Budweiser Racing Team Notes of Interest
Kasey Kahne and the No. 9 Budweiser Ford team enter Saturday’s IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway with three races left to work their way into the top 12 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings before the cut off for the Chase for the Sprint Cup at Richmond. Kahne is currently ranked 16th and sits 126 points behind 12th-place driver, Clint Bowyer.
In 13 previous starts at Bristol, Kahne has earned two top fives, four top-10 finishes and one pole award. His best finish at the track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is second (August 2007).
In 23 races this year, Kahne and the No. 9 Budweiser Ford team have scored two pole awards, five top fives and seven top-10 finishes. His average starting position is 12.6 and his average finish is 17.7.
Kahne will run double duty this weekend at Bristol as he is also scheduled to compete in the No. 38 NASCAR Nationwide Series entry. His one career win at Bristol came in the Nationwide Series in August 2007.
Kasey Kahne discusses racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:
Can you talk about the challenges that Bristol Motor Speedway presents?
“I think just how tight it is – how banked and fast – it’s real easy to lose speed here. The passing is difficult at times. It’s one of those tracks where you have to work on the car in practice to get the car where you want it because you definitely need it to run really well during the race. Staying out of trouble - I’ve gotten involved in accidents running in the back and I’ve gotten into accidents while running in the top 10. Trouble can find you anywhere on that track so that’s probably the biggest challenge when you go into a race at a place like Bristol.”
With 20 laps to go, what’s more important at Bristol, tires or track position?
“More than likely, you’d want the track position. Until we get some practice in, it will be tough to tell what we’ll be doing during pit stops. But I know at times, you can put on tires if there are 40 laps to go and definitely pass a lot of cars and other times you just stay in your spot. It will be something that we’ll have to figure out as the weekend goes.”
What’s it like to win a race at Bristol?
“There’s nothing like it. Any time you win a race at Bristol, it’s special because that place is so tough. But when you win, you get to drive into Victory Lane up on top of a building and you’ve got all the fans all around you…it’s just really special. I’ve been able to do that in a Nationwide race (August 2007) and it was pretty special. But I haven’t done it in a Cup race yet and that would be even more special. I feel like we’re ready to win a Cup race at Bristol.”
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