Kasey Kahne has three top-10 runs in the last three weeks. Credit: Autostock
June 11, 2003
10:06 AM EDT (1406 GMT)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Sliding through the corners at high speeds, rather than figuring out how to hit a slider, now appeals to Kasey Kahne.
Serious about baseball until age 14, Kahne (No. 38 Great Clips Ford) instead gave in to the lure of racing after watching his dad work on and sponsor a Sprint Car. It didn't take long until Kahne chucked his bat and ball to get behind the wheel.
Given his success on the track, he made the right choice.
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Re-tracing the steps of drivers like NASCAR Winston Cup champions Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, who also starred in USAC Midgets, Kahne began with Micro-Midgets, then moved up to Mini-Sprints.
He graduated to Sprint Cars in 1997, then came full circle by winning the 2000 USAC Midget championship by the largest point margin in 12 years. He was also named USAC Silver Bullet Series Rookie of the Year and USAC Midget Driver of the Year.
Last year, Kahne made the move to the NASCAR Busch Series, driving for the formidable Robert Yates Racing team.
When Yates decided to concentrate on his NASCAR Winston Cup program following the 2002 season, Kahne signed with Akins Motorsports. The one-year difference in experience has been quite noticeable.
Kahne ranks 11th in the NASCAR Busch Series point standings with one top-five and six top-10 finishes heading into Saturday's Meijer 300 presented by Oreo at Kentucky Speedway. In contrast, he posted just one top-10 finish in 20 starts last season.
"I'm not surprised at our success thus far, but I think we can still do much better because we're still learning together as a team; we are still gelling as a team," said Kahne. "One thing that we're really noticing a difference in is how important test sessions are.
"The more we can test, the better we are. It teaches us more about the cars and the experience helps my driving.
"[This] will be my first time actually competing at Kentucky other than the test, and I can't wait. We were real happy with our test results, so I'm looking forward to getting out there with other drivers to see how good our car is."
The native of Enumclaw, Wash., has also taken a keen interest in recent racing history, particularly the early stages of the careers of Stewart and Gordon. "It definitely gives me confidence to see their [past] success," he said. "I think they learned their skills through the same open-wheel ranks [as me]."
Even though he's competing in his first full NASCAR Busch Series season, Kahne likes to get back to his roots and continues to race every chance he gets. "I would rather race every night of the week," he said.
"It keeps me happy."
News and notes
TV Timeout
NASCAR Busch Series TV ratings are enjoying an increase on network TV in 2003. The NASCAR Busch Series is averaging 3,717,000 viewers per race, an increase of 8 percent over 2002.
Father's Day
Ashton, Charlie Lewis working to give early Father's Day gift ... Ashton Lewis Jr. (No. 46 Civil Air Patrol Chevrolet) and his brother/crew chief Charlie are hoping to give their father a NASCAR Busch Series win for Father's Day this year.
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| Ashton Lewis Credit: Autostock |
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Ashton Lewis Sr., owner of Lewis Motorsports and the No. 46 car driven by Lewis Jr., has had the unique opportunity to work with his sons at a high level of competition.
"I am fortunate enough to be able to participate very closely in my sons' lives," said Lewis Sr. "Not many fathers are able to do that. I get to see their growth and participate in their achievements first hand. As a father, there's not a whole lot more you can ask for."
One of those achievements was helping Lewis Jr. earn his career-first Bud Pole award at Gateway International Raceway in May. The family-owned team -- which began racing part-time in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2000 -- is coming off a sixth-place finish at Nashville, their third top 10 of the season.
Ashton and Charlie, who have both worked on Jeff Gordon's No. 24 Dupont Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, are now thrilled with the opportunity to work with their father. "I don't have a lot of experience in driving for other owners, but I do know that for me, it's an ideal situation," said Lewis Jr. "[My dad] is dedicated to seeing us do well.
"He's willing to take that extra step -- whether it's financial support, parental support, working extra hours or whatever it takes -- to get the team where it needs to be. To have that level of commitment and dedication in a car owner is something that you just can't put a price on."
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| David Green Credit: Autostock |
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Home field advantage
Kentucky native David Green (No. 37 Timber Wolf Pontiac), Kentucky Speedway hasn't produced the home track advantage he had hoped for. After two races at the track, Green has finished outside the top 20 in both appearances.
"Our record is not good on paper, but I feel like Kentucky is a good track for me. In 2001 we ran awful well and had a flat tire which cut a brake line which cost us a few laps, but we ran competitively," said Green. "I tested a NASCAR Winston Cup car for Hendrick Motorsports there last fall and really learned a lot working with those guys.
"I'm very pumped in returning to our 'home track' with my new team [Brewco Motorsports] which has done an excellent job in putting me up front all year. I feel like we have home track advantage each race we run but especially Kentucky since my team is based within the state and right up the road."
