Top-30 drivers: Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kahne was universally picked to make the Chase for The Nextel Cup in 2007, and many observers felt he would contend for the Nextel Cup.
After all, he had won a series-high six races in 2006, the 27-year-old Enumclaw, Wash., native is one of NASCAR's most popular drivers, gaining many fans seemingly overnight when he arrived on the scene in 2004. Women fell for his good looks, and both genders recognized his talent immediately when he had 13 top-five finishes - including placing second in five races - in his rookie season. He has made the Chase one time and this season earned $5 million in purse money despite his struggles.
During the offseason, SceneDaily is taking a look at the top 30 in 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup driver points, and here's how Kasey Kahne's season unfolded:
By the numbers: Kasey Kahne had just one-top five finish the entire season, a runner-up result in the Bristol night race. That was the only top-five for Gillett Evernham Motorsports this season. He had eight top-10s and finished 19th in driver points. Kasey Kahne won two poles, at Las Vegas and Bristol, to earn a spot in the Budweiser Shootout - where he will make his debut in the Budweiser-sponsored car.
Season highlights: Kasey Kahne's second-place run at Bristol was undoubtedly the season highlight, as he led 305 laps (he led just 69 the entire rest of the season) and contended for the win. He managed to gain some measure of positive momentum in the Chase by six consecutive top-20 finishes.
Key setbacks: Kasey Kahne didn't have much to cheer about this season and finished 20th or worse in 22 of the 36 races. He finished outside the top 30 a whopping 11 times, and many of those were not due to wrecks or parts failures.
Newsworthy moment: When Budweiser announced it would part ways with Dale Earnhardt Jr. - a driver who many people saw possessing the classic, beer-swilling image - few thought Kasey Kahne might be his replacement. But the beer company indeed announced Kasey Kahne would take over as the new face of Budweiser, which will adorn his No. 9 car next season. And for those who don't picture the soft-spoken Kasey Kahne as a beer-drinker, he said, "You probably don't know me that good if you don't know I'm a Bud guy."
In his words: "It's been a long year. It's been a disappointing year. It's over, and now we go to work on 2008, preparing for Daytona and the new season. We only have one car to work with next year. We'll regroup and get started with the off-season testing. We'll be ready for the 2008 season when we get to Daytona in February."
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