Kahne Completes Six-Hour Marathon To Win Brickyard 400

By ESPN

Kasey Kahne needed a break Sunday -- and got it.

The 37-year-old driver barely reached the overtime line before the last caution flag came out in a crash-marred Brickyard 400, allowing Kahne to complete a six-hour marathon and snap a long winless streak.

He crossed the yard of bricks under caution with daylight fading and his muscles cramping, just ahead of Brad Keselowski and Ryan Newman.

"I had a great car out front. I had a pretty good car all day long. I was really happy,'' Kahne said. "Unbelievable to win in Indianapolis. Unbelievable to win a Cup race -- it's been a while. I know it's great for my team.''

But even before kissing the bricks and posing for photos, Kahne's long-awaited victory celebration was put on hold as he dropped to the ground and his crew members tried to rub out the cramps he fought through late in the race.

Afterward, Kahne went to the speedway's infield medical center where he received intravenous fluids. Other drivers said temperatures inside the cockpits topped 130 degrees.

The wacky race had a little of everything -- 14 cautions and 55 caution laps, both race records, three red flags and a 1-hour, 47-minute rain delay. Nineteen cars did not finish. It lasted so long, drivers were racing against the impending darkness as much as they were themselves.

For Kahne, his 18th career win might have been the sweetest of all.

He had only three top-10 finishes in the first 19 races. His future with Hendrick Motorsports was in question, and after going almost three full years and more than 100 races without a win, he was finally back in victory lane.

"It puts him in the chase,'' team owner Rick Hendrick said after his 10th Brickyard victory. "It puts him in the playoff. We're excited about that.''

Kahne's last win came in Atlanta in August 2014.

By any measure, it was a wacky day.

The two fastest cars on Indy's 2.5-mile oval -- Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. -- went out in a crash with 49 laps to go. Truex's car slid up the track going through the first turn and the Toyota teammates both wound in the wall. Busch led the first 71 laps, 87 of the first 110 and swept the first two stages ahead of Truex.

"That's the way it goes,'' Busch said. "Just chalk it up to another one we found a way to lose.''

The finish was even wilder.

Over the last 16 laps, there were five crashes and two red flags.

The craziness began when Kurt Busch, Erik Jones and Clint Bowyer got together coming out of the fourth turn. On the ensuing restart, Kyle Larson hit the wall on the front straightaway to bring out another caution.

Things again went awry when Jimmie Johnson, Keselowski and Kahne went three-wide through the third turn on what was supposed to be the second-to-last lap. But Johnson's smoking car started spinning and hit the wall to force overtime.

"I wouldn't call it an absurdity, I just think it was a crazy race,'' Keselowski said. ``There was some crazy strategy.''

Trevor Bayne got into the mix with two laps in the first overtime when his car was bumped from behind, sending it sideways through the field. Six cars got collected in the crash, bringing out yet another red flag and adding more laps to the race.

Kahne finally ended it by reaching the line just ahead of Keselowski as another multi-car crash occurred behind him.

"As much as I didn't need him winning I'm happy for (at)kaseykahne,'' Clint Bowyer wrote on Twitter. "People have written him off lately. HUGE win under extreme pressure.''

YOUNG GUNS

The next generation of Cup drivers struggled Sunday.

Larson, who was a big mover early in the race, finished 28th. Chase Elliott was knocked out after 43 laps because of an engine failure and wound up 39th.

Ryan Blaney also was knocked out in one of the late crashes and finished 23rd.

EARNHARDT & DANICA RESULTS

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also had a tough day in his final Brickyard start. The 42-year-old driver damaged his radiator when he hit the back of Bayne's car on Lap 77 and wound up pulling off the track and stopping underneath the Gasoline Alley sign. When he climbed out, Earnhardt received a loud roar.

"There was just a bunch of cars slowing down, starting a chain reaction. We got into the back of (Bayne),'' he said. "It just knocked the radiator out of us. We had a great car. We had a top-10 car. I thought we could finish there.''

Former IndyCar favorite Danica Patrick received a penalty for a pit violation early in the race and finished 11th.

UP NEXT

Next Sunday, the series moves to Pocono, Pennsylvania, where Chris Buescher is the defending champion.

Busch Dominates To Win Xfinity Series

Kyle Busch tossed his 2-year-old son in the air during his latest victory lane celebration.

He's taking baby steps toward catching The King.

Busch dominated yet again to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

He won for the third time this season and 89th time in his career in the second-tier series. On Saturday night, he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that he plans to retire from the Xfinity Series when he gets to 100 victories.

He has 175 career wins over NASCAR's three national series: Cup (38 wins; 2015 champion); Xfinity (89; 2009 champion); and Truck (48). Richard Petty is NASCAR's career leader with 200 wins, all at the Cup level.

"I know a lot of those are the minors, so I'll take them where I can get `em as of right now," Busch said. "But certainly there's going to be a lot more wins to be had on Sundays, as well. I've got a long road ahead of me, probably."

Busch started from the pole and wasn't challenged much late after an early duel with fellow Cup regular Brad Keselowski. Keselowski led 102 laps but had nothing for Busch down the stretch because of a pit road penalty.

"It is always fun being fast and leading the most laps and all that but we just didn't put the whole race together," Keselowski said.

Busch's No. 18 Toyota was one of just six cars that finished on the lead lap.

Ryan Preece was second, followed by William Byron, Kyle Larson and Keselowski. Larson was set to start the Cup race Sunday from the pole until his car failed inspection and forced him to the rear of the field.

Series points leader Elliott Sadler was seventh in a race that included a 58-minute rain delay. He has a 45-point lead over Byron.

The 19-year-old Byron had his sixth top-five of the season. He has two victories driving for JR Motorsports and has made a case as a candidate to replace Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the No. 88 at Hendrick Motorsports next season.

Earnhardt, long NASCAR's most popular driver, left the team's top Cup seat available when he announced he would retire from the series at the end of the season.

Alex Bowman, who ably filled in for the injured Earnhardt last season, is perhaps the top contender to drive the 88. But Byron and free agent Matt Kenseth are certainly in the mix -- and the odds of landing at Hendrick improve if the organization decides to cut ties with the slumping Kasey Kahne.

Team owner Rick Hendrick watched the race from atop Byron's pit box.

"He did a great job. Very impressive the way he works traffic and the feedback on the radio. Really good," Hendrick said. "The guys are giving him good cars, but he's got a lot of talent, and he's a quick learner. He's fast. He goes right to the edge in a hurry. He's doing a good job. I'm real proud of him."

Hendrick refused to tip his hand on a timetable for the 88 replacement.

"Too early. Man, this is just, what, July? Just July," he said, laughing.

Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, the leader at Hendrick, has kept an eye on Byron's rapid rise through the ranks.

"It's fun watching him grow. At his age, I just don't want to be in too big of a hurry," he said.

Byron, who won seven Truck Series races last season, dismissed questions about his future.

"It's good to be running like this. It feels really good for our team," he said. "It's cool to have Mr. Hendrick out here supporting us and everyone at JRM. It's neat. It's been a good couple of weeks. We've finished in the top 10 the last six weeks or something like that. It's really something to be proud of. I feel like we're able to build on that and hopefully take it to Indy and keep progressing."

Keep progressing all the way to Cup?

Stay tuned.