NASCAR Cup

Dover II: Kahne - Friday media visit

Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger) MUCH HAS BEEN DISCUSSED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RADIO COMMUNICATION DURING A RACE BETWEEN DRIVER AND CREW CHIEF. HOW MUCH HAS THE RADIO COMMUNICATION IMPROVED BETWEEN KENNY (FRANCIS, CREW CHIEF -- NO.

Published: Sep 19, 2008, 2:58 PM

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Kasey Kahne (No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger)

MUCH HAS BEEN DISCUSSED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RADIO COMMUNICATION DURING A RACE BETWEEN DRIVER AND CREW CHIEF. HOW MUCH HAS THE RADIO COMMUNICATION IMPROVED BETWEEN KENNY (FRANCIS, CREW CHIEF -- NO. 9 BUDWEISER DODGE CHARGER) AND YOU THIS YEAR? "I think that it has improved a lot -- but it's always been pretty good. We have days when it's a little better than others because we seem to be on the same page with where the car's performance is on the track. But overall, I think that we have gotten to a point where we have more good days than bad. I think that is a result of us just having raced more together -- spending time working together. Some days are better than others. I just do everything that I can do to give Kenny the right information for him to process and make the right decisions on this car."

HAS THIS NEW CAR MADE THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS MORE DIFFICULT? "It's make it tougher. The new car and the tire combination have made it a lot tougher than it used to be. But it's also getting easier as time goes on and we have more data to collect from as we start to go back to the same race tracks. As we continue to figure out this car and the tire, it makes the communication easier from Kenny to me and me to Kenny."

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR EMOTIONS INSIDE THE CAR? "They're (emotions) up and down. I try and stay as even as I can during the race. Certain things can really get me wound up in a hurry and I need someone to calm me down really quick."

DOVER'S TRACK SURFACE (CONCRETE) AND THE HIGH-BANKING PUTS A LOT OF EMPHISIS ON THE FRONT-END OF THE CAR. IS COMMUNICATION MORE IMPORTANT HERE AS COMPARED TO SOME OTHER TRACKS? "It is....but it's also one of those places that if you unload (the racecar) and you're off, you can get better, but you'll never get to where you want to be. On a race weekend here, you're package need to be close when you start practice or you'll never really get there for some reason."

IS THERE AN EXAMPLE WHERE YOUR DRIVER-CREW CHIEF COMMUNICATION HAS MADE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN A RACE? "I think anytime that we've won races, it's had a lot to do with the communication between Kenny and me. I feel like Charlotte, Pocono and even the Michigan race -- we were a 10th-place car that day and we ran second. If it would have gone the distance, I think that we would have won the race. The Michigan finish was a direct result of communication -- especially from Kenny's side. I think that anytime that you run well, it has to do with the communication back-and-forth between driver and the crew chief."

-credit: dodge motorsports

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