FORT WORTH, Texas Matt Kenseth grabbed the lead with a late race two-tire pit stop to capture his second NASCAR Winston Cup victory of the season on Monday at Texas motor speedway in the rain-delayed 500-mile race.

Kenseth, who had been battling with Tony Stewart for the lead, made a quick pit stop during the last of seven cautions on lap 308 of the 334-lap event.

His Ford came out of the pits ahead of the Chevrolet of Jeff Gordon, who also took only two tires.

Gordon finished second followed by the Fords of Mark Martin and Ricky Rudd and the Pontiac of Stewart.

"It was a great effort by the guys," said Kenseth who turns 30 on Wednesday. "Clean air was a big advantage. We had a great car all day. It was a good handling car all day."

Kenseth won in Rockingham, N.C. earlier this season and has five top-10 finishes in seven starts this season.

He was scheduled to start 31st in the 43-car field, but had to go the rear of the field for the green flag after blowing an engine in practice Friday, Reuters reported.

Under NASCAR's new one-engine rule, the teams can use only one motor for the entire race weekend or start the race from the back.

Defending race champion, Dale Jarrett, who has struggled all season, led most of the first half of the race. He ran out of gas on lap 229 and had to coast to the pits.

He then got trapped behind the car of Jeff Gordon in the pit stall and lost two laps, finishing 24th.

His team relieved crew chief Jimmy Elledge of his duties last week and replaced him with Jarrett's former crew chief Todd Parrott, with whom he teamed for the 1999 Winston Cup championship.

Former race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. hit the wall on lap 184 after contact with the lapped car of Shawna Robinson.

Ward Burton and Robby Gordon were also involved in single-car crashes. None of the drivers was injured.

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