Life in the old dogs yet

It may be early days in the 2009 Sprint Cup, but so far one thing is clear – the veterans aren’t going to let the next generation have their time just yet.

As the old saying goes, it may take a while for a bus to come, but when it does, there are usually a few in quick succession. Matt Kenseth backed up his rain-shortened Daytona triumph with victory in California. The track has long been the stomping ground of the Roush and Hendrick superteams. There was little surprise when these two teams dominated the overall lead lap charts.

As the sun set, intermixed with sprinkles of rain, it was Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon who led the push to the line. It is great to see the old guard running back up front. I’ve read too many pieces writing these guys off, claiming they were past it. Kenseth himself has often been labelled as someone who didn’t have a killer instinct to win a lot of races during the season.

Along with Kenseth, Jeff Gordon had a great day for the #24. He was up at the front all the day, just lacking the ability for that final push on Kenseth. But boy did he give it a go. After a winless season last year, seeing the veterans back up there where they belong only adds to the intrigue as the season goes. Last year saw the wins spread too thin. With the amount of contenders we appear to have, hopefully we won’t have any runaways.

My final mention goes to Kyle Busch. He may not have won, but the #18 still had a sterling weekend. The Las Vegas native made history with winning the Camping World Truck race and the Nationwide Series race on the same day. He might have fallen short of a historic hat-trick, but the intent is clear.