Matt Kenseth celebrates after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Kasey Kahne was fed up with all of Joe Gibbs Racing by the time contact with Matt Kenseth ended his race at Watkins Glen earlier this month.
It was the fourth time a JGR driver had wrecked him, and he took to Twitter to voice his displeasure, posting: “Headed to Joe Gibbs Racing to talk to whoever will come out front.”
But when he had his chance Saturday night to right all of those wrongs, Kahne passed.
A clean racer to his core, he trailed Kenseth for a dozen laps around Bristol Motor Speedway, trying every which way possible to pass him without wrecking him and failing miserably. The result was Kenseth grabbing his Sprint Cup Series leading fifth win of the season, while Kahne settled for a disappointing second.
“I don’t know,” sighed Kahne. “I just ... I think at the end of the day, I just don’t wreck people.”
It’s the third time this season Kahne has finished second behind Kenseth, who on Saturday night clinched at least a wild card berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Kahne, meanwhile, is still hoping just to make it into the Chase. With two wins on the year he’s in pretty good shape, but he’s only eighth in the standings with two races remaining to set the 12 driver field.
After Kahne passed Juan Pablo Montoya for second he set his sights on Kenseth and tried numerous times over the final dozen laps to make the pass, but never could make it stick. He went for the bump and run on the last lap and missed, and has to settle for second.
“I had a better car. I just couldn’t clear him,” Kahne said. “There was a couple shots I took, and I had to have been close, but I could feel him on the right side of my car, and I just didn’t clear him. I didn’t figure out how to get by. It’s disappointing not to win here. I thought we had the best car the last 200 laps, and it was a lot of work.”
Montoya, who learned two weeks ago he won’t be brought back to Chip Ganassi Racing next season, was third. Although he could use a win, especially on an oval to prove he belongs in NASCAR, he said he was pleased with the result — especially since he came back from an early speeding penalty.
“To be honest with you, where we are with the team and the result, it’s pretty good,” he said. “I’m still running until the end of the year with (sponsor) Target, and I want to make sure I can do the best for them.”
Brian Vickers was fourth, followed by Joey Logano, Paul Menard and Jeff Gordon.
Marcos Ambrose was eighth and Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top 10.
With two races remaining, at Atlanta and Richmond, to set the Chase field, only points leader Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer and Kenseth have locked up berths. The rest of the top 10 in points are Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Earnhardt, Kahne, Biffle and Logano.
Defending series champion Brad Keselowski is 11th, four points out of 10th and not in Chase contention because he’s winless so far.
The two drivers currently in position for the wild-card berths are Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr.