No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger Race Facts
NASCAR Nextel Cup Series --- Pocono Raceway
Driver: Kasey Kahne
Team Director: Tommy Baldwin
Team Owner: Ray Evernham
Chassis: No. 106
Info: Completely rebuilt after runs at
California, Charlotte, Michigan
KASEY KAHNE QUOTES
“It was great to get a top-10 finish at New Hampshire. Our Dodge Charger was the best it’s been in a while. We had a good day in the pits. The pit calls by Tommy (Baldwin, team director) were good. It was a good team effort all around.”
“We had a good run in the second event at Pocono last year, finishing third. It’s a tough track with three totally different corners. You make compromises in some areas to get the car to handle well enough in another. The key is getting the car to work throughout the race. Pocono is a tough track if the car is working reasonably well. It’s a long race. If you have an ill-handling racecar, the afternoon seems much longer.
“This week, we need to put together another good finish and continue to build on the momentum we’ve established. The focus is on performance. If we produce results on the track, everything will take care of itself.”
STATS & FACTS
KASEY KAHNE AT POCONO
This weekend will mark Kahne’s fourth NASCAR Nextel Cup Series start at Pocono
Kahne earned his best start at Pocono with a Bud Pole in his first career visit to the track last spring. He went on to finish 14 in the race.
Kahne earned his best career Pocono finish in last year’s fall race with a third place run.
RECORD BREAKING RUNS
Kahne set the Pocono track qualifying record after topping the charts at 172.553 mph last spring.
The qualifying record was the third track record set by Evernham Motorsports last season (Kahne – Las Vegas and Pocono(a), Mayfield – Dover(a)).
Evernham Motorsports Dodges currently hold four track qualifying records on the Nextel Cup circuit, including Bill Elliott’s record run at Texas in April of 2002 (in addition to the above).
TESTING, TESTING…
The No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger team tested at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Monday, July 12. Kahne turned a total of 220 laps on the historic 2.5-mile track to prepare for the August 7, Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.
KAHNE CHARGES TO VICTORY AT RICHMOND!!!
Kahne claimed his first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series victory at Richmond. Kahne started from the pole position, led seven times for 242 laps, and never fell out of the top ten, en route to his first career victory.
Kahne’s win was also the first of the season for the new Dodge Charger, which returned this year after a 27-year hiatus from NASCAR’s premier series.
RICHMOND WIN MILESTONES
Kahne’s win was the sixth win for Evernham Motorsports, marking the fifth consecutive year that an Evernham Dodge has visited victory lane.
Kahne also joined an exclusive club of 13 drivers to earn career wins in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Busch and Cup series.
Kahne became the 11th driver to win from the pole position at Richmond, the last of whom was Bill Elliott who won from the top spot in spring of 1992.
