Budweiser Racing Team Notes of Interest
· Kasey Kahne is set to make his 200th consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start when he takes the green flag at this weekend’s Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. In 199 starts, Kahne has amassed 10 wins, 38 top fives, 70 top 10s and 16 pole awards.
· This weekend will mark Kahne’s sixth start at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). In five previous starts, Kahne has two top-five finishes.
· In 2005, Kahne led 39 laps en route to a runner-up finish in only his second start at the Brickyard.
· Kahne has an average start of sixth and an average finish of 18th at the 2.5-mile speedway.
· Kahne has only one start outside of the top five at IMS (he started 12th in 2004).
· With six races remaining until the Chase, Kahne is in eighth position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. He leads 13th-place driver Greg Biffle by 51 points.
Kahne Discusses Racing in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard:
What are you anticipating for this weekend’s Allstate 400?
“I’m looking forward to the Allstate 400; it should be another great race. Last year was a little bit messed up with the tires, but they’ve fixed it. Goodyear has done everything they can to make a tire last on that surface and that race track with those long straightaways. I think there was a lot to it because it seemed like a pretty tough process. I must have tested six or seven times there since last year’s race. The teams have put a ton of time testing up there and I feel like the tire is as good as anything that I’ve been on up there. So, it’s gonna be an awesome race.”
What would winning at the Brickyard mean to you?
”Winning at the Brickyard and the Daytona 500 are on the top of my list. I think it depends on what type of racing background you have which one is more important to you. For me, coming up in the sprint car ranks, I raced in the Indianapolis area a lot and learned early on how significant winning at Indy was. When you think about the drivers that have won at Indy throughout the years, it would mean a lot to be able to add my name to that list. We’ve been close a few times and it’s certainly a victory I’d love to pull off.”
Talk about making your 200th start this weekend at Indy.
“It’s hard to believe this will be the 200th start. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that I was racing sprint cars in Washington. I feel pretty fortunate to be able to do what I do for a living. I’ve celebrated a lot of great moments in racing and I hope to celebrate more. I still have a lot of goals – I want to win races and compete for and win championships. I’ve had a lot of great support getting to this point and I’m thankful for the success that I have had in NASCAR. I’m lucky to work with the guys on this Budweiser team that support me each week and look forward to rewarding them with more wins.”
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