iNSIDE SCOOP: Charmed

Matt Kenseth was nervous heading to New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

He doesn't run well there, for one thing, and he had a ton of momentum from Chicagoland that might just be wasted with a mid-pack run.

Turns out that he was worried for nothing, as the 2003 series champion won again and took control of the 2013 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

"I don't really know what to say except praise the Lord, this is an unbelievable opportunity," Kenseth said at NHMS. "For me to win at Loudon first of all is more than a stretch and more than a dream--this is probably one of my worst places. That just shows you how good this whole team is. I kind of didn't want this paint job with the 500 starts because it makes me feel old so I'm glad we did something with it and won.  It's just awesome to be standing here."

That's a verbal torrent for Kenseth, who isn't really the robotic sort that he was portrayed as in an old Sprint commercial.

Kenseth has something special going with the Joe Gibbs Racing team, the one that Tony Stewart took to the promised land twice. Jason Ratcliff has taken over from Greg Zipadelli, but the crew is largely the best that JGR has to offer. 

Kenseth must have felt he had been delivered from durance vile when he left Roush Fenway after last season. Full sponsorship and no question about who the No. 1 driver was at JGR, and look how he responded.

Seven victories with eight left to play, the point lead and momentum out the tailpipe, that's what he has.

The move to JGR was what he needed to become the man who slew the dragon that is Jimmie Johnson and the 48 team.

"I would have never dreamed this, especially here at New Hampshire.  This track has always been such a struggle.  It's a great track and they have great fans here -- I think we have more fans here than anywhere we go and it's always fun racing in front of a big crowd. Usually I'm not out front. I don't really even have the words to describe it."

You're going to be hearing that a lot as the Chase unfolds. I get the feeling that Kenseth is living large and feeling his oats.

Add to that the fact that Kyle Busch has run second in each of the races KEnseth has won. If Rowdy gets hot, it could be a real titanic struggle for team honors.

This is not to say that Johnson is done. There's no sticking the fork in him just yet. Too many times I've thrown dirt on them, and he won five straight titles.

Dover is one of Kenseth's better tracks and Johnson has been money there too. It's going to be a battle by the sea on Sunday!