Kahne Scores Sonoma Victory

Dodge Motorsports NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kasey Kahne gets mad props for his amazing circle track skills. The No. 9 Richard Petty Motorsports Budweiser Dodge Charger pilot even heads up his very own Mopar®-powered USAC circle track racing outfit, Kasey Kahne Racing. So it was especially ironic when the renowned roundy-rounder put an end to a 37-race winless streak at, of all places, the road course at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on June 21.

Kahne’s previous best road-course finish? Try a 14th-place result at Watkins Glen. Kahne was so unfamiliar with Sonoma’s Victory Lane he radioed crew chief Kenny Francis for directions. Kahne was met there by “The King” himself, Richard Petty, who celebrated the first win for his storied organization since April 1999. The duo hopes to make their Victory Lane appearances together a more regular occurrence.

“It was an awesome win,” said Kahne, who at press time was fighting to break into the top 12 of the NASCAR standings in order to qualify for the Chase for the Championship. “It had been a while since we were in Victory Lane. To see Richard Petty back in Victory Lane and the excitement he had on his face as well as our entire Budweiser team was really exciting and cool for me.”

Gilley Gathers Mopar-Powered Stock Eliminator Win at Sonoma

Larry Gilley (holding trophy) celebrates in the winner’s circle of the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., on July 26. The Hilman, Calif., resident proved Mopar’s mettle in the Sportsman ranks at Sonoma by driving his 1969 Dodge Dart to victory over Jody Lang in the Stock Eliminator finals. The triumph was Gilley’s first national event win.