Matt Kenseth talks about unusual pit road penalty at Atlanta

HAMPTON, GA - FEBRUARY 28: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, leads Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 28, 2016 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
HAMPTON, GA - FEBRUARY 28: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, leads Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 28, 2016 in Hampton, Georgia.  (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
HAMPTON, GA – FEBRUARY 28: Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 Dollar General Toyota, leads Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 28, 2016 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)

Matt Kenseth needed a good finish to make up for his heartbreaking loss in the season opening Daytona 500. Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway he looked to be in a good position to do just that; only to see it come apart through no fault of his own.

Kenseth led 47 of the opening laps, but on lap 117 during a round of green flag pit stops,  NASCAR ruled that the gas man on his Joe Gibbs Racing crew had placed a tool on the rear of Kenseth’s Toyota. However he did so while connected to the car with the fuel can. That is against NASCAR rules.  NASCAR ordered Kenseth in for a pass through penalty.

As crew chief Jason Ratcliff began to argue with NASCAR officials and Kenseth stayed on the track.

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Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.