Kahne Stretches the Fuel to Win Ameriquest 300

Written by Trevor A. Winchell

California Speedway

(September 2, 2006) - Kasey Kahne won the Ameriquest 300 which turned out to be a fuel mileage race with Paul Menard in the end. "It was a great battle," Kahne ex-plained after the race in Gatorade Victory Lane. "We were both saving fuel, both trying to make it to the end. He's showing up fourth. I think he did run out of fuel. We were just trying hard to save fuel and race each other and do what we can do. It was a lot of fun racing Paul."

Kahne and Menard exchanged the top spot four times over the closing laps until the final lap when the fuel ran out for Menard and he coasted across the finish line in the fourth position. "We knew we were going to be really close, really close," Menard said. "With one more lap of caution I think maybe we would have ran out maybe 3/4 through that last lap. You know, all in all I'm really happy. Kasey could go when he needed to and I could go when I needed to. We were both kind of lagging around drafting each other, trying to save fuel. You know, if we had one more lap...I don't know if we could have got him or not but it would have been close."

Kevin Harvick who was battling a loose condition also gambled on fuel mileage which netted him the runner-up spot. "We stole this one," Harvick said after the race. "Our U.S. Coast Guard Chevrolet got really, really loose there in the middle part of the race. It was good in the beginning and then at the end it came back pretty good. Shane and all those guys did a great job adjusting on it. I was screaming on the radio that I couldn't hold on to the thing but did what we needed to do in the end."

Mark Martin dominated most of the event leading (88) of the (150) laps and took four tires and fuel on the last pit stop under green. Time just ran out for Martin as he could not run down the cars who stretched the fuel mileage to the end. "I really want to thank my truck team," Martin offered. "They did an awesome job here in the pits and on the race track. It was one of the nicest cars I've ever driven. This is one of those nights where things could have worked in our favor but they didn't."

Clint Bowyer won the pole and led the field to green for the start of the race and still had the top spot on lap (6) when the first caution flag was displayed. The field was slowed when the motor let go on the No. 4 car of Auggie Vidovich and oiled down the race track. None of the leaders went to pit road under caution and Bowyer led the restart followed by Kyle Busch, Harvick, Stewart, and Kahne.

Kyle Busch took the lead from Bowyer after the restart on lap (10) and Harvick followed him to take second place. Harvick was three wide with Busch and Kahne for the lead and won out for the top spot on lap (18) and Kahne followed through for second.

The third place car of Busch broke loosed on lap (29) and slid sideways on the race track to bring out the second caution of the night. Busch avoided contact with anything and the leaders would take the opportinity to pit for service. Harvick led off pit road followed by Biffle, Martin, Kahne, and Stewart.

Paul Tracy had a scare on lap (43) when his car broke loose and went for a slide on the track prompting the third caution. Tracy avoided contact with the wall and refired the car to continue on. Harvick stopped under this caution thinking he had a tire going down but the cars of Martin, Kahne, Biffle, Gordon, and Kenseth stayed out.

The field would be slowed again on lap (75) for Kertus Davis when he was limping around the track with a flat right front tire. Everyone stopped for service and Kahne led off pit road followed by Martin, Kenseth, Busch, and Stewart.

This run would be short lived when Jerry Robertson lost control of his car on lap (82) and slid off the track through the grass and then back on track. Harvick, Kahne, Menard and others pit. The leaders did not pit and Martin led the restart followed by Kenseth, Busch, Kahne, and Stewart.

Disaster struck for JJ Yeley when he had a tire go down and lost the tread causing the No. 18 car to break loose on lap (93) and hit the outside wall hard. There were two other cars were also involved in the incident when David Ragan and Paul Tracy both spun and received damage. The leaders stay out and Martin led them back to green followed by Busch, Kenseth, and Biffle.

Green flag stops began with Kenseth running second being the first to stop four tires and fuel on lap (129). Kyle Busch would exit a lap later for service then the leader Martin made his stop on lap (131) for tires and fuel. Stewart and Bowyer were in for service taking only two right side tires and fuel with (18) laps remaining. Greg Biffle another front runner made his stop but a tire got away from the crew on pit road and Biffle had to return and serve a drive thru penalty.

Kahne enherited the lead after the leaders pitted and Menard followed in second place. They traded the top spot four times over the final laps then Menard ran out of fuel on the last lap but coasted coasted home in fourth place. Harvick who like Kahne stretched the fuel to the end finished in second and Martin made his way back to third but ran out of laps to run down the leaders.