Kasey Kahne and crew chief Tommy Baldwin found the right combination during Happy Hour on Saturday at Indianapolis Credit: Autostock

Evernham team looking strong at Indianapolis

Kahne leads final practice for Brickyard 400, Mayfield third

SPEEDWAY, Ind. -- While Casey Mears was accepting the accolades and attention that come with winning the Bud Pole, a couple of other Dodge drivers were confident about their chances in Sunday's Brickyard 400.

Kasey Kahne will start 12th and Jeremy Mayfield 13th when the green flag drops, but based on Saturday's post-qualifying practices, don't expect the two teammates to stay that far back for long.

BRICKYARD 400 •   Happy Hour Speeds

Kahne and Mayfield both exceeded 179 mph in the first practice, just behind Ryan Newman, who posted the fastest time of the session. Kahne then turned the fastest lap in Happy Hour, at 179.723 mph, while Mayfield was third at 179.598.

Mayfield brought out the only caution of the session with a flat tire.

This is Kahne's first time at the Speedway, but he's no stranger to Indianapolis. USAC midget champion in 2000, Kahne won back-to-back "Night Before the 500" midget car races at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2000 and 2001.

"We were a little bit tight from the center off and didn't run quite as fast as we probably could have, but it was still a good (qualifying) lap," Kahne said. "It was hotter than yesterday, and I think we should've run faster than that, really. Obviously, there's some speed in the track."

Jeremy Mayfield hasn't had good luck in past Brickyard 400 appearances. Credit: AP

Mayfield agreed.

"The car's handling great. It's the best car I've ever had here, I think," Mayfield said. "The car drives awesome. We should be in good shape."

Mayfield would love to end a streak of poor finishes at Indianapolis. In nine previous Brickyard 400s, his best finish was a fifth in 1997. In seven of those races, he's been 25th or worse, including a 41st-place finish last season.

"I feel real good about the race," Mayfield said. "I'm excited. If we don't beat ourselves, we'll be in good shape.

"We've got three straight top-10s, and we're counting on making it four in a row tomorrow."

Three cars didn't participate in the final practice session. Greg Biffle and Jason Leffler were at IRP, preparing for the Busch Series Kroger 200, while Scott Pruett was on his way to Mid-Ohio to run a Grand Am sports car race.