Most drivers competing in a lame-duck situation could be content to play out the string this late in the season. Not so for Kasey Kahne.
Even as the Red Bull Racing team faces offseason uncertainty, a bright spot has been Kahne’s swan song in the No. 4 Toyota. Kahne, under contract to move to Hendrick Motorsports next season, has proven his on-track worth even though the team came up short in qualifying for the Chase. Kahne’s third-place effort at Texas was the latest manifestation of that, marking his fourth top-five finish in the last six races.
Even though Kahne is ineligible for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship, the only two drivers to accumulate more points during the eight Chase races thus far are Edwards and Tony Stewart, who sit 1-2 in the standings. The recent upswing in performance has elevated Kahne from 21st in points entering the Chase to his current rank of 14th.
Interestingly, Edwards and Stewart have each earned 313 points during the Chase. Next-best is Kahne with 284, just ahead of Matt Kenseth (272) and Brad Keselowski (267).
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