NASCAR: Winners And Losers From Atlanta

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Feb 28, 2016; Hampton, GA, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth (20) races during the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /

Loser: Matt Kenseth

After a heartbreaking ending to the Daytona 500, Matt Kenseth was looking forward to racing again and changing his luck at a 1.5-mile track that he has run well at throughout his career.

The day started off well for him, as he started 13th before working his way to the front of the pack to lead 47 laps. However, on Lap 117, things took a turn for the worse. First, Kenseth and his team were penalized for improper fueling. When his crew chief, Jason Ratcliff, failed to mention that Kenseth had been black flagged, NASCAR stopped scoring him. After all was said and done, Kenseth was down two laps.

Matt Kenseth is told: "We're two down."
Kenseth: "How can we be two down? That doesn't make any sense."
(Team didn't tell him about flag)
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) February 28, 2016

The miscommunication led to a frustrated driver who never recovered and ended with a 19th-place finish. One week after a disappointing ending, Kenseth was hit with another set of unfortunate events. What was even worse was the fact that Kenseth’s car was definitely good enough to win the race and he would’ve been competing for a win had there been no other issues.

Next week at Las Vegas, Kenseth will be looking to put together his first complete race of the year after a five-win season in 2015.

Next: New Package, Old Racing

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