Kahne Wins Kansas Pole

The race can be seen on NBC beginning with the pre-race show at 10:30 AM.

Photo: Kansas Speedway

KANSAS CITY, Kansas - Kasey Kahne continued his mastery of Kansas Speedway by winning the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup pole for Sunday's Banquet 400 presented by ConAgra Foods.

Kahne's lap of 178.377 mph comes on the heels of his NASCAR Busch Series victory here last year.

The pole was Kahne's fifth of the year, tying him for the series lead with Kurt Busch. Kahne also has won five races, which leads all drivers in the series.

Kahne is trying to make a comeback in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. He fell to ninth in the point standings when trouble found him in last week's race. He first ran into the crashed car of Tony Stewart, then had a mechanical failure.

Kahne is excited about his chances in Sunday's race, a 267-lap event that begins at 1:10 PM.

"I like racing Kansas; it's fun," he said. "I always feel good about Sunday (races). That's where we've been our best this year."

Kahne also will compete in Saturday's Busch race, the Yellow 300. The 200-lap race begins at 11:00 AM PST.

Kahne trails series leader Jeff Burton by 182 points in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. Burton will start 10th in Sunday's race.

Championship contenders are spread through the Kansas field. Jeff Gordon, who is second in points, will start 11th with No. 3 Matt Kenseth eighth. No. 4 Denny Hamlin, a rookie, will start 25th with No. 5 Kevin Harvick starting 14th. No. 6 Mark Martin, the race's defending champion, will start 19th, with No. 7 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12th.

Jimmie Johnson is eighth in points and will start third. Kyle Busch is the last driver in the title hunt; he'll start 13th.

Among local drivers, hometown favorite Clint Bowyer of Emporia, Kan., will start sixth with Carl Edwards of Columbia, Mo., 27th and Jamie McMurray of Joplin, Mo., 41st.

Saturday's schedule also includes the KansasSpeedway.com 100 for the U.S. Auto Club's Silver Crown division.

Banquet 400 Starting Line-Up

Row 1:

1 Kasey Kahne Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge

2 Scott Riggs Valvoline Dodge

Row 2:

Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet

Brian Vickers Garnier/GMAC Chevrolet

Row 3:

J.J. Yeley Interstate Chevrolet

Clint Bowyer Jack Daniel's Chevrolet

Row 4:

Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge

Matt Kenseth DeWalt Ford

Row 5:

Elliott Sadler Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge

Jeff Burton Cingular Chevrolet

Row 6:

Jeff Gordon DuPont Chevrolet

D. Earnhardt Jr Budweiser Chevrolet

Row 7:

Kyle Busch Kellogg's Chevrolet

Kevin Harvick Reese's Chevrolet

Row 8:

Ryan Newman Alltel Dodge

Bobby Labonte Cheerios Dodge

Row 9:

Dave Blaney Caterpillar Dodge

Joe Nemechek U.S. Army Chevrolet

Row 10:

Mark Martin AAA Ford

David Gilliland M&M's Ford

Row 11:

Tony Stewart Home Depot Chevrolet

Todd Kluever 3M Ford

Row 12:

Martin Truex Jr Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet

Kyle Petty Wells Fargo Dodge

Row 13:

Denny Hamlin FedEx Freight Chevrolet

Reed Sorenson Target Dodge

Row 14:

Carl Edwards Office Depot Ford

Sterling Marlin Ginn Clubs Chevrolet

Row 15:

Greg Biffle National Guard Ford

Terry Labonte GMAC Chevrolet

Row 16:

Jeff Green Haas Automation Chevy

Dale Jarrett UPS Ford

Row 17:

Casey Mears Texaco/Havoline Dodge

Chad Chaffin Oak Gloves Dodge

Row 18:

Michael Waltrip NAPA Dodge

Ken Schrader Motorcraft/USAF Ford

Row 19:

Travis Kvapil Tide/Downy Chevrolet

Tony Raines DLP¨ HDTV Chevrolet

Row 20:

Bill Elliott Melling Dodge

David Stremme Lonestar Dodge

Row 21:

Jamie McMurray IRWIN Ford

Robby Gordon Harrah's Chevrolet

Row 22:

43 78 Kenny Wallace Furniture Row Chevrolet

Did Not Qualify: Scott Wimmer; Kevin Lepage; Chad Blount; Carl Long

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