Kasey Kahne started Saturday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway from the 11th position
Kahne came from the tail end of the field to finish fifth in the event
Kahne stands in 16th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings
Race Summary: Kasey Kahne took the green flag for the start of Saturday’s night race at Bristol Motor Speedway in 11th place and made his way into the top 10 in the opening laps. A caution flag at Lap 57 enabled crew chief Kenny Francis to make slight wedge and track bar adjustments to the Budweiser Ford. Unfortunately, Kahne was charged with speeding while exiting pit road and was forced to the tail end of the longest line on the Lap 62 restart, which relegated him to 31st place. Neither Kahne nor the No. 9 team let the penalty or the challenge of passing so many cars on the tight track get in their way. He worked his way into the top 25 before the 100-lap mark and into the 20th spot on Lap 125. The RPM Ford went from tight to loose throughout the event and Francis made minor adjustments during almost every pit stop. Kahne was running in the 13th position at halfway and continued his march toward the front of the field, breaking into the top 10 just past that halfway mark.
Kahne was running in sixth when he had to make an unscheduled stop for a flat right front tire at Lap 385. He returned to the track in 23rd place and lost a lap in the process. A well-time caution flag not long later helped the situation and with just under 100 laps remaining in the event, Kahne found himself back inside the top 10. Kahne continued to mow down his competitors and ran as high as fourth before taking the checkered flag in fifth place. It was the No. 9 team’s sixth top-five finish of the season.
Kahne on the Bristol Motor Speedway Event: “We had a pretty good car. We were right there the whole race as far as speed goes. We just missed it a touch there with our pit road speed miscue, but we worked all the way back. That didn’t hold us back at all. The pit stops were pretty good there at the end and we had some pretty good adjustments. The guys did a real nice job.”
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