Kahne returns to Texas looking for victory again

Posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 2:58 PM EST.

With only three races remaining in the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, the Dodge Boys roll into Texas Motor Speedway for this weekend’s Dickies 500 looking to add a “W” to the season ledger. The event is the eighth of 10 races in the Chase to the Championship.
 
As a result of series leader Jimmie Johnson’s sixth-place finish at Talladega, Ala., last weekend, the Dodge duo of Kurt Busch (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge) and Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge) would have a difficult time overtaking the leader and claim the season championship, but there’s an opportunity to finish the season strong with race wins. Kahne’s strong runner-up performance at Talladega vaulted him two positions in the driver standings to ninth, 414 points behind the leader. Busch is sixth, 312 points behind. He lost ground to the leader last week after being involved in the ‘Dega “big one,” a 13-car pileup.

Kahne is Dodge’s most decorated driver at the 1.5-mile oval at Texas. He won the 2006 spring event. In 11 starts, he has two top-five finishes. Kahne’s 2006 win is the only time a driver has reached victory lane after starting from the pole.
 
“Getting into Turn One can be tricky,” Kahne said. “It is real flat and then as you are coming into the corner, you get into the banking. It’s almost like you fall into the corner at 190 miles per hour. Turn Three is similar, but it is not as drastic. It is a difficult place to get your car to handle the way you want. It is a great track, but you really need your car to handle well on entry to be competitive.”

Penske Racing announced this week that Brad Keselowski will take over the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge for the rest of the season. He was scheduled to move into the seat in 2010.

“Penske Racing wants to give Brad an opportunity to work with the team and get to know the race car as we prepare for the 2010 season,” owner Roger Penske said. “These three races will provide a good base for both Brad and the team as we head into next year.”
 
Keselowski is ready for the move to the Dodge ranks with Penske Racing.
 
“I am very excited to begin working with the Penske Racing team and I look forward to competing in the No. 12 Penske Dodge in the final three races of the year,” Keselowski said. “We all have high expectations for next season and beyond, and being able to race with the team this year will only help us as we look toward 2010.”
 
Dodge is seeking its third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at Texas and fourth win of the 2009 season. All six Dodge teams are entered in the Dickies 500 are assured berths in Sunday’s starting field. 
 
Sprint Cup Chase standings
(After Race 7 of 10 in the Chase)
1. Jimmie Johnson, 6,248
2. Mark Martin, -184
3. Jeff Gordon, -192
4. Juan Pablo Montoya, -239
5. Tony Stewart, -279
6. Kurt Busch, -312
7. Greg Biffle, -340
8. Ryan Newman, -402
9. Kasey Kahne, -414
10. Carl Edwards, -437
11. Denny Hamlin, -448
12. Brian Vickers, -556
 
Other notes 
* Elliott Sadler (No. 19 Stanley Dodge Charger) returns to the seat of a Dodge Charger for the remaining three races.
 
What you need to know
The race: Dickies 500
The place: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval)
The date: Sunday, Nov. 8
The time: 1 p.m. EST
Race distance: 501 miles/334 laps

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 2:58 PM EST and is filed under Motorsports. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Comments are currently closed.