Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
No. 1 nice guy can handle taking 2nd
Kahne refuses to wreck Kenseth to win race at Bristol
Kasey Kahne is not the most excitable guy in the NASCAR garage.
He is the most humble out of the stable of superstars in Hendrick Motorsports. Good luck trying to get him to say anything controversial.
But here’s a huge upside: He is one of the most stand-up guys in the NASCAR garage.
Kahne could have tapped Matt Kenseth’s bumper to try to move him out of the way in the final laps Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. That would have been an oldschool move that would have been respected in some circles.
It also would have been considered payback for a number of incidents involving Kenseth’s team, Joe Gibbs Racing.
But that did not happen. Kahne failed to catch Kenseth and finished second.
“You know, I’ve always really raced that way,” Kahne said. “I don’t have any experience doing it.
“At the end of the day, I just don’t wreck people.”
Kahne, by the way, is eighth in points with two victories and will qualify for the Chase unless there’s an implosion in the last two races.
A big thumbs-up for one of the good guys. Hamlin still hurting: It’s a painful weekly existence for Denny Hamlin, still struggling with chronic back pain after an accident early in the season.
“My daily life is miserable,” Hamlin said after winning the pole at Bristol last weekend.
Although Hamlin led twice for a total of 23 laps, his night came to an end when Brian Vickers nicked his car, slicing one of Hamlin’s tires and taking out seven other cars.
“We cannot catch a break,” Hamlin said. “You have to laugh at it at this point. It’s somewhat humorous.”
Hamlin could have back surgery to repair his spine at the end of the season.
“I have to weigh the options,” Hamlin said. “There are 10 different things you can do to help with either pain or the structure of your back. I just have to figure out which one is the right one for me.” Tweet of theweek: “Does it get any better than that, great racing by 2 of #NASCAR greatest drivers, #kaseykahne is an absolute shining example of respect!” @AllWaltrip (Darrell Waltrip).