NASCAR SONY HD 500 CALIFORNIA SWEEP KEEPS KAHNE IN CONTENTION VICTORY GIVES DRIVER A CHANCE TO MAKE THE TOP 10.Byline: KEITH LAIR Staff Writer FONTANA -- The Chase became just as hot as the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, weather on Sunday. With the temperature topping 100 at the start of the Sony HD 500 at California Speedway The California Speedway is a two-mile, low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California, similar to that of "sister track" Michigan International Speedway. It is located approximately 40 miles east of Los Angeles on the site of the former Kaiser Steel mill. , Kasey Kahne Kasey Kahne (born April 10, 1980 in Enumclaw, Washington) is a race car driver in NASCAR's NEXTEL Cup Series. He currently drives the #9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger/Dodge Avenger for Gillett Evernham Motorsports with teammates Scott Riggs and Elliott Sadler. sizzled, doing absolutely all he could do to heat up NASCAR's Chase for the Championship in front of a crowd of about 90,000. Kahne won the 500-mile race and led the most laps to close in on a Nextel Cup The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series is NASCAR's top racing series. It was formerly known as the Strictly Stock Series (1949), Grand National Series (1950-1971), and the Winston Cup Series (1972-2003). playoff berth with one Chase race remaining, next week at Richmond, Va. Despite the win, though, he is still in 11th place, 30 points behind 10th-place Jeff Burton Jeffery Brian Burton (born June 29, 1967 in South Boston, Virginia) also sometimes referred to as "JB" is a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver. He drives the #31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. , with only the top 10 advancing to the Chase. ``I wasn't sure how far we'd be back, but you know, 30 is closer than 90 and it could have been worse than 90,'' said Kahne, who led 130 laps and won for the fifth time this season. ``Anything can happen at Richmond. This is all we could do. We did the most we could do; we cut it down. Those guys we're going against are in the top 12 for a reason. We need to do the best we can next weekend and stay up front.'' It was a magical weekend for the 26-year-old driver from Enumclaw, Wash. He made it a California sweep, winning Saturday night's Busch Series The NASCAR Busch Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR. It is NASCAR's "minor league" circuit (often compared to Triple-A baseball), and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big league" circuit, the Nextel Cup. race and then coming from a lap down midway through Sunday's race and winning it when Reed Sorenson Bradley Reed Sorenson (born February 5, 1986 in Peachtree City, Georgia) is a NASCAR driver who currently drives the #41 Target Dodge Charger in the NEXTEL Cup for Chip Ganassi Racing. Early Career Sorenson's career started at age six when he began racing quarter-midgets. went foolish with his fuel, running out of racing gas with two laps -- four miles -- to go. Unlike the spring race at California Speedway, which many considered boring and lackluster, this version featured a lot of on-the-track passes for the lead. And the track, after fierce criticism for not selling out in February and last year's Labor Day Labor Day, holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September to honor the laborer. It was inaugurated by the Knights of Labor in 1882 and made a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1894. race, seemed to have nearly all the seats filled, with an overflow of people milling around the new fan complex. It was also the hottest day since the track held its first race in May 1998. There were 26 lead changes, including six times when drivers swapped the lead on consecutive laps. The last yellow flag, on Lap 190, set up a fuel battle that cost rookie Sorenson his first Cup victory. Kahne and Dale Earnhardt This article is about the elder Dale Earnhardt. For his son, see Dale Earnhardt, Jr.. For the racing team he founded, see Dale Earnhardt, Inc.. Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Jr. were the two fastest drivers after the sun set. But it appeared no one could make it without stopping for at least a splash of fuel. Kahne pitted with 12 laps to go, taking on two right-side tires and gas, and Earnhardt stopped a lap later, doing the same. That gave the lead to Sorenson, who did not pit. Kahne and Earnhardt worked their way past other drivers until they were positioned behind Sorenson. But as Sorenson went by the start-finish line with two laps to go, he slowed entering Turn 1. Kahne was there for the win, with Earnhardt second for his best finish ever in Fontana, but no way of catching Kahne. Rookie Clint Bowyer Clint Bowyer (born May 30, 1979, in Emporia, Kansas) is an American NASCAR driver. He currently pilots the #07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the NEXTEL Cup Series and the #2 BB&T Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the Busch Series, both for Richard Childress Racing. , who just took a splash of gas, finished third. ``There was no way we could catch Reed, but there was no way he could make it either,'' Kahne said. ``I could tell he was saving fuel.'' Sorenson tried to go 55 laps without a fuel stop. He finished 21st. ``We had a great car,'' Kahne said. ``We got up there pretty quickly and battled up their all night. We could move all over the race track. Once the sun went down, we really could use up all the race track. We made the right calls. We definitely deserved this one.'' But there was a time when it appeared unlikely that Kahne would have a chance to win the race. He was running third on the 157th lap when he went too fast entering pit road. He had to go to the back of the lead pack on the restart, putting him 24th. After the next round of pit stops, he was second. ``I didn't notice it,'' he said of his speed. ``We were right on the edge. We had to get back to the front and (team director) Kenny (Francis) did two tires. UI passed two cars and then 12.'' Denny Hamlin James Dennis "Denny" Hamlin, Jr. (born November 18, 1980) is a race car driver currently contracted to Joe Gibbs Racing, driving the number 11 car in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, and sponsored by Fed Ex. , Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is a professional American race car driver. He was born in Vallejo, California, raised in Pittsboro, Indiana, and currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. and Kyle Busch Kyle Thomas Busch (born May 2, 1985 in Las Vegas, Nevada) is an American race car driver. Currently, he drives the #5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series as well as the #5 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Busch Series. raced for the early lead with Kahne, but Hamlin and Busch fell away when the sun set and Gordon fell back to 24th when the lug nuts on his tires were not on properly. Matt Kenseth took over the points lead from Jimmie Johnson on Sunday, but the next nine spots are as wild as they were entering the California race. Kevin Harvick is third, Gordon fourth, Busch fifth, Earnhardt sixth, Hamlin seventh, Tony Stewart eighth and Mark Martin ninth. ``The Chase makes it exciting at a boring part of the season,'' Earnhardt said. ``I'm glad we have it.'' keith.lair@sgvn.com (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2272 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color -- cover) RAISING KAHNE Todd Warshaw/Getty Images (2 -- color) Kasey Kahne's victory at Fontana was his second Cup win of the season at California Speedway and fifth overall. Thomas R. Cordova/Staff Photographer |
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