Kasey Kahne sits ninth in the Nextel Cup standings heading to Saturday night's race at Richmond. Credit: Autostock

Q&A: Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne is right in the thick of the Chase for the Nextel Cup with one race to go.

Kahne, of course, is the driver of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge and he moved up two spots from 11th to ninth in the Nextel Cup standings with his second-place finish Sunday to Elliott Sadler at California.

Kahne has four top-five finishes in his past six races, including Sunday's runner-up finish, and he can use that momentum to improve on his 28th-place finish at Richmond in the spring.

KASEY KAHNE •   Driver Page •   2004 Stats •   Store: Kasey Kahne gear! •   World of Dodge

Q: Kasey, welcome and congratulations on your California finish. Thanks for joining us today.

Kahne: Thanks for having me. It was a good finish in California. Got us back in the points. We're looking forward to Richmond this weekend.

Q: Is the pressure still pretty thick for you guys right now?

Kahne: It really is. Anything can happen at Richmond. It's going to be an exciting race. You know, at the same point there could be a lot of guys get in if, say, a problem was to happen with the 48. I think it's going to be an exciting race, for sure. Really hard to say what all's going to happen there, but it should be exciting.

Q. Jimmie Johnson said to us the one guy that he's got his eye on, if he makes it into the top 10, which you have now, would be Kasey Kahne because, number one, he's running good, and number two, the tracks in that final 10 really work into Evernham Motorsports favor. Your thoughts on what he said.

Kahne: I'm definitely looking forward to the final 10 races, whether we're in the Top 10 or not. I think, you know, obviously we're going to do everything we can to be in that top 10. But when it comes down to it, I think there's six or seven races in there that we have a great shot at running up front at, great shot at qualifying good for and racing well at. Hopefully we can run better than we did the first time we went to those tracks. I think Evernham Motorsports should be really strong at those races.

Q. You're the only rookie that's in the Top 10 as we speak. Is that a special honor for you?

Kahne says the 2004 season has been nerve-wracking for me. Credit: Autostock

Kahne: Yeah, it's a real special honor. I wish Richmond was over and we could know we were going to finish in the top 10 in points this year. I mean, that's a great accomplishment for our team, it's a great accomplishment for me.

You know, one of our main goals this season was to get the Rookie-of-the-Year and we're working real hard to get that. Right now we're looking good on that, but we got to keep working harder to do that. If we can get in that Top 10, it would be great.

Q. Is this a nervous time for you?

Kahne: The last month and a half has been really. Ever since Chicago, ever since we lost a bunch of points at Chicago, I've really tried to figure out how to finish these races and how to finish them up front, do whatever it takes to have good races and not crash a car, not lose points because we fell out towards the end of the race. It's been nice to have been able to do that. We have one more race to do it and we'll get in that top 10.

Q. It's been 'you're in, you're out' the last few weeks. I think that probably most people who have watched all year probably say you're one of the top 10 drivers. It sort of seems like it's almost a week-to-week thing. You could be on the outside looking in. Some of these guys are going to be on the outside looking in that maybe deserve it. Do you think 10 is the right number? Do you think maybe NASCAR should look at it and maybe increase that to possibly 15?

Kahne: Yeah, I mean, it could end up being 15 with the 400 deal. I mean, it's been really, really kind of nerve-wracking and different things lately. You've got Jamie McMurray has been real fast, Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Ryan Newman, Jeremy Mayfield, all these guys have been really good in these last seven or eight races.

It's coming down to the final race, which we knew it was going to. I mean, if it was 15, I think that would be a little bit better at this point in time, but at the same time 10 is what they did for this year. The whole deal is structured so much different this year than in the past, you know, it's going to be interesting to see how this whole deal works out, see if they want to change something for next year.

ALSO •   Unofficial "Bubble" Standings •   Unofficial "Clinch" Standings

Q: Have your recent starts and finishes given you a little bit more confidence heading into Richmond? You've had some great starts the last couple and obviously some super finishes over the last three or four races. How is your mindset right now following those starts and finishes lately heading into this most specific race?

