FORT WORTH – Kasey Kahne faced long odds of winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. They got longer when he spun out of a probable top-10 finish and into 34th two weeks ago at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
Now, Kahne, ninth in the points standings (331 points back of leader Jimmie Johnson), simply hopes to get into the top five. That would be quite a feat with only five races remaining, including the Dickies 500 on Nov. 8 at Texas Motor Speedway.
"Just trying to get back there," Kahne said during a news conference at TMS on Monday. "We're a ways out. It's disappointing, but that's racing and that's why we go out each weekend. As a team, I think we can keep doing the things we're doing, and hopefully we can get back to the top five."
Kahne won't be in the hunt at the end, but his frustration is evident when he talks about where it was all lost.
Two weeks ago, of course, Kahne was in great position late.
"Kurt Busch spun out and I saved him, which caused us to spin out," Kahne said.
Before that, Kahne's chances took a blow Sept. 20 when he blew an engine and finished 38th at New Hampshire.
"There are two finishes in the 30s, where we would have been fifth or sixth in both of those races, and we'd be third or fourth in points," Kahne said. "Like I said, it's disappointing but that's racing."
Indeed, there's no reason for Kahne or his No. 9 Budweiser Dodge team to play the "what if" game.
The season, in large part, will be viewed as a success. Kahne qualified for the Chase for the first time since 2006, has two trips to Victory Lane and 13 top-10 finishes. Most surprising is that Kahne picked up his first road course victory this year at Sonoma in June.
"Winning at Sonoma was a big win for us and to do it on a road course, it felt pretty good," he said. "I felt like we accomplished something that day as a team."
Kahne has shifted his focus to the second half of the Chase and is particularly looking forward to coming back to Texas, a place he's had success.
In his 2006 victory, Kahne became the first – and only – driver in TMS history to win a Sprint Cup race from the pole position.
He is also in the TMS record books for another race, although he wasn't on the winning end. In 2004, Kahne lost to Elliott Sadler by 0.028 of a second, the closest margin of victory in TMS history.
"I enjoy this track, and I like coming to Texas," Kahne said. "I like the speed and the banking of this track. You can go from the white line all the way to three-quarters up the track, or even higher at times. It's just that open racetrack that I like."
A breakdown of Kasey Kahne's results in 2009:
Wins: 2 (Sonoma, June 21; Atlanta, Sept. 6)
Top 5s: 6
Top 10s: 13
Avg. finish: 14.5
Lows: 38th at New Hampshire, Sept. 20; 34th at Fontana, Oct. 11.
Dickies 500
When: Nov. 8, 1:30 p.m.
Where: Texas Motor Speedway
TV: Ch. 8
Radio: KLUV-FM 98.7
Tickets: texasmotorspeedway.com or by calling 817-215-8520
2008 winner: Carl Edwards
2009 purse: $7.359 million
