NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Kahne Eyes Infineon Repeat
Kasey Kahne notched his first road-course win last summer at Infineon Raceway...
Mike Hembree  |  Posted June 16, 2010   Charlotte, NC
Kasey Kahne celebrates his win at Infineon Raceway last June. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Infineon Raceway had been something of a mystery to Kasey Kahne prior to last year’s race at the Sonoma, Calif., road course.

In five visits to the track, Kahne had finished no better than 23rd and had led a total of only four laps.

Then Kahne broke through last June, leading 34 of the race’s 113 laps and scoring a landmark win for Richard Petty Motorsports.

Coming off a second-place finish – his best this season – last week at Michigan International Speedway, Kahne returns to Sonoma as defending champion and with rebuilt confidence.

“We’ve qualified well there the last few races and won there,” Kahne said. “I have gained great confidence at that track. I think that took a little bit of the intimidation out of that place.

“It is an extremely tough place to race because it is such a different concept to what we normally do, but I would say I definitely have confidence based on how we have been there the last few times out. My team behind me did a great job there when we beat Tony [Stewart] off the pits and held him off for the victory. It is important to have a solid team behind you to be successful there at Sonoma.”

Kahne beat Stewart to the finish by .748 of a second last year.
Kasey Kahne rumbles around Infineon Raceway during the track's annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race last June. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

The 2009 run was something of a surprise, although Kahne’s car was potent all day.

“It was definitely a surprise last year, and we felt really strong the whole race,” he said. “Hopefully, we can unload similar this year. It will be a little different with the new engine to see how it runs.

“I have always liked Sonoma, even when I didn’t run well there. I have always enjoyed racing there and trying to learn that type of racing. Hopefully, we can put another top 10 together. There is a lot that goes on there that you don’t have control over. There is a lot that goes on that you do have control of, as well. Hopefully we can get some luck and put together a good race.”

Infineon is the first of two road-course events for the Sprint Cup series. Watkins Glen, the faster of the two, is on the schedule in August. Infineon is considered the more “technical” of the tracks.

“The hardest part at Sonoma is tough to pinpoint,” Kahne said. “I think that every part of it is hard. There is a lot going on there, and we don’t race that type of stuff too often. You have to really be on your game, and you need the whole team to be right there behind you and working with you the whole time. There is a lot that goes on there at that race track.

“For an oval guy like myself, I think the whole course is where I need to really keep my eyes open. One little mistake there and you will lose a lot.”

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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