Kasey Kahne’s aggressive climb up the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup standings continued with a top-five finish in the Food City 500 in Bristol, Tenn. Kahne’s crew chief, Kenny Francis, received the NASCAR® MOOG® “Problem Solver of the Race” Award for his role in the team’s success at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Francis is the fifth Sprint Cup crew chief in five 2009 events to win the MOOG award.
Sponsored by Federal-Mogul Corporation, the NASCAR MOOG Problem Solver of the Race Award is presented to the Sprint Cup crew chief whose team posts the largest increase in average lap speed from the first half to the second half of a race. Kahne, Francis and the No. 9 Budweiser Chevrolet picked up a race-best .014-second in average lap speed in Sunday’s event, powering the Richard Petty Motorsports team to its best finish of the year.
“The guys did a great job in the pits,” Kahne told the Charlotte Observer following the race. “The last two weeks, everybody…has done an awesome job and we’ve made some nice gains.”
Kahne, Francis and the No. 9 team have steadily improved their performance during each of the first five 2009 Sprint Cup events, finishing just 29th at Daytona before rising to 12th place in Fontana, 11th in Las Vegas, 7th in Atlanta, and 5th in Bristol. The team picked up three positions to sixth place overall in Sprint Cup points during the race at Bristol.
“Kasey and Kenny have made remarkable progress over the past three weeks, and it’s only a matter of time before they’re back in the winner’s circle,” says Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson. “It’s obvious that Kasey is comfortable and confident in the car he’s been given, which is a testament to the work of Kenny and his crew.”
For more information, visit www.moogproblemsolver.com.
