He didn’t care if there were 48 laps left to race too.

Matt Kenseth won the 51st Daytona 500 on Sunday in a race that was called early due to rain. The race was called after 152 laps with 48 laps remaining.

Kyle Busch had led most of the day before being taken out by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a multi-car crash late in the race. Dubbed as ”The Great American Race,” the Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s premiere event scheduled right at the beginning of the NASCAR season.

Matt Kenseth, the quiet, unassuming former NASCAR champion who had never been in contention at the Daytona 500, cried as he celebrated the biggest victory of his career. It was an unexpected show of emotion for one of NASCAR’s most underappreciated stars.

Elliott Sadler prayed for the sky to open up when he was out front, but he was answered a tick too late. Kenseth used a huge push from Kevin Harvick to slide past Sadler 54 laps from the finish, and mere seconds before Aric Almirola spun to bring out a caution.

That’s when the rain began, and after two caution laps, NASCAR sent the drivers to pit road to wait out the storm. Most drivers climbed from their cars to await NASCAR’s decision, but Kenseth stayed put through the delay.

The race was called after 152 of 200 laps. It was just the fourth rain-shortened Daytona in the event’s 51-year history, and first since Michael Waltrip’s 2003 victory.

Coming off one of the worst seasons of his career in 2008, Kenseth’s 2009 campaign seemed to be headed in the wrong direction again. He wrecked his primary car, had to go to a backup and started at the back last Sunday.

Kenseth sliced his way through the field, then used the push from Harvick to take the lead away from Sadler. The win was the first for Kenseth since the 2007 season finale, a streak of 36-winless races. He was also 11th in the final season standings, his lowest since he was 13th during a winless 2001 campaign.

But after winning the 51st Daytona 500 last Sunday, he’s back on top again, giving team owner Jack Roush his first Daytona 500 victory in the process.

Who will win the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series? Bodog sportsbook has the odds.

Jeff Gordon 11.00

Jimmie Johnson 4.00

Dale Earnhardt Jr. 13.00

Tony Stewart 19.00

Want more odds? Visit Bodog sportsbook for more NASCAR betting odds. Want to watch NASCAR live? Get sporting events tickets online now.

NASCAR Daytona 500