Kahne: Oh, it's pretty good. You know, we've been qualifying good. We've been racing good. Loudon, New Hampshire, we did some testing at Loudon, our short track program. That was our weakest program throughout this year, was the short tracks. Going back to Richmond, first time we were there, we didn't race good at all. I crashed in qualifying, we had to pull it back and never got it right. I've learned a lot about the brakes, about these cars on the short tracks. I've definitely got some momentum going into Richmond and look forward to being at that racetrack.

Q. Looking to the 10, have you guys used up a lot of tests to make your 10 and do you have any left if you make the final 10?

Kahne: We've used up a lot of them. We started out the season doing a lot of testing so we could run good early in the year, kind of get everybody excited, try to build some momentum for the season with having a rookie driver. We used up all of them except one. We have one two-day test left. We're not sure where we're going to choose that yet. We're looking at the tracks we're going to. We're going to decide down the road. But we have one left right now.

Q. Is this perhaps your most nerve-wracking race of your Cup career so far or was it the first one?

Kahne has gotten a lot of attention in his rookie season. Depending on what happens Saturday night at RIR, he may be in line for a lot more. Credit: Autostock

Kahne: Yeah, I think the one I was pretty nervous getting ready to start on the pole was my first race. That was pretty nervous. But going into it, you know, a week ahead of time, thinking of the race, what needs to be done this weekend, I think this is probably one of the races that's definitely, you know, I'm thinking a lot about, our team's thinking about. We just need to keep doing what we've been doing and have a flawless weekend.

Q. Does having a good chance to be in the Chase for the Nextel Cup energize your team?

Kahne: Yeah, I think it energizes them. I've been at the shop all day. Everybody here, the guys building the bodies, painting the cars, to the guys building the cars, there's just so many people that work here, every one of them has been excited that I've seen.

I think everybody is excited. We're looking forward to going into it this weekend. You know, hopefully we'll have a good run, get it over with, going on to those next 10.

Q. The many runner-up finishes this year, is it frustrating being that close to winning that many times?

Kahne has finished second five times so far this season. Credit: Autostock

Kahne: Yeah, it definitely is at times. This weekend it was somewhat frustrating at the end just because I thought we were better than the 38. You know, if we would have lost to the 6, I could have understood it, because he was really good all day. But, you know, the 38 made the right adjustments at the end of the race and they were the car to beat.

You know, going into that, I felt we could pass him and would have to battle the 6. It ended up not like that, so that was a little frustrating. You know, Texas was the most frustrating of all, finishing second there after dominating the whole race.

Q. Has your success surprised you at all? You seem to be taking it in stride.

Kahne: Yeah, it's definitely surprised me at times. But at the same time now, at this time of the season, I mean, we've basically been together for, you know, three-quarters of a year. We're kind of out of that rookie stage. We're more of a team that's been together for a while.

All the guys are getting along. I think it's time that we run good every weekend and we can, and not as much of a surprise when we do run good.

Q. Your thoughts on Tyler Walker in the 38 Busch car next year.

Kahne: I think he's going to be really good. I've worked with him some already. We've been friends for a long time. He's driving my Silver Crown cars. He's won the last two weekends in those cars. We're going to test Kansas next week together. We're going to go back and forth in the cars, try to figure things out together. I think he'll be real good for that whole Great Clips team. I'll be able to join him at times, too.

Q: Your teammate Jeremy Mayfield is also fighting for a spot in the Chase for Nextel Cup. You guys have both talked extensively about how well you do get along obviously on and off the track, how you've helped each other along the way this year. Now that it's down to that final race to move into the Chase, how does that change, if at all?

Kahne says he and teammate Jeremy Mayfield are good friends off the track. Credit: Autostock

Kahne: Yeah, I don't think it will change. You know, we've been good teammates all year. I really like Jeremy and his whole team. We've all got along. I hang out with him team a lot, too.

You know, hopefully both teams get in and we're able to run up front on Saturday night and get both cars in the Chase. But definitely it's been fun with Jeremy, you know, learning some things from him and working well between the 9 and the 19, both teams together.

Q: We'll let both of those teams, the 9 specifically, get itself ready for Richmond on Saturday night. We appreciate you taking the time to join us today. Best of luck to you guys on Saturday night. Thank you.

Kahne: Thanks a lot.