via RotoWorld/Dan Beaver.
At the start of the season, Kasey Kahne kept saying that he was not the reason the No. 5 was not getting good finishes.
Now, that is precisely the kind of thing every driver says. Most of the time it is not entirely true, but on the continuum of accurate statements, it would seem Kahne was more correct than others in his same situation.
It is difficult to know exactly when his season began to turn around because Kahne sporadically scored top-15s and -10s during the entire season, but the likely tipping point came at Bristol Motor Speedway in August. He finished 13th in that race and went on to add eight consecutive top-15s in the coming weeks. Four of these were consecutive top-10s, which was the first time last season that he managed to record multiples. Kahne later finished third and 10th in back-to-back races at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. That was significant because they were earned on a common track type—along with a sixth a few weeks earlier at Chicagoland Speedway.
Hendrick Motorsports is strong everywhere, but their resources are such that should be able to sweep the unrestricted, intermediate speedways on occasion with all four drivers. Kahne was the missing link at the start of the year. One supposes he had the horsepower and access to notes that would give him the mechanical grip, but the team must have been missing some key ingredients or the right recipe to use them to the fullest.
In the last 18 races of the season, Kahne finished in the front half of the pack all but three times. One of these poor performances came in the season finale at Homestead when he was involved in an accident; another came just at the mid-point and that made Kahne one of the best overall values.
In 2017, approach Kahne with a little caution at the beginning of the season. He will hopefully pick right up where he left off, but momentum is not always predictable and he could falter out of the gates like he did in 2016. If Kahne picks up three or four top-10s in the first four races on unrestricted tracks, he is worthy of being placed-and-held until his results fall significantly outside that mark for a several races.
Victories: None
Top-fives: 3 (.083)
Top-10s: 13 (.361)
Top-15s: 22 (.611)
Now, that is precisely the kind of thing every driver says. Most of the time it is not entirely true, but on the continuum of accurate statements, it would seem Kahne was more correct than others in his same situation.
It is difficult to know exactly when his season began to turn around because Kahne sporadically scored top-15s and -10s during the entire season, but the likely tipping point came at Bristol Motor Speedway in August. He finished 13th in that race and went on to add eight consecutive top-15s in the coming weeks. Four of these were consecutive top-10s, which was the first time last season that he managed to record multiples. Kahne later finished third and 10th in back-to-back races at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. That was significant because they were earned on a common track type—along with a sixth a few weeks earlier at Chicagoland Speedway.
Hendrick Motorsports is strong everywhere, but their resources are such that should be able to sweep the unrestricted, intermediate speedways on occasion with all four drivers. Kahne was the missing link at the start of the year. One supposes he had the horsepower and access to notes that would give him the mechanical grip, but the team must have been missing some key ingredients or the right recipe to use them to the fullest.
In the last 18 races of the season, Kahne finished in the front half of the pack all but three times. One of these poor performances came in the season finale at Homestead when he was involved in an accident; another came just at the mid-point and that made Kahne one of the best overall values.
In 2017, approach Kahne with a little caution at the beginning of the season. He will hopefully pick right up where he left off, but momentum is not always predictable and he could falter out of the gates like he did in 2016. If Kahne picks up three or four top-10s in the first four races on unrestricted tracks, he is worthy of being placed-and-held until his results fall significantly outside that mark for a several races.
Victories: None
Top-fives: 3 (.083)
Top-10s: 13 (.361)
Top-15s: 22 (.611)
Track
|
3-Yr
Avg. Fin |
Career
Avg. Fin |
Best
Fin |
Career
Attempts |
Career
Top-10s |
Race 1
|
Race 2
|
Sonoma Raceway
|
7.67
|
17.46
|
1
|
13
|
6
|
9
| |
Richmond International Raceway *
|
10.83
|
16.31
|
1
|
26
|
10
|
4
|
6
|
Dover Downs International
|
10.83
|
18.69
|
4
|
26
|
8
|
4
|
12
|
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
|
11.67
|
13.46
|
2
|
13
|
7
|
10
| |
Kansas Speedway
|
12.00
|
13.37
|
2
|
19
|
9
|
16
|
10
|
Atlanta Motor Speedway
|
12.67
|
18.55
|
1
|
20
|
9
|
23
| |
Michigan International Speedway
|
13.00
|
15.62
|
1
|
26
|
10
|
13
|
14
|
Phoenix International Raceway
|
14.14
|
17.68
|
1
|
25
|
8
|
22
|
13
|
Chicagoland Speedway
|
14.67
|
17.46
|
3
|
13
|
4
|
7
| |
Texas Motor Speedway *
|
15.50
|
17.40
|
1
|
25
|
9
|
8
|
8
|
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
|
16.00
|
14.62
|
2
|
13
|
6
|
18
| |
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
|
16.00
|
16.73
|
1
|
26
|
10
|
25
|
9
|
Kentucky Speedway
|
16.33
|
12.50
|
2
|
6
|
2
|
14
| |
Charlotte Motor Speedway
|
17.33
|
12.73
|
1
|
26
|
14
|
22
|
3
|
Darlington Raceway
|
18.67
|
15.14
|
3
|
14
|
5
|
7
| |
Martinsville Speedway
|
19.17
|
19.92
|
2
|
26
|
5
|
22
|
11
|
Homestead - Miami Speedway
|
20.25
|
16.92
|
4
|
13
|
4
|
37
| |
Bristol Motor Speedway
|
21.00
|
18.23
|
1
|
26
|
10
|
17
|
13
|
Pocono Raceway
|
21.50
|
18.04
|
1
|
26
|
9
|
6
|
15
|
Daytona International Speedway
|
23.67
|
20.04
|
2
|
26
|
8
|
13
|
30
|
Talladega SuperSpeedway
|
24.50
|
22.73
|
2
|
26
|
5
|
39
|
35
|
Watkins Glen International
|
24.67
|
21.08
|
12
|
13
|
20
| ||
Auto Club Speedway
|
28.67
|
16.65
|
1
|
20
|
10
|
28
| |
Inactive Tracks
| |||||||
North Carolina Speedway
|
2.00
|
1
|
1
| ||||
++ Swept Victory Lane
* Top-10 sweeps
* Top-10 sweeps
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