No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger Race Facts
New Hampshire Int’l Speedway-- NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
Driver: Kasey Kahne
Team Director: Kenny Francis
Car Director: Mike Shiplett
Engineer: Keith Rodden
Team Owner: Ray Evernham
Chassis: EMS 113
Info: Raced at Martinsville, Phoenix and Richmond.
KASEY KAHNE QUOTES
”Making the Chase for the Championship is our goal, but it’s very important that the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger group peaks as a team for those final 10 races . Our performance in the last three races hasn’t been up to the level we need or expect. We want to change that at New Hampshire where we’ve had reasonable success in the past. We had a good shot at our fourth straight top-10 finish, but I was wrecked.
“There are eight races remaining before the field for the Chase is decided. Nothing is set. We have to race hard, but smart. Kenny (Francis, team director) and the No. 9 team have been in this position before, getting Jeremy (Mayfield) in the Chase two years in a row. That experience is certainly a plus. We will be looking to utilize all our resources this weekend to get our Dodge Charger in position to challenge for the win. This is an important weekend for our team.”
STATS & FACTS
KASEY KAHNE FAST FACTS
Kahne is making his fifth start at New Hampshire. He posted three consecutive top-10 finishes before being hit from behind and wrecked just past the half-way mark of last year’s second event. In his first three outings at NHIS, he finished eighth, fourth and sixth, respectively.
Kahne has an average start of 10.2 and average finish of 14.0 at NHIS.
In 2006, Kahne has more Nextel Cup victories than any other driver – four. The wins came at Atlanta, Texas, Charlotte and Michigan.
Kahne has scored 11 top-15 finishes in the first 18 races. At this point of the season last year, he was 21st in the season standings.
The race winner at NHIS has started in the top 10 in 11 of the 22 races at NHIS, including four of the last seven. Kahne has started in the top 10 twice including the outside pole in this event last year.
Kahne is fifth in the season point standings. He is 91 points out of third.
