Bristol: Kasey Kahne preview

KASEY KAHNE QUOTES

"The team is still pumped after the win in Atlanta. It was a great victory for Evernham Motorsports and the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger team. It was a total team effort, an Evernham Motorsports effort. That's three top fives in a row. We're pleased with the start this year, but we know how fast things can turn around. We have to maintain that focus, continue to work together and communicate. We must perform every week. We have to prove ourselves once again at Bristol this weekend, then again the next week at Martinsville."

ON RACING AT BRISTOL: "Bristol. There's no other track like Bristol. You try to stay out of
trouble and hope you can bring the car home in one piece. If you can keep the fenders on it, you have a good chance to finish in the top 10. There's no race plan or formula for success at Bristol. You try to stay out of trouble, but if it happens in front of you, it grabs you. I think the Dodge Charger can be very competitive at Bristol. There's just no comfort zone for 500 laps. You have to push your equipment to the limit. Track position is so important, you do everything you can to get it and keep it. Sometimes, you gamble. Sometimes you lose."

STATS & FACTS

KASEY KAHNE AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Sunday's race will mark Kasey Kahne's fifth NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series start at Bristol Motor Speedway. His earned his best finish at Bristol last spring when he finished 14th. Kahne's best start at Bristol came in August 2004 when he captured the outside pole.

In his last race at Bristol, Kahne started 10th and finished 42nd after an early-race accident.

KAHNE CHARGES TO WIN AT ATLANTA
Kahne collected his second-career victory in Monday's Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The win was the first for Dodge at Atlanta in 29 years.

His win was the eighth Nextel Cup Series win for Evernham Motorsports. The organization has now won at least one race each year since it's inception in 2001.

CONSISTENTLY UP FRONT
Kahne and Jimmie Johnson are the only two drivers to score three top-five finishes in the first four races of 2006.

GETTING CLOSER TO THE TOP
Kahne's victory at Atlanta boosted him to second in the Nextel Cup Series point standings. This mark's his career-best point ranking and the highest standing ever for an Evernham Motorsports driver.

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