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CUP: Kahne Says More Work Ahead
Written by: Tom Jensen   
06/20/2008 - 05:34 PM
Sonoma, Calif.
 
Kasey Kahne is seventh position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, 324 points behind the leader. (Todd Warshaw/Getty Images Photo) ยป More Photos

No NASCAR Sprint Cup driver has been hotter in recent weeks than Gillett Evernham Motorsports pilot Kasey Kahne, who since mid-May has won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXIV and the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, won the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway and finished second last weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

That stretch has lifted the Enumclaw, Wash., native from 14th to seventh in the Cup points standings, but Kahne said Friday that he isn’t counting on a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup just yet.

“I’m not super comfortable with where we are at in the points,” Kahne said Friday at Infineon Raceway. “We definitely need to keep staying after it and keep gaining points and doing everything we can to stay in the top-12. We definitely have a lot of work to get in (the Chase) and there are a lot of good cars still on the outside and right behind us. We need to keep working. There are a lot of good tracks coming up for us. We’ve been fast at a lot of the upcoming tracks.”

Kahne does have a buffer of five cars behind him in the Chase, but he’ll be looking to pad his margin this weekend during the Toyota/Save Mart 350, race No. 16 of 26 in NASCAR’s regular season and one of only two road courses on the circuit.

“The surge gave us some points and it’s definitely given us a little bit of breathing room,” said Kahne. “It makes you feel
good with where you’re at (in the points). You just feel good about what you’re doing every week and just keep doing it. If we can keep doing it (race good), we’ll make the Chase.”

For the short term, Kahne said the game plan is simply keep the momentum going. “You just have to ride whatever wave that you’re on and do the best that you can,” said Kahne. “When we have good things going on, you just keep trying to improve and make things better. That’s what we’ve been able to do. When times are tough, you’re just working to get better. I feel like where we’re at right now is exactly where we want to be. We have some great momentum and some great racecars, so I don’t see any reason why we won’t keep running strong.”

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to


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