Kahne not taking anything for granted
CONCORD, N.C.--Recent history suggests Kasey Kahne should be brimming with confidence this weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Kasey Kahne knows better.
The 27-year-old, who was on the verge of NASCAR stardom last season when he led the Nextel Cup circuit with six victories and raced his way into the Chase for the first time, has struggled mightily through the first 11 races of 2007.
Kasey Kahne limps into the Coca-Cola 600 a distant 30th in Cup points. He's 310 points out of the 12th and final Chase qualifying position, and at the moment, his back-to-back Lowe's wins seem as if they happened about 20 years ago.
So you'll have to excuse Kasey Kahne's pessimism. He doesn't expect to be anywhere near Victory Lane by the end of Sunday's 600-mile marathon.
"We want to win races. But you don't come from finishing 20th or 25th to suddenly winning again. Seems like you have to make your way up there, figure things out as quickly as you can. It takes time," he said.
"I'm just hoping to get consistent again, get back in the top 10, top 15. Once you start doing that, then you'll have your opportunities as races unfold and work out for you."
Not so long ago, settling for a top 15 in Charlotte would've been unthinkable for Kasey Kahne. He has led more than a quarter of the laps he's run on the 1.5-mile track, including the final lap of last year's 600--when he ended Jimmie Johnson's bid for a fifth consecutive Lowe's triumph.
Johnson also ran second to Kasey Kahne last fall at LMS, a result that further bolstered Kasey Kahne's credentials as the most promising member of NASCAR's under-30 set.
"Without a doubt I thought he was going to be a contender for the championship and race wins like he was last year. I think it's been a shock to myself and I'd say most of the racing community, especially to them. I know they're not real happy with where they are right now and working hard to fix that," Johnson said.
Kasey Kahne's season was doomed from the start. He was docked 50 driver points and lost crew chief Kenny Francis for four races as a result of what NASCAR called "unapproved modifications" to the No. 9 car prior to the season-opening Daytona 500.
Kasey Kahne overcame the adversity to place seventh at Daytona, but he hasn't had a top-10 finish since.
Evernham Motorsports' Car of Tomorrow program has lagged far behind the dominant Hendrick, Gibbs and Childress teams. All three of Evernham's teams have also struggled to adjust to the new nose Dodge implemented for its Chargers this season.
"Kasey is an unbelievable race car driver, but these are 3,400-pound race cars. You can't just put it on your back and tote it around the race track. You have to have something to work with," teammate Elliott Sadler said after yesterday's time trials.
Kasey Kahne, who will start Sunday's race in the 18th position, acknowledged his team has consistently struggled to find the proper setups for his No. 9 this season. He's not yet ready to throw in the towel on 2007, though.
"If you hadn't won 13 poles, seven races in the last few years, you'd kick yourself, probably think you couldn't drive. But we've had some great races. We've done a lot of good things," he said. "I think that's the same reason why the team can't kick themselves. We just have to keep working hard, trying to figure out what we need to kind of come out of this slump. When we do, we'll hopefully be back to where we need to be, back up front again."
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