Season already slipping from Kahne

(courtesy of CBS News)

After escaping the season opener at Daytona with a seventh-place finish, his first top 10 at the track, Kasey Kahne looked to be in excellent shape to make a run toward the top of the standings.
After all, he had won at both California and Atlanta in 2006, and was fourth in the series' lone trip to Vegas last year.

But expectations have fallen woefully short of reality.

At California, he started second but wound up 38th after engine failure. In Las Vegas, he won the pole but finished 35th after wrecking. Sunday at Atlanta, it was more of the same; the best he could do was 39th after another wreck took him out of contention.
"When something happens, there's just no place to go," Kahne said. "The accident happened right in front of me and that was it. I tried to turn left, but I just didn't have enough time. We got a lap down early but managed to get the handling straightened out on the next two pit stops and be in position to get our lap back with a caution. The caution never came. The accident messed up the handling. Kenny (Francis, team director) will be back next week, and we'll be ready for Bristol."
Kahne desperately needs a strong finish at Bristol, because with another subpar run -- and that's a distinct possibility considering Kahne's track record at Bristol (one top 10 in six trips) as well as the uncertainty surrounding the Car of Tomorrow -- Kahne could fall out of the top 35 in owner points and then would have need to qualify for the next race on speed with no provisional to fall back on.
That's a shocking turn of events for a driver who led the series with six victories last season and appeared poised to challenge for the title in 2007.