This great race sets the stage for next week's battle under the lights in Richmond as Kahne is now just thirty points out of a Chase spot.
Qualifying
Kurt Busch took the pole in his Miller Lite Penske Dodge. Starting along side Kurt, Brian Vickers had a good qualifying run in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevy. Rookie Clint Bowyer started third in his Chevy while Scott Riggs qualified fourth with his Dodge. Rounding out the top five starters was Martin Truex Jr. in his Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevy.
Once again Ford was shut out of the top ten in qualifying. The top Ford driver in the grid was Matt Kenseth who started eleventh.
Drop The Green Flag
Kurt Busch jumped out to the early lead when the green flag flew. The drivers settled into a single-file line almost immediately.
The first yellow came out on lap nine when Robby Gordon spun. The entire field took the opportunity to hit pit road. When the green flew again Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth won the battle off of pit road. Kahne, currently eleventh in points, collected five bonus points for leading one lap and went on to lead the next segment of the race.
Denny Hamlin and Jeff Gordon also raced their way back to the front in the early going. Both drivers made a strong statement that they could be a factor before the race was over.
Storylines
The Race To The Chase continued to dominate the news as Kasey Kahne desperately tried to claw his way into the top ten in points. At the same time the current top ten drivers all stroked it all day trying to ensure a solid finish and maintain their points position.
Kahne did make it into the top ten in points for a while during the race. Kahne then was caught speeding on pit road and had to restart at the back of the pack with just 90 laps to go in the race. Kasey Kahne restarted in 24th spot, 89 points behind Mark Martin for tenth. Kahne was on fire as he made the pass for the lead after a caution flag just twenty laps later.
Chasing The Checkers
Kasey Kahne had nearly a seven second lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Elliott Sadler when the leaders headed to pit road for a last splash of gas. Kahne headed for pit road with just twelve laps to go. Reed Sorenson stayed out to gamble on fuel and took over the lead.
Kahne moved up to second and was gaining over a second per lap on Sorenson who was trying to run easy and save fuel. Reed ran out of gas with a lap and a half remaining in the race. Kasey Kahne took the white flag in the lead and cruised to the easy win.
Top Ten
- Kasey Kahne
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Clint Bowyer
- Carl Edwards
- Jeff Gordon
- Denny Hamlin
- Matt Kenseth
- Kyle Busch
- Tony Stewart
- Dale Jarrett
The Points
Matt Kenseth moved past Jimmie Johnson for the point lead. Both drivers are locked into The Chase but Kenseth has been on fire lately and is really building momentum into The Chase.
Kasey Kahne chopped off more than half of his points deficit with the big win. Kahne is now just thirty points behind Jeff Burton in tenth.
The top ten in points are now:
- Matt Kenseth -0
- Jimmie Johnson -9
- Kevin Harvick -342
- Jeff Gordon -387
- Kyle Busch -394
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. -412
- Denny Hamlin -413
- Tony Stewart -444
- Mark Martin -457
- Jeff Burton -459
Next Week
The Race to The Chase comes to a close next Saturday night in Richmond. Can Kasey Kahne make it into The Chase? After next Saturday night's race the 2006 Chase contenders will be locked in.
Richmond is a great short track. Fast, wide and sporting two good racing grooves Richmond International Raceway is a great race track to host such an important event on the 2006 schedule. Don't miss this one as all eyes will be on Kasey Kahne next Saturday night.
