Kasey Kahne , driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy, has won the Lenox Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, holding off Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 to cross the finish line first.
The Huffington Post reports that Kahne was able to take the lead away from Hamlin during a restart on lap 240 of 300 on the one-mile oval.
The Enumclaw, Washington native was helped by a miscommunication between Hamlin and his crew. Hamlin wanted two tires changed, but his crew chief Darian Grubb, though he wanted four.
After the longer pit stop, Hamlin was left in 13th place, though his fresher tires allowed him to quickly pass by all of the cars in front of him, except the No. 5 of Kasey Kahne. The Hendrick driver was able to hold Hamlin off, crossing the line with a lead of 10 car-lengths.
USA Today reports that Kahne is now in the lead spot for one of two Chase berths, which are awarded to the winningest drivers ranked 11th to 20th. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is the only one outside the top 10 who has more than one win.
When interviewed after the race, Kahne stated:
“Denny was obviously the best car. We had a great Farmers Insurance Chevrolet and had to battle hard the whole race. It doesn’t get us in the Chase yet, but it definitely helps.”
Hamlin remarked that:
“If we’re not wrecking, we’re in contention to win every single week. That’s all you can ask for. … I’m very pleased with where we’re at right now.”
Following Kahne and Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five. They were followed by Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, and Ryan Newman.
The victory is Kasey Kahne’s second of the season, with his last coming on May 27 in Charlotte, North Carolina.