Despite significant setbacks, our very own Kurt Busch lead Dodge to the winner’s circle this past Sunday with his first place finish at the Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Marking his 21st victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Busch’s well-deserved win catapulted him from 19th to 10th in the driver point standings, just 142 behind the leader.

Congratulations to Busch and Team Penske for an impressive performance and nabbing another win for Dodge!

Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

The performance brand’s continued involvement in the Sprint Cup Series will be expanded to include three Penske Racing entries: 20-time winner Kurt Busch and his No. 2 Miller Lite Charger will be joined by Sam Hornish, Jr. in the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, and now, for his first full season with Penske, Brad Keselowski in the No. 12 Dodge Charger. Dodge President and CEO Ralph Gilles was confident in his boys during the announcement. “The objective is clear,” Gilles declared. “We expect to win races, have drivers in The Chase and compete for the 2010 Sprint Cup Series championship.”

Dodge Racing’s formidable Nationwide Series roster will include Justin Allgaier (‘09 Rookie of the Year winner) in the No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge Charger and Brad Keselowski (four-time Nationwide Series event winner) in his No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Charger. Both Penske teams will be running the complete Nationwide Series schedule. And yes, we’ve heard your vocal requests — the Dodge Challenger will also see some track time during the series, appearing in a number of “New Car” races. NASCAR fans, get ready for a golden year from a reenergized, committed Dodge Motorsports!

Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

Kurt Busch recorded an impressive Sprint Cup victory at Sunday’s Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway…and made it one lucky day for someone in the stands. When his brother Kyle ran out of gas with three laps to go, Kurt jumped into the lead and never gave it up, earning his second win of the season and 20th of his career.  A.J. Allmendinger finished 10th, while Kasey Kahne finished 33rd. The win moved Busch up two spots to 4th place in The Chase, while Kahne dropped a spot to 10th.  The Chase moves to its second to last stop this weekend at Phoenix.

Against the odds, Busch’s victory also won $1 million for Michael McGee, who’d been named the 2009 Dickies American Worker of the Year on Oct 30 at the Professional Bull Riders World Finals in Las Vegas. As the promotion’s winner, McGee received $50,000 and an all-access, VIP trip for two to the Dickies 500. And most importantly, the chance to turn his $50,000 prize into $1,000,000 if the racer he drew (Kurt Busch) won the race. How often does a fan out-earn the winner in a race?

The Dodge team is looking forward to Talladega and it’s 2.66 miles of pure speed after this weekend’s tough outing at Martinsville.  Kurt Busch is currently 6th in the Chase standings after his 17th place finish in Martinsville and Kahne is 11th after his 32nd place finish. 

The last time NASCAR ran at Talladega in April, Busch finished 6th, Reed Sorenson finished 11th, Elliott Sadler finished 19th, while Kahne finished 36th.

PHOTO: RUSTY JARRETT/GETTY IMAGES FOR NASCAR

Dodge drivers had a mixed day at the Pepsi 500 this weekend. Kasey Kahne had to pit after getting caught up in a major wreck that dropped him to an eventual 34th place finish behind winner Jimmie Johnson.

Kurt Busch finished eighth, which led all Dodge drivers, but dropped one spot in The Chase, to 6th place.

Next chance at redemption: the NASCAR Banking 500 this weekend. (See all races and times here.)

The performance moves Busch up one spot to fourth in the Chase standings, just 70 points behind leader Mark Martin. AJ Allmendinger and Kasey Kahne also drove Dodge Chargers to top-10 finishes in the 400-lap event on the one-mile, high-banked concrete oval. Allmendinger was seventh in the No. 44 Super 8 Dodge while Kahne was right behind in eight in the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge. It was Allmendinger’s best finish since a seventh at Infineon, 12 races ago…

Busch started 16th, but had moved to 10th by lap 15. From there, the No. 2 Dodge was never out of the top 10. Busch led twice for 99 laps and his over-the-wall crew performed flawlessly on pit road.

“It was a really good run for our Miller Lite Dodge,” Busch said. “We put it up front most of the day and put ourselves in position (to win). A couple of guys were quicker than us at the end. We wanted to come and get tires (during the last caution). It’s a tough call. You want to go for the win, but at the same time, you’ve got to get a good solid finish. So, we decided to stay out and hang on. I’m proud of my guys. We had excellent pit stops. It was a nice solid day for us. The track got rubbered in and when it did, we were tight on corner exit. Tight on corner exit slows the car on the straightaway. If we can tweak that, we’ll be after them. The Miller Lite Dodge was solid. I felt like we had a nice rhythm today. All in all, a good run for our Dodge.”

Kahne’s Dodge started sixth and raced in the top five early before handling issues dropped the No. 9 outside the top 15. Crew Chief Kenny Francis and the crew found the remedy to put Kahne in position to rally back. He moved from 16th to eighth in the final 40 laps.

“Our Budweiser Dodge was pretty decent today,” said Kahne. “We battled all day and I’m proud of all my guys for their effort. We struggled a bit with the splitter hitting the ground. Kenny (Francis, crew chief) and the guys dug all day trying to get us a top-10 finish and we did. We struggled a bit on pit lane today which is unusual for our Budweiser guys. We didn’t pick up as many spots in the Chase that we would have liked, but we performed well and didn’t lose any ground. There’s plenty of racing left in the Chase and we’re going to give the guys in front of us everything we’ve got.”

Allmendinger started 19th, but once he worked his way into the top 15 by lap 60, he never fell out. A late stop for four tires provided the catalyst for a top-10 finish.

