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Kahne Makes it Two in a Row
Cup Rookie Makes History with Team ASE/CARQUEST Dodge at Homestead FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Emmett Byrd
704.792.2091 (office)
704.425.3262 (cell)
emmettbyrd@aol.com
MOORESVILLE, NC (November 19, 2004)-Kasey Kahne made his second NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series as special as his first, and made history at the
same time by winning the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday
afternoon. Kahne, driving the Team ASE/CARQUEST Dodge, became the first
driver to win in his first two NCTS starts with a 1.016 second win over
his Ultra Motorsports teammate Ted Musgrave.
"It was a great run," Kahne said following the event. "The Team ASE/CARQUEST
Dodge was really good. This Ultra Motorsports team has given me a great
truck for both races. To go two for two - one win at Darlington and here
at Homestead - is pretty awesome. We made some changes on that first
stop. At the start, we were wanting to get it rolling. The truck was
better on used tires there. It was pretty fun being back there in the
pack with all of those other trucks. It was a good time. We just kept
getting better and better and worked our way up and had great pit
strategy to get us up to the front. We needed to be there. I think if
Ted would have started in the front of that final restart he would have
won too. They had a great race truck also."
Kahne started in the 13th position but quickly picked off five spots in
the first 10 laps of the event. Caution flags fell early and often
during the first half of the race, delaying Kahne's surge to the lead.
He eventually took the lead for the first time on lap 79 and almost
never relinquished it after that. In all Kahne led 54 of the 134 laps
competed. In the end it was his teammate Musgrave who posed the most
serious threat to Kahne's historic two for two NCTS run.
"We just had to keep running hard," Kahne said. "The truck wasn't as
good in a way. The sun went down and there was a ton of grip on the
track. We just kept running hard, and I would've had to spin out or
something for him to pass us at that point. It was pretty nice to drive
such a good handling truck."
"Kasey was really good, you know, and I was trying to chase him down but
we got a little tight," Musgrave said. "We just experimented with a
setup and we were just a little bit off. But, Ultra Motorsports came
back with the two top Dodges again, so that's pretty good. The Mopar
team came on strong at the end of the season. We were just a flat tire
away from a championship again."
Bobby Hamilton clinched the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
championship with his 16th place finish. Hamilton bested Dennis Setzer
by a scant 46 markers to procure the first NCTS crown for Dodge.
Musgrave's finish allowed him to secure the third spot in the NCTS
standings.
"It's cool that Bobby Hamilton was able to win the championship for
Dodge," Kahne said. "Dodge won the manufacturers championship. It was a
great year for Dodge. That was a lot of fun. We were better on long runs
but we were good on short runs too. The guys on this Team ASE/CARQUEST
Dodge did a great job. They gave me great pit stops again today."
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