Kahne Captures Atlanta Win for Team Valvoline
HAMPTON, Ga. (Sept. 6, 2009) -- Team Valvoline driver Kasey Kahne passed Kevin Harvick with 11 laps remaining to win Sunday night's Pep Boys 500 Auto Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
It was the second victory of the season for Kahne, who jumped five spots in the driver standings -- from 11th to sixth. He has a comfortable 96-point margin of being inside the Chase cutline with the final pre-Chase race scheduled for Saturday night at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.
Kahne, out of the Richard Petty Motorsports stable, kicked it into high gear when the race was restarted for the final time on Lap 315. Kahne out-dueled Harvick to the finish line with a 1.766-second margin of victory. Harvick had a commanding lead before the final caution, which came out on Lap 310.
"I knew we could go fast for about 15 laps, faster than anybody," noted Kahne, who qualified on the outside pole. "It was just after that I would get a little bit too loose to hang with (Kevin) Harvick and (Juan Pablo) Montoya. With 11 laps to go, you know, just getting to the front was what I was thinking I needed to do. Once we did it, everything was perfect from there out. So just a great team effort. Something Richard Petty Motorsports really needed."
Other top Valvoline finishers were Greg Biffle (10th) and Matt Kenseth (12th).
Regarding the driver standings -- Team Valvoline continues to have four drivers inside the Chase cutline -- Carl Edwards (fifth), Kahne (sixth), Biffle (11th) and Kenseth (12th). Kenseth, who is on the bubble, leads 13th-place Brian Vickers by only 20 points.
Following Kahne and Harvick to the checkered flag were: Montoya (third), David Reutimann (fourth) and Mark Martin (fifth).
In Saturday night's Nationwide race at Atlanta, Team Valvoline posted finishes of seventh (Edwards), eighth (Biffle) and ninth (David Ragan). And in Saturday afternoon's Camping World Truck race at Iowa Speedway, Valvoline driver Colin Braun finished third.
Team Valvoline NASCAR Race Results
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sprint Cup Series
Sept. 6
Hampton, Ga.
(starting position in parenthesis)
AJ Allmendinger, No. 44 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge Charger
Finished: 20th (35th)
Point Standing: 25th
Greg Biffle, No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion
Finished: 10th (26th)
Point Standing: 11th
Carl Edwards, No. 99 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion
Finished: 37th (14th)
Point Standing: 5th
Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge Charger
Finished: 1st (2nd)
Point Standing: 6th
Matt Kenseth, No. 17 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion
Finished: 12th (15th)
Point Standing: 12th
Erick Darnell, No. 96 Yates Racing Ford Fusion
Finished: 30th (42nd)
Point Standing: 59th
Jamie McMurray, No. 26 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion
Finished: 28th (27th)
Point Standing: 22nd
David Ragan, No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion
Finished: 33rd (16th)
Point Standing: 29th
Elliott Sadler, No. 19 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge Charger
Finished: 21st (21st)
Point Standing: 26th
Reed Sorenson, No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge Charger
Finished: 27th (13th)
Point Standing: 28th
Next NASCAR Sprint Cup Event
Sept. 12 (Saturday night)
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, Va.
Nationwide Series Race
Sept. 5
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, Ga.
Greg Biffle, No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion
Finished: 8th (20th)
Point Standing:*
Carl Edwards, No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion
Finished: 7th (12th)
Point Standing: 2nd
David Ragan, No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion
Finished: 9th (3rd)
Point Standing:*
*Not competing full-time in Nationwide Series
Next Nationwide Series Race
Sept. 11
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, Va.
Camping World Truck Series Race
Sept. 5
Iowa Speedway
Newton, Iowa
Colin Braun, No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford
Finished: 3rd (4th)
Point Standing: 6th
Next Camping World Truck Race
Sept. 12
Gateway International Raceway
St. Louis
