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Kahne falls short in bid to make the Chase

By SceneDaily Staff

Sunday, September 07, 2008

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RICHMOND, Va. – A 19th-place finish in Sunday’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway wasn’t good enough to earn Kasey Kahne a berth in NASCAR's Chase For The Sprint Cup.

But rather than lamenting the outcome – Kahne leapfrogged David Ragan to move to 13th in the standings, one position and 69
points behind the final Chase driver, Clint Bowyer – Kahne expressed appreciation for the effort of his team, despite never making up much ground in the pits or on the track.

“[Team director] Kenny [Francis] made some good calls for where it was and we improved it a little bit, and then just track position hurt us all day,” the Gillett Evernham Motorsports driver said. “I was trapped in between a couple Roush [Fenway Racing] cars on pit road and it didn't matter where I came in, I was trapped. So it was a long day in the pits. We came out close to last about every single time it seemed like.

“At least we came out after both of those two cars every time. That helped but either way we were not going to beat Clint so, good try and that was it.”

Slow exits to pit road weren’t Kahne’s only obstacle. He also struggled to improve his position with a less-than-stellar car that began dropping backward moments after the race began and never came to life the way he had hoped.

“I felt like I drove [with] everything I could all day,” said Kahne, who qualified for the Chase for the first time in 2006 but failed to make it
last season. "[I] tried to take chances. [I] tried to be smart at the same time and get what we could get.  [The car would] push getting in, slide the back getting off, and then you'd slide in and slide off and it was kind of all over.”

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10 responses to "Kahne falls short in bid to make the Chase"
  1. 1
    Marianne Pindar said:
    Sep 7, 2008 at 7:26 PM

    All of your fans feel your pain Kasey....You are still #1 with us....Hopefully Dodge will have their techs doing overtime to try to improve your ride...they have the technology...they just need to set it in motion so that their top notch driver can really eat up those tracks...Keep the faith & chin up- your time in Victory Lane is far from over!!!!

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  2. 2
    Matt Wadle said:
    Sep 7, 2008 at 8:07 PM

    What a very upsetting season for our team. I've been a fan since the beginning and also have listened to the in in car audio at NASCAR.com. All your fans beleive in you and your team. Just keep doing your best and show hem in the next 10 races that the #9 team could have a should have won the cup...gettem next year "Number 9 in 09"

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  3. 3
    Graceann Jackson said:
    Sep 7, 2008 at 9:28 PM

    Stand tall #9 team, your fans know what happened today. Don't let it slow you down, the season is not over, we still have races to win. Regardless of what the outcome was today your fans know the #9 car should bein the chase.

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  4. 4
    Jayne Deere said:
    Sep 7, 2008 at 10:39 PM

    I am disappointed for Kasey, now he can make the best of the rest of the season. Pull a "Tony", like Stewart did in 2006 when he didn't make the chase. Go on to win most of the last 10 races.

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  5. 5
    said:
    Sep 8, 2008 at 5:57 AM

    Too bad :-( Should have been in the Chase, in 2004 and this year 2008, besides 2006. That's racin"!!! :-( Been a fan since Rockingham (2004) when you passed Kenseth just past the line. I was there at the start / finish, top row, aisle. Looking forward to some more wins in 2008 and winning the Chase in 2009. Dodge and Evernham have a driver. They just need to pick it up a little bit.

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  6. 6
    Chelsea said:
    Sep 8, 2008 at 9:33 AM

    It's soo disappointing because he deserved to be there. But, the season isn't over yet! There's still races to be won, Chasers to beat (like Tony did in 06!), and so much more. Now that the pressure's off, he can go show everyone what the Chase is missing!

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  7. 7
    Lisa Beder said:
    Sep 8, 2008 at 9:51 AM

    Kasey I was at the Richmond Race and you drove the wheels off of that car! You deserved to be in the chase more than anyone and your true fans will be here routing you on the next 10 races!! Let's show Nascar and the fans the champion you are! We love you!!

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  8. 8
    ANDREW WILLIAMS said:
    Sep 8, 2008 at 11:34 AM

    Hey I was at the Richmond race right in front of Kahne's pit area. I'm a huge fan so I was watching him all day, I was screaming at the top of my lungs during every pit stop at Gilliland, I think that was who was in front of him. Blocked him in the pits on every stop, I counted onl;y two stops all day where Kahne did not have to back up in order to get out. I had to laugh though bewcause one of those stops Kasey just pulled out and hit Gilliland in the back corner getting out his box. Keep your head up Kasey, your fans still love you.

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  9. 9
    Kori Tritt said:
    Sep 10, 2008 at 10:01 AM

    Kasey, keep believing in your team. You know what they are capable of. You guys just need to figure out what works and what doesn't work and go from there. If the team stays together and continues to act like a team... unlike a certain driver last weekend(Tony)... I know you'll be fine. Everything about the team screams Championship! So just keep your head up and be confident, your year is just around the corner!! We love you!!

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  10. 10
    jennifer hix said:
    Sep 10, 2008 at 10:40 PM

    hey kasey it's ok with us that you didn't make it in.we all know you did your best and we love you anyways.you'll get em next year.

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