One of the biggest questions after the 2007 season ended was "What happened to
Kasey Kahne?" After six wins in 2006, Kahne was expected to be a
potential contender for the championship. He went through the season winless
and well out of the title chase. After some struggles in the first part of
this season, Kahne got things going in the right direction by winning the
Sprint All-Star Race. He continued to build momentum by capturing the win at
the
Coca-Cola 600
Sunday night at the Lowe's Motor Speedway. It's the second time that
he's won this event, one of the biggest on the sport's schedule.
Kasey Kahne took advantage of some bad luck for
Tony Stewart to take the win. In the closing laps, a tire went flat,
erasing a good sized lead for Stewart, and ending his chances of winning.
Stewart wound up finishing 18th. But it was far from a lucky win for Kahne.
After starting second, Kasey led 66 of the 400 laps. Also of importance for
the #9 team, the win moved him back into position for The Chase. He moved up
two positions in the standings to 12th.
There were eleven cautions in the race. The oddest event of the night came on
fourth caution on lap 186. A wheel on
Brian Vickers' car came loose, causing him to lose control. The tire
was then hit by David Gilliand. After being hit by Gilliland's car, the tire
took a ride by itself, taking several high bounces, including one over the
fence separating the infield from the track. The tire would crash into one of
the campers on the infield. That spoiled a good run for Vickers, who led 61
laps. However, becuase of the incident, he finished 41st.
As is the case with this race every year, there are cars who's night ends
early because of engine trouble. This year was no different. The biggest
name to have such troubles was
Jimmie Johnson, who typically is one of the top
finishers at the track that bear's his sponsor's name. After starting tenth
and leading 35 laps, Johnson fell out 49 laps shy of the finish, ending
up back in 39th.
Greg Biffle had a strong night, finishing in the runner-up spot.
Pole-sitter
Kyle Busch dealt with car issues for parts of the night, but still
had a good race, leading 61 laps and finishing third. Busch now leads the
point standings by 94 over
Jeff Burton, who placed sixth. Hendrick teammates
rounded out the top five.
Jeff Gordon finished fourth with
Dale Earnhardt Jr. right behind him in fifth. Dale led the most laps
(76), but it was not an easy night. His night looked done on lap 298, when he
blew a tire and hit the wall. He then got hit in the rear by
J.J. Yeley.
Getting a top five after that was one of the most impressive runs of the
night.
NASCAR will now head to
Dover, Delaware and "The Monster Mile". The Craftsman Truck Series
will race Friday, the Nationwide Series
on Saturday, with the Sprint Cup Series taking the track
on Sunday. That race
on Sunday will mark the end of Fox's part of the broadcast schedule.
By: CrimsonCowboy