Kahne wins Dover HH

Kasey Kahne posted the quickest average speed in Dover's Happy Hour with a 151.805 mph during 33 laps. That far outpaced his fastest single lap of 152.912 mph, which was only 17th best.

Our View Kahne has not yet cracked the top five at Dover, but last year, he swept the top 10. If he fits the final niche on your roster, he's worth considering, but you don't want to build a roster around him.

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Ku Busch wins a wild one at Atlanta

Kurt Busch survived to attempts at a green-white-checkered finish and scooted away from Matt Kenseth and Juan Montoya to win the Kobalt Tools 500.

Our View Busch had one of two dominant cars along with Kasey Kahne (who finished fourth).

This race featured action at the end and retaliation between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski for an early-race incident that shuffled the finishing order—but fans' hearts got to pumping.

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Kahne wins second Duel in Daytona

In a mirror image of the first Duel in Daytona, Kasey Kahne beat Tony Stewart to the line by inches.

Our View The combined margin of victory of the two races was less than a tenth of a second. It just doesn't get any closer than that.

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Harvick wins Budweiser Shootout

Kevin Harvick won back-to-back Budweiser Shootouts after leading Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray when the final caution waved.

Our View The race ended with a green-white-checkered finish and you just knew that it was going to get hairy. However, no one expected Jeff Gordon to trigger a wreck when he bump-drafted Greg Biffle into a spin in the corner.

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Kahne fastest in Bud Shootout practice 2

Kasey Kahne logged only two laps, but he made the most of them. With a speed of 191.673 mph, he led the field.

Our View The best news with this speed is that he apparently did not hurt his car when he banged into the back of Ken Schrader while that driver slowed during an early caution.

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Another practice, another wreck: this time for Ku Busch

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Seconds into the second practice session, Juan Montoya hooked Kurt Busch and sent the No. 2 into the frontstretch wall. Busch will be the fifth driver forced into a backup.

Our View Kasey Kahne also sustained some nose damage, but he should not have to go to his backup.

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Phoenix pit stall selections

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections, and as expected Martin Truex Jr. took the final slot before pit exit.

Our View Other drivers with an opening in front of them are Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne, so they should have an easy time exiting after their service. Drivers with openings behind them are Casey Mears, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch and Mark Martin.

The other driver with a mathematical shot at leaving this race with the points' lead, Jeff Gordon is pitting directly behind Truex and if the No. 1 team has any trouble, he could inherit the best stall.

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Surprising Hornish tops Phoenix practice 1

Sam Hornish Jr. edged Kasey Kahne by four-hundredths of a second to land atop the speed chart in the first Cup practice session. His fastest lap was 133.884 mph.

Our View Hornish took a lot of criticism for last week's incident with points' leader Jimmie Johnson. The best way to silence the critics is by going fast, but if this holds up and Hornish actually qualifies in the front of the field, his competitor's will have to feel a little uneasy.

So far in 2009, Hornish has been crash-prone.

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Lowe's Pit stall selections

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections for the NASCAR Banking 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway and, as expected pole sitter Jimmie Johnson has the last box exiting pit road.

Our View Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth are the other drivers with an opening in front of them. Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon and Mike Bliss in the No. 71 this week have openings behind them.

As well as he qualified and as strong as he ran in the Nationwide race, Bliss should try to run the distance. If he "starts and parks," however, Bobby Labonte inherits an opening as he is immediately ahead.

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Top-10 Quality Passers: Lowe's #NASCAR

Passing a car running in the Top 15 while under a green flag.
Number of Races: 9
NASCAR Banking 500 Pre-Race
For point-paying races in current and past four years, at this track.
Lowe's Motor Speedway

Rank	Driver	Avg. Fin	Avg. Quality Passes	Total
1	Jimmie Johnson	9.8	50.7	456
2	Kyle Busch	17.1	46.7	420
3	Kasey Kahne	10.2	39.6	356
4	Mark Martin	15.0	35.9	323
5	Jeff Burton	11.7	35.1	316
6	Joey Logano	9.0	34.0	34
7	Carl Edwards	10.0	33.0	297
8	Brian Vickers	20.0	32.9	263
9	Denny Hamlin	15.6	32.5	260
10	Greg Biffle	16.9	30.8	277

Top-10 Avg. Running Position: Lowe's

Average Running Position
Sum of driver position on each lap - divided by the laps run in the race.
Number of Races: 9
NASCAR Banking 500 Pre-Race
For point-paying races in current and past four years, at this track.
Lowe's Motor Speedway

