Kasey Kahne Recovers to Finish Eighth at Texas

Despite having to head down pit road at lap 198 for a loose right rear, Kasey Kahne would recover during the second half of the Duck Commander 500 to post an eighth-place finish.

“The Great Clips Chevrolet was pretty close,” Kahne commented. “There were times when I felt really competitive with the leaders and other times more like a fifth-place car. Keith (Rodden, crew chief) did a great job we prepared a nice car. We just left too many wheels loose throughout the race. I think three; you can’t run well when you do that.”

For Kahne, that marks his third top-10 of the season, and his first on an intermediate track this year. While his teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have been up front every week, Kahne finished 14th at Atlanta, 17th at Las Vegas and 17th at Auto Club Speedway. Due to the performance of his teammates, and Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing with Hendrick engines/chassis, there’s reason for confidence in the equipment.

“I mean I haven’t won any of them, but I know the Hendrick engines, Hendrick chassis have been tough,” he said. “Jimmie (Johnson) was flying right there. (Kevin) Harvick was flying at times. I felt like we were there with Dale (Earnhardt, Jr.). Dale was really quick at times, except for that last run. I think Hendrick Motorsports and obviously Stewart-Haas the teams are working pretty well. The engine and the chassis shop did a really nice job for all of us.”

Kahne entered the year with a new crew chief on top of the pit box in the form of Keith Rodden. Rodden has proven that he can get the job done, as evident by Jamie McMurray’s strong performances last season. Rodden also has previous experience with Kahne, having worked as an engineer underneath Kenny Francis from 2007 to 2013.

The success for Kahne moving forward may depend on how well he is able to get the relationship rolling with Rodden over the next several weeks.