Kahne fastest in Brickyard final practice

SPEEDWAY, Indiana - Rookie Kasey Kahne turned the hottest lap in final practice for the NEXTEL Cup teams at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kahne's lap of 179.723 mph was just a tick hotter, than second place's Elliott Sadler.

"There is a lot of speed in the track," said Kahne. "We should have been faster in qualifying but we worked on the car, and it's gotten better. We should be in good shape for the race on Sunday."

Sadler's lap made the charts, at 179.598 mph.

"It's been a lot of fun," said Sadler of his season. "We are still under everyone's radar, so it has taken the pressure off us. We're just doing the job we needed to. We just want to be in that final 10. When we get to that point, we're pretty much going to take the gloves off and go after it."

Kahne's teammate, Jeremy Mayfield, was third fastest, with a 177.315 mph.

Bill Elliott and Matt Kenseth complete the top five fastest times.

"I've been very fortunate," commented Elliott, who is only running a handful of races this season. "I've had a good crew here in the past. Just from that side, it's been good and I've had equipment and I think that's the special part of it. Indy's always been a special place. I ran good the first time I showed up here. Hopefully, we can run good again this weekend."

Pole sitter, Casey Mears, was only 29th quickest, with a lap of 176.606 mph.