Rank	Driver	Avg. Fin	Running Position
1	Joey Logano	9.0	6.9
2	Jimmie Johnson	9.8	7.0
3	Kyle Busch	17.1	11.0
4	Kasey Kahne	10.2	12.0
5	Mark Martin	15.0	12.1
6	Jeff Burton	11.7	14.8
7	Denny Hamlin	15.6	15.4
8	Carl Edwards	10.0	15.8
9	Brian Vickers	20.0	16.0
10	Greg Biffle	16.9	16.5

Top-10 Driver Ratings: Lowe's

Formula combining the following categories: Wins, Finishes, Top-15 Finishes, Average Running Position While on Lead Lap, Average Speed Under Green, Fastest Lap, Led Most Laps, Lead-Lap Finish. Maximum: 150 points per race.
Number of Races: 9
NASCAR Banking 500 Pre-Race
For point-paying races in current and past four years, at this track.Lowe's Motor Speedway

Rank	Driver	Avg. Fin	Best Rating	Avg.
1	Jimmie Johnson	9.8	128.8	116.6
2	Joey Logano	9.0	106.0	106.0
3	Kyle Busch	17.1	139.4	104.7
4	Kasey Kahne	10.2	143.6	99.5
5	Mark Martin	15.0	114.0	91.7
6	Brian Vickers	20.0	121.6	91.7
7	Carl Edwards	10.0	104.0	90.7
8	Greg Biffle	16.9	116.5	88.8
9	Jeff Burton	11.7	127.7	88.4
10	Jeff Gordon	21.8	128.2	85.6

Kansas pit stall selections

Jayski.com has posted the pit stall selections, and as expected pole sitter Mark Martin took the final box at the exit of the pits.

Our View Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray, Kasey Kahne and Brad Keselowski also have openings in front of them and will be able to pull straight out. Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Scott Speed, Brian Vickers and Jeff Gordon have openings behind them and can pit shallowly to give themselves a little more room.

Kansas has a wide, long pit road, however, and no one should have too much trouble.

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Dover pit stall selections

Jayski.com has posted the pit stall selections and as expected, Jimmie Johnson took the final stall leaving pit road.

Our View Juan Montoya and Ryan Newman are the only two other drivers with openings in front of them and this pit is extremely tight, so those are the only truly good stalls.

Greg Biffle, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne each have an opening at the back.

Pit stall selection can often be the final piece of the puzzle for fantasy owners.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Dover

Jimmie Johnson, Juan Montoya, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, David Reutimann and Kasey Kahne provide you with a diverse list of marquee drivers and sleepers on the first three rows, which makes the game interesting this week. Check out the Dover edition of the Yahoo! qualification story .pdf story.

Richmond pit stalls

Jayski has posted the pit stall selections, and as expected Mighty Mark Martin has taken the best spot after winning the pole for the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Our View Martin Truex Jr and Kasey Kahne have the only other two spots with an opening in front of them, but Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski chose stalls with openings behind them.

This could be especially positive for Keselowski, who is bound to be cheap in cap games and under-utilized in allocation games.

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RPM – Yates to merge

Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing announced an intention to merge their companies in 2010. Kasey Kahne, A.J. Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler and Paul Menard will be the drivers and the entity will race Fords.

Our View That leaves Bobby Labonte and Reed Sorenson out of rides next year.

This has to be one of the most convoluted entities of all time since RPM is made up of a merger between Petty and Gillett-Evernham Motorsports and Yates, who absorbed Hall of Fame Racing at the start of this year. The economy makes strange bedfellows, and it is not improving competition.

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Kahne wins seesaw battle over Harvick

The night was filled with comers and goers, but a late-race caution gave the edge to Kasey Kahne. His short run setup was better than Kevin Harvick's and he sprinted out to the lead with a handful of laps remaining.

Our View Three drivers dominated at different times. Harvick led 66 laps compared to Kahne's 60, but Martin Truex Jr. led the most laps at the start of the Pep Boys Auto 500 and headed the field for 68 circuits.

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Truex wins third career pole

Martin Truex Jr. utilized cool conditions to win his second pole of the season and the third of his career with a speed of 184.149 mph. He will lead the field to green on Sunday night, with Kasey Kahne on the outside of the front row.

Our View Qualification is extremely important at Atlanta, but the No. 1 team's luck has been abysmal. Outside pole sitter Kahne will be a better bargain this week.

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Kahne blows at Michigan

Kasey Kahne blew an engine early in the first practice session. He will need to change the powerplant and go to the back of the pack for the start of the Carfax 400.

Our View Qualification is important at Michigan, but considering how wide this track is, a fast car can get to the front.

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