Is Kahne now in it to win it?

Kasey Kahne, driver of the #5 Quaker State Chevrolet, races Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 Tornados Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway on June 30, 2012 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)

 

Kasey Kahne, driver of the #5 Quaker State Chevrolet, races Ryan Newman, driver of the #39 Tornados Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway on June 30, 2012 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)

He might have won at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, but the races since then haven’t been kind to Kasey Kahne.  He’s crashed out twice and struggled to a 14th place at Sonoma. That’s why the second place finish in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Quaker State 400 had to have been sweet relief for the driver in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports.

After starting 19th it looked early on as though Kahne might have another forgettable race; on lap 52 Kahne was forced into the pits for an unscheduled pit stop.  From that point he seemed almost an afterthought as the battle raged in front and Kahne fell a lap down.

But as the laps wound down, Kahne suddenly appeared.  On lap 204, Kahne pitted and the team obviously made the right adjustments. Kahne began to wheel the No. 5 Chevy towards the front. He passed Carl Edwards for second with four laps to go and set his sights on leader Brad Keselowski. He would come up short but enjoyed a hard fought second place finish.  MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.