Kasey Kahne’s case for winning the Sprint Cup rose immensely after he won a big race on Sunday in Atlanta.
Formerly, Kahne stood at 11th for the season in the chase for the cup, although this win jumped him five places, all the way into sixth overall. With the playoffs consisting of twelve racers and simply one race left before the playoffs are set, Kahne’s prospects of reaching the playoffs aim markedly more realistic than they previously did.
At some point in the course of the race, it seemed as if it was Kevin Harvick’s event to win Harvick, who was victorious at the Nationwide race the previous night, was looking good until Clint Bowyer came into trouble with only 15 laps remaining. Bowyer, Harvick’s teammate, killed his chances for winning the event, as Kahne took advantage of the caution and won by just under two seconds.
Harvick, who finished in 2nd overall, just missed his first win for the ’09 race year. finishing in 3rd place was Juan Pablo Montoya, who is currently seeking out his 1st playoff berth and looks like he may be able to pull it off.
Kahne was with the race overall. Pleased with the car, he credited his brilliance in the race to its attributes – and naturally, a bit of assistance with respect to Kevin Harvick’s troubles.
Ending up in 6th at the event was Denny Hamlin. With this result, Hamlin is currently the fourth NASCAR racer to get a playoff spot in the chase for the cup. Hamlin joins Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and of course, Jimmy Johnson, who has won the latest three years.
When asked about his chances, Kahne expressed good confidence.
Having had the privilege of a good performing car in the event, Kahne attributes its stability to his triumph in the race.
While there was some change among the 12 seedings for the Chase, no one was removed from the top twelve last weekend. The lead is maintained by Tony Stewart, with Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson not too far behind. Additional racers include Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, and 5 more. Occupying the 13 and 14 position are Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch, who both could do with huge performances next weekend if they want a shot at the Chase.
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