Kasey Kahne Wins At Pocono After Outrunning Jeff Gordon

Kasey Kahne won the Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday after beating teammate Jeff Gordon to the finish line. Kahne passed his fellow Hendrick driver on the outside lane with one lap to go in the race.

With his second victory of the season, Kahne is almost guaranteed a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, which takes place in the final 10 races of the season.

Kahne’s No. 5 was the car to beat for the second half of the 400-mile race, reports ESPN. He stretched his lead out to eight seconds by the time a caution was called for debris with 12 laps to go.

Gordon, who has won at Pocono six times, was strong in the No. 24 as he took the lead on the restart. But in true Kasey Kahne fashion, the Farmers Insurance car passed Gordon’s on the outside.

Kahne commented later that the pass meant it “was kind of the race at that point.” From there, he focused on making no mistakes and running a quick lap. The Pocono win helped Kasey Kahne jump to 8th place in the points.

While his Hendrick Motorsports teammate celebrated a win, it was a disappointing birthday for Jeff Gordon. Fox Sports spoke with the driver after his second place finish. Gordon commented, “It’s funny how our emotions go up and down in the sport.” He added that he would have been excited going into the race to know he would finish second.

However, being so close to victory changed Gordon’s perspective. Instead, he commented that he was “disappointed we didn’t get this win.” Despite going without a win this season, Gordon still has a shot at getting in the Chase this year. He is currently in ninth in the standings.

Kasey Kahne previously won at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this year. He also came in third last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

[Image via Beelde Photography / Shutterstock.com]