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 Sitting in 18th on the Chase grid -- 33 points below the
16th-place cutoff line -- the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver
needed a win to make NASCAR's playoffs.
Kahne came through.
He seized the lead with two laps remaining, cruising to victory
lane, and more important, a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint
Cup.
"There won't be as much pressure on us for a while now, I guess,"
Kahne said after the race. "Just to make it, I mean, that's just
such a -- it was winding down, we were -- I don't know. I feel like
making the Chase, there's a lot of pressure and you don't really see
that again until probably late in the Chase."
Kahne faces less stress heading into Sunday's Folds of Honor
QuikTrip 500 (1 p.m. ET on FOX) at Atlanta Motor Speedway -- the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' first March visit to the Georgia track
since 2010.
He still has 25 races left before the Chase opener on Sept. 20 at
Chicagoland.
Atlanta Motor Speedway has been kind to Kahne during his NSCS
career. The 12-year veteran owns three wins at the 1.5-mile track
with seven top fives, nine top 10s and two poles.
Not the only driver with Peach State success, Kahne will face stout
competition from Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and
Jimmie Johnson. Gordon leads all active full-time drivers with five
AMS wins. Johnson's three victories tie Kahne and three other
drivers for third.
"I love racing at Atlanta. I won my first-ever (Xfinity) Series race
there and it was also the site of my very first Sprint Cup Series
start more than 22 years ago," Gordon said. "We've won races and
clinched championships there. Atlanta Motor Speedway holds a special
place in my heart."
'Reedy' to go: Daytona winner Ryan Reed leads Roush Fenway Racing to
Atlanta
In February 2011, Ryan Reed was diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes and
was told by doctors he'd never be able to drive a race car again.
Four years later, he's a NASCAR national series race winner.
Reed pulled a crafty move to the inside to pass 2012 NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski on the final lap of the
season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway and received a
timely push from Roush Fenway Racing teammate Chris Buescher to
capture his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory.
"I can't describe the emotions and the feelings that go into the
first win," Reed said. "So much hard work and sacrifice from all my
guys -- (crew chief) Seth (Barbour) and (owner) Jack (Roush) and
everyone who stood behind me, including Lilly Diabetes and the
American Diabetes Association."
Reed will attempt to win his second race when he leads a quartet of
RFR drivers that includes young guns Buescher, Darrell "Bubba"
Wallace Jr. and two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series runner-up Elliott
Sadler -- to Atlanta Motor Speedway for Saturday's Hisense 250 (2
p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1). The 21-year-old finished 18th in his only
start at Atlanta last season.
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"This past week has been a whirlwind after earning my first win at
Daytona -- just overwhelming. Seth (Barbour), the team and I have a
tremendous amount of confidence and momentum from the win that will
carry us into this weekend's race at Atlanta," Reed said. "Our
communication has improved so much since the last time we were there
and I really think we have a chance to continue our hot streak and
bring home another win."
Robust rookie of the year race heats up at Atlanta
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has long been a proving ground
for young drivers to test their talents against grizzled veterans.
The 2015 season is no exception.
Eleven drivers are in contention for Rookie of the Year honors in
the series.
In the first race of the season, three of the top five drivers at
Daytona were Rookie of the Year candidates: Erik Jones (second),
Austin Theriault (fourth) and Ray Black Jr. (fifth).
Fellow rookies Korbin Forrister (12th at Daytona), Spencer Gallagher
(21st), Daniel Hemric (26) and Justin Boston (29th) will attempt to
catch up to the pack in Saturday's Hyundai Construction 250 at
Atlanta Motor Speedway (5:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1).
"I'm really looking forward to Atlanta this weekend," Boston said.
"KBM has a lot of success at intermediate tracks. It will be nice to
race at a place where truck handling, race strategy and skill play a
bigger part than just luck."
Many of the rookies lack experience on 1.5-mile tracks like Atlanta,
putting them at a disadvantage to their older counterparts.
"With the speeds you reach at Atlanta being a mile-and-a-half, it is
definitely a lot harder on the tires than at the short tracks we
race in late models," Jones said. "But I guess the concept of
managing your equipment is the same, so hopefully I can apply some
of it."
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