FORT WORTH, Texas - Kasey Kahne got past 19-year-old rookie Reed Sorenson just before the final caution and held on the final two laps after the restart for a NASCAR Busch series win Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway.
After starting 25th, Kahne was in the top 10 midway through the 200-lap race and finally slid under Sorenson on the backstretch on the 194th lap, less than two laps before the yellow flag flew for the ninth time.
"I just got a good run on him on the backstretch," Kahne said. "I had a great car from the start. It kept getting better and better."
It was the second Busch win in 89 races for Kahne, his first since the 2003 season finale. No other Busch winner at the 11/2-mile Texas Motor Speedway had started lower than 20th.
"It's a long time coming for us," said Kahne, who led a race-high 47 laps. "It feels good to be back."
Sorenson finished third in the second straight Busch race since winning at Nashville last month. With his tires wearing down, Sorenson was passed by Greg Biffle on the first lap after the final restart.
"It's pretty impressive for this team. We're gaining momentum," said Sorenson, the Ganassi rookie. "I drove my butt off trying to win that race."
Biffle finished just three-tenths of a second behind Kahne, whose average speed of 126.737 was slowed by 37 caution laps. Biffle led the O'Reilly 300 four times for 32 laps.
While Kahne and Sorenson drove Dodges, Biffle had the highest of seven Fords in the top 11.
Carl Edwards maintained the series point lead by finishing fourth, his seventh straight top-10 finish. The Roush Racing rookie leads by 76 points over Sorenson and 166 over Clint Bowyer, who was sixth at Texas.
NHRA: Warren Johnson led Pro Stock qualifying in the Summit-Racing.com Nationals, the first time he has topped the field at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the 132nd time overall. Johnson set the pace for the 16-car field with a 6.824-second effort at a top speed of 201.46 mph in a Pontiac. Doug Kalitta and Gary Scelzi also led their divisions in the $1.8-million event. Kalitta retained his No. 1 qualifying position in Top Fuel with a 4.496-second pass at 329.34, and Scelzi piloted his Dodge to the top of the Funny Car order with a run of 4.797 at 325.06.
AMERICAN LE MANS: James Weaver took the pole for the Grand Prix of Atlanta, completing a lap in 1 minute, 11.241 seconds in the No. 16 Dyson Racing Lola EX257 AER. It was Weaver's 12th career pole and his second straight at Road Atlanta. He posted the fastest lap for last year's Petit Le Mans but was nearly a second faster. Weaver will share the seat with Butch Leitzinger today. Champion Racing's Audi R8s will start second and third.
