LAS VEGAS -- Kasey Kahne's big Las Vegas gamble paid
off.
Kahne made a late charge Saturday to win the NASCAR Busch Sam's
Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
It was the fourth career victory in 108 Busch Series races for
Kahne, who averaged 125.158 miles per hour in a Dodge Charger.
After trailing Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick for the majority
of the race, Kahne made a bold move on lap 177 to take the lead
for good. Kahne ripped around turn 2 and flew past Harvick
along the backstretch before pulling away.
"It was just a great race," Kahne said. "Matt and Kevin Harvick
were very good all day. We just ended up the best there at the
end with the Ragu Dodge Charger."
Kahne had enjoyed some prior success at Las Vegas Motor
Speedway, finishing second in this race two years ago and
placing second from the pole in the 2004 Nextel
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.
The 25-year-old Kahne was thrilled to finally visit victory lane
here and also was impressed with the sizeable crowd, which
braved unseasonably cold temperatures.
"It's really cool to win in Las Vegas," he said. "We came close
before. I can't believe the crowd here. It's so cold all
weekend long and these people are all still hanging out here."
Kenseth finished second in yet another race which ended with a
green-white-checkered finish. A two-time Nextel winner here,
Kenseth came up short in his last-ditch attempt to pass Kahne in
the final lap.
"We've had green-white-checkereds all the time lately," said
Kenseth, who started from the pole in a Ford Fusion. "I got a
little bit of a run on Kasey. He was just so strong off (turn)
2. I thought I was going to get a little run on him there, I
just couldn't get it done."
The race featured just five cautions for 29 laps. The most
serious accident occurred on lap 160, when John Andretti caromed
off the wall along the backstretch and crashed into Tim Sauter,
prompting a 10-lap caution.
When the green flag waved on 171, Harvick held a slight edge
over both Kenseth and Kahne.
But Kahne made his charge six laps later to record his first
Busch victory since October 8, when he captured the checkered
flag in the United Way 300 at Kansas Speedway.
Harvick, who led 81 laps, finished third in a Chevrolet Monte
Carlo, followed by the Fords of Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards.
Denny Hamlin placed sixth from the second starting position in a
Chevrolet, while Jamie McMurray finished seventh in a Dodge.
The series points leader with 642, Harvick registered his third
top-five finish and his fourth top-10 of the season. Hamlin
trails Harvick by 42 points in the standings, while J.J. Yeley,
who finished eighth Saturday, is third with 595 points.