (Kenseth won the Nationwide Series event in Atlanta to break an 18-race winless streak.) after falling nearly two laps down. For Kenseth and Co., it was the team’s second top-10 finish in four 2008 starts.

The gutsy ride in Atlanta has given Kenseth some momentum. He climbed four spots in the points standings, and heads to the Volunteer State just eight points outside the top 10 in 12th place.

Kenseth almost always seems to drive well at the famed .533-mile oval. In 16 career Cup starts at the track, the Cambridge, Wis. native has recorded seven top-five finishes.

Both of Kenseth’s wins have come during the August race. He was denied a shot at a three-peat last summer after a late multi-car accident sent him to the garage for repairs.

Kenseth nearly rode to Victory Lane at the March race two seasons ago, but wound up third following a controversial bump by ex-teammate Kurt Busch with just four laps left.

In last spring’s race, Kenseth did not have his best car, but still drove for 167 laps in the top 10, and finished 11th despite a broken shock.

Other drivers to watch:
Jeff Gordon was angry at Kenseth for a bump late in that March 2006 race that caused the five-time Bristol winner to fall from third to 21st place. Gordon, while still wearing his helmet and HANS device, stalked Kenseth on pit road.

When Kenseth (who later accepted blame for the on-track incident) approached in an apologetic way, Gordon shoved him, and NASCAR officials immediately stepped between them.

No bad blood lingers between Kenseth and Gordon, whose average start in 15 career spring races at the Tennessee half-mile oval is 5.5, while his average finish is 9.9.

Gordon, however, is 15th in the points, and he recently said that he needs to begin stringing together stronger on-track performances if he hopes to qualify for the season-ending Chase.

Kurt Busch is the only other active driver with five Bristol victories, including a run of three in a row, which began in the spring race five seasons ago. And he held the lead for nine laps in the March race last season, but finished 29th following a series of mishaps, including one on pit road.

To his credit, Busch rebounded with a run to sixth place in last summer’s race.