Matt Kenseth does a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday.
The fast new surface and a hard tire contributed to Sunday's race-record 14 cautions, a season high for the Sprint Cup Series.
"You know, everybody has been asking all season long where the cautions have been," points leader Brad Keselowski said. "Well, they flew to Kansas and they've been hanging out here because there was caution after caution."
Nobody was immune from the problems, either, as at least five title contenders had issues.
Jimmie Johnson led 44 laps early, but crashed hard after spinning by himself. He had to stop at least a half-dozen times on pit road for repairs over two caution periods to salvage a ninth-place finish.
"I have never in my 30 years of racing seen anyone perform that kind of surgery and not lose a lap," team owner Rick Hendrick said about the No. 48 team's work on the car.
It was good enough to keep the Chase margin unchanged with Keselowski, who finished one spot ahead in eighth and maintained his seven-point lead in the standings with four races remaining.
"I'm glad to have survived the carnage and brought back a decent car," Keselowski said. "Whew! Just a tough day."
Bailey's 4 FGs lift Dallas over Carolina
CHARLOTTE (AP) — Dan Bailey made a go-ahead 28-yard field goal with 3:25 remaining to help the Dallas Cowboys defeat the Carolina Panthers 19-14.
Trailing by one, Tony Romo led the Cowboys (3-3) into field goal range with a 10-play, 44-yard drive to send Dallas to its ninth consecutive regular-season victory over the Panthers (1-5).
Romo had 227 yards and a touchdown.
On a fourth-and-1 at their 39, the Panthers caught Dallas' defense changing personnel and Cam Newton quickly completed a pass for an apparent first down.
But officials ruled the Cowboys called timeout before the snap.
On the ensuing play, Morris Claiborne collided with receiver Louis Murphy before the ball arrived, but no flag was thrown.
Bailey added his fourth field goal of the game with 53 seconds left.
Duke takes over 1st place in ACC Coastal
DURHAM (AP) — It's not a misprint. That really is Duke atop the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division in football.
The Blue Devils' last-minute win over rival North Carolina sets up a meeting of division leaders this week when they visit No. 11 Florida State.
Duke's 33-30 victory on Saturday, plus losses by Miami and Virginia Tech, made the Blue Devils (6-2, 3-1) the division's only team with one conference loss.
It also marked the latest step forward in coach David Cutcliffe's massive reconstruction project at what for years had been one of the laughingstock programs in the Bowl Subdivision. Since Duke was last bowl eligible in 1994, the Blue Devils went winless four times.
Cutcliffe says he doesn't think his team will be satisfied with just six wins.
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