Et cetera
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| Johnny Sauter Credit: Autostock |
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Johnny Sauter (No. 21 PayDay Chevrolet) will throw out the first pitch at tonight's Milwaukee Brewers baseball game at Miller Park in Milwaukee.
"It's going to be awesome," said Sauter, a native of Necedah, Wis. "I've always dreamed about being a professional baseball player, and I've always loved to watch the Brewers.
"It'll be a great chance for me to see how those guys go about their jobs."
Prior to the race on Saturday night, Green will introduce country music artist Mark Wills for his pre-race concert; Wills and his band will show their support for Green by wearing Timber Wolf racing uniforms.
.. Hollywood-stuntman Stanton Barrett (No. 60 Odoban Ford) is spending time in California this week, working on the set of "Spiderman 2."
The last laps Mike Wallace (No. 4 Geico Chevrolet) led in the NASCAR Busch Series were at Kentucky last year.
Kentucky Speedway probably brings mixed feelings to Mike Bliss (No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet). Bliss won at Kentucky last season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with a broken nose, suffered a few days prior in a softball game.
NBC/TNT broadcaster/driver Wally Dallenbach is entered at Kentucky in the No. 17 Aleve Ford owned by John Reiser. The car has been driven by NASCAR Winston Cup Series point leader Matt Kenseth in six races this year and has been to Victory Lane twice (California and Charlotte).
In three races last year, Dallenbach had two top-10 finishes with his best (seventh) coming at Lowe's Motor Speedway in October.
Jason Rudd (No. 01 Hampton Inns Dodge) -- the nephew of NASCAR Winston Cup star Ricky Rudd -- will attempt to make his first NASCAR Busch Series start since November 2001 at Rockingham. All six of Rudd's career starts were made during the 2001 season.
Last week Jason Keller became the first NASCAR Busch Series driver to top the $7 million mark in career earnings. Keller's $23,400 earned at Nashville for his 14th-place finish gives him a career total of $7,002,930.
On the right track
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| Scott Riggs Credit: Autostock |
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There are only eight active drivers who have competed in both NASCAR Busch Series races at Kentucky. Among that group, Lewis holds the best average finish (8.0). Lewis finished fifth in 2001 and 11th last year.
Coming off his second win of the season, Riggs has five top-five finishes in his last six starts, including three consecutive top-three finishes. After setting the qualifying record last year at Kentucky -- his most recent Bud Pole award -- Riggs led 91 laps before finishing fourth. Riggs also won the 2001 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Kentucky.
Quotes
"I'm like a kid in a candy store knowing I get to come and play in our own backyard." -- Owensboro, Ky., native David Green on returning to Kentucky Speedway with his Brewco Motorsports team, which is based in Central City, Ky.
"[Kentucky Speedway] is a multi-groove track and allows for some good side-by-side action. The fastest way around the track seems to be around the bottom, and the winner is probably going to be the guy who can make his car stick there during the race." -- Randy LaJoie (No. 7 Kleenex/Scott Products Chevrolet).
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| Mike Bliss Credit: Autostock |
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"I really like [Kentucky.] Even though it looks similar to some of the other tracks we go to, it is completely different. It is very fast and really smooth. If your car is hooked up, then you can pass just about anywhere. The key is to get the car to handle all the way through the corners, because you are in them for a long time." -- Ron Hornaday (No. 2 ACDelco Chevrolet).
Archive
Kentucky Speedway became the 43rd track at which the NASCAR Busch Series has competed, and the 20th superspeedway. It is the second track in the Bluegrass state that has held a NASCAR Busch Series race.
Louisville Speedway (.354-mile) hosted two races in the late 1980s, won by Tommy Ellis (1988) and Tommy Houston (1989). Only one NASCAR Winston Cup Series race has been contested in Kentucky. On August 29, 1954, Lee Petty won the 200-lap race at Corbin Speedway, a half-mile dirt track in Corbin, Ky.
Fast Facts
What: Meijer 300 presented by Oreo (Race 16 of 34 in the NASCAR Busch Series).
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| Mike Wallace Credit: Autostock |
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Where: Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Ky.
When: 8 p.m. (ET), Saturday, June 14.
Track layout: 1.5-mile oval.
Race length: 200 laps/300 miles.
Posted awards: $1,247,798.
Internet: Live Leaderboard
TV: FX, 7:30 p.m. (ET).
Radio: MRN, XM Satellite.
2002 winner: Todd Bodine.
2002 polesitter: Scott Riggs.
Top 10 in points: 1. Scott Riggs 2,056. 2. David Green 2,038. 3. Todd Bodine 2,032. 4. Ron Hornaday 1,912. 5. Brian Vickers 1,881. 6. Jason Keller 1,880. 7. Mike Bliss 1,868. 8. Bobby Hamilton Jr. 1,833. 9. Johnny Sauter 1,809. 10. Shane Hmiel 1,776.
Pre-race schedule (all times local): Friday?Practice, 12:40 p.m.-2:40 p.m.; Qualifying, 5:05 p.m.; Practice, 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
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