Kahne conserves fuel, nets second-place finish

By SceneDaily Staff
Monday, June 16, 2008
$util.encode.html($content.photo.alt)

Jonathan Daniel
Getty Images

BROOKLYN, Mich. – Kasey Kahne was hoping that he would be the one whose fuel-mileage gamble paid off with a win Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.
   
The decision of Kahne's Gillett Evernham Motorsports' team to pit on lap 153 for fuel only, and to ride that through a green-white-checkered finish in the race, netted a second-place finish for the group. That's Kahne's third finish of second or better in the last three Cup races. That's a run that has pushed him to seventh in the series standings.
   
As Kahne and his team made the gamble, though, he was hoping that things would work out even better. Still, the fuel-mileage strategy netted Kahne a shot at the frontrunners.
   
His car hadn't been the best all day, with him fighting it through the turns and the team making constant adjustments. The team had him in the best equipment he'd driven all day, though, by the time the fuel decisions had to be made.
   
When the final caution flag came out, several of the leaders who had been willing to take the chance on making it to the race's end darted down pit road for some fuel. Kahne and three other contenders did not.
   
"The final run was the best that our Dodge was all day, but it was still a 10th- to 12th-place car," Kahne said. "So [team director] Kenny [Francis] decided to take fuel as late as we could under that caution. Because of all the green-flag runs all day, we just kept on taking fuel and trying to save it. I saved [fuel] for 40 or 42 laps and never ran out coming to the pits [after the race]."
   
The caution came out shortly after the drivers took the white flag, allowing them to slow and nurse their cars back around. Kahne said that after the race he discovered that would not have been necessary.
   
"We had enough to finish if it stayed green," he said.

Mentioned Drivers: Kasey Kahne

Post a Comment

Disclaimer: All comments are subject to filtering for language, and libelous content. Comments are intended to encourage spirited debate and discussion about the subject matter contained within the articles and ARE NOT intended for personal or demeaning attacks directed at other users. We reserve the right to remove any comments deemed inappropriate. Users who violate this policy may be banned from posting comments on the site.

Comment Preview

Nov 8, 2009 at 5:33 AM
You said:

You must login before you can post comments or rate content.

If you don't have an account you can create a free one here.

2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings

Driver Standings after the AMP Energy 500

1 Jimmie Johnson 6248
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

NASCAR Schedules

abc

Dickies 500

Texas Motor Speedway
03:31 PM, 11/08/2009

Poll PositionView All

Which NASCAR Sprint Cup race winner from the past two seasons is most likely to earn his first victory of 2009 in the next three races?

Promotions

  • Play "WIX Filters' Pick 3" stock car fantasy and win prizes. Season 2 is now in session!

  • Tweet your thoughts about each race and join the conversation with other fans.

  • Drive an authentic NASCAR Sprint Cup car at the NASCAR Racing Experience.

  • Cast your vote for the NASCAR Illustrated 2009 Person of the Year, presented by Old Spice.

  • Make weekly pics for the Chase and be entered to win weekly SPEED Merchandise.

NASCAR Community Join the Community

In the Forums View All

Presented by

Don't have an account yet?

Insiders Guide to NASCAR

Register with SceneDaily.com and get access to the following features:

  • FREE Insider’s Guide to NASCAR (available as a PDF download)
  • Daily NASCAR news updates delivered directly to your e-mail
  • Pre-race and Post-race emails delivered each race week
  • Ability to comment on blog and news articles
  • Information on new website features and upcoming contests
Create my Account

Login

Forgot Password?
Login or Create an Account