“Our Super 8 Dodge was really good today,” said Allmendinger. “I thought everyone on the 44 team was awesome today. Hopefully, we can run strong like this in the final eight races to show everyone what kind of team that we have. It was a smooth day. The conditions were tough today. At one point, it felt like the water was seeping up through the racetrack, it was so slick out there. We just kept fighting. With 25 laps to go, we just took a guess at what changes we wanted to make and it seemed to work. We were just a little bit loose all day. I’m just proud of everybody.”

The race was stopped for just over 23 minutes following a six-car mishap on lap 31. None of the drivers were injured including rookie Joey Logano whose race car rolled seven times before coming to stop. There were a total of nine cautions for 38 laps.

Driver Team Finished:
Kurt Busch No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge 5th
AJ Allmendinger No. 44 Super 8 Dodge 7th
Kasey Kahne No. 9 Budweiser Dodge 8th
Sam Hornish Jr. No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge 26th
David Stremme No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge 29th
Elliott Sadler No. 19 Geek Squad Dodge 30th
Reed Sorenson No. 43 Valvoline Dodge 35th

Driver Rank Starts Points Behind Wins Poles T5s T10s
Kurt Busch 4 28 5400 -75 1 0 8 16
Kasey Kahne 12 28 5211 -189 2 0 5 11
AJ Allmendinger 24 28 2689 -2711 0 0 1 4
Elliott Sadler 25 28 2631 -2769 0 0 1 4
Sam Hornish Jr. 27 28 2571 -2829 0 0 1 3
Reed Sorenson 28 28 2503 -2897 0 0 0 1
David Stremme 31 28 2444 -2956 0 0 0 0

NASCAR SPRINT CUP CHASE STANDINGS
(Second Of 10 Races In The Chase)
Pos. Driver Points Behind
1. Mark Martin 5,400 –
2. Jimmie Johnson 5,390 -10
3. Juan P. Montoya 5,335 -65
4. Kurt Busch 5,325 -75
5. Tony Stewart 5,294 -106
6. Denny Hamlin 5,292 -108
7. Ryan Newman 5,290 -110
8. Jeff Gordon 5,278 -122
9. Greg Biffle 5,262 -138
10. Brian Vickers 5,249 -151
11. Carl Edwards 5,247 -153
12. Kasey Kahne 5,211 -189

AAA 400 Results
Dover International Speedway
Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009
Race 28 of 36
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Mark Martin
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Juan Pablo Montoya
5. Kurt Busch
6. Jeff Gordon
7. AJ Allmendinger
8. Kasey Kahne
9. Tony Stewart
10. Ryan Newman
(Other Dodge Drivers)
26. Sam Hornish Jr.
29. David Stremme
30. Elliott Sadler
35. Reed Sorenson

– 30 –

Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009, is your last chance to buy raffle tickets to win a one-of-a-kind 2009 Dodge Challenger and support the Kurt Busch Foundation.

The Bright Silver Metallic 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8® features a unique paint scheme designed by PPG master painter and instructor Paul Stoll, and lovingly laid on by renowned street rod painter Charley Hutton of Charley Hutton Color Studio.

Raffle tickets are $100.00 each and all proceeds will go to benefit the Kurt Busch Foundation and will specifically benefit the Kurt Busch Superdome.

For your chance to win, head over to the Kurt Busch Foundation site. Winners will be announced at www.KurtBusch.com on Wednesday, Sept 30, 2009.

Read more about the car in the words of Kurt Busch himself.

Kurt Busch is off to a good start in the 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup, finishing sixth in Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Late-race cautions hampered Busch’s chances of an even better finish in his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge.

Busch’s Dodge Charger was fast. He wasn’t outside the top 10 except during the lone green-flag pit cycle late in the race. He spent most of the day in the top five and led the race on three occasions for 33 laps.

Dodge’s second entry in this year’s 12-driver Chase — Kasey Kahne in the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger — wasn’t as successful. Kahne had engine problems early in the race, exiting on lap 66 of the 300-lap event. He finished 38th.

Busch was riding along comfortably in second place, but three cautions in the final 23 laps set up three double-file restarts and opened the door for a series of challenges from numerous drivers. Busch was able to hold the second spot on the first restart, but wasn’t as successful on the final two.

“It was a fight,” said Busch. “We had a good car. We were a top-five car. You could have thrown a blanket over the five that finished up front. We just didn’t make good adjustments at the end. We lost the handle on the Miller Lite Dodge. If there had been no cautions, we would have finished second. It was tough, a hard-fought battle all day. The Miller Lite Dodge was good and then it was bad. We just lost the handle at the end. We could have finished second, but the last debris caution and all those cautions at the end took that opportunity away. Our car was no good on restarts.”

An anxious moment for the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge team came on pit road during the fourth caution on lap 162. Busch was fourth at the time and crew chief Pat Tryson elected to go with a bit of pit strategy, calling for a fuel-only stop. As Busch accelerated from his pit stall, David Ragan was turning into his pit just ahead. Busch made contact with the right front fender, causing some sheet-metal damage. The top six cars didn’t stop, so Busch was 10th for the restart.

“That’s what happens on a fuel-only stop,” said Busch. “Fuel only stops put everybody in jeopardy. I just didn’t see him. It happened at the last minute. I just pulled out and the 6 (David Ragan) was pulling in. As it turned out, it put us on the right cycle. I don’t know how the damage affected it, but the car was definitely off after that.”

Busch is fifth in the Chase standings, 65 points behind race winner and point leader Mark Martin.

“We had a good Miller Lite Dodge today,” said Tryson. “It just came down to us pitting that one time when we took fuel only and got damage on the right-front fender when we hit the 6 car on pit exit. We made one adjustment on that long run that probably made the car too free for the yellow flag runs. Overall, it was a good run for us. It was a good way to start the Chase. We’re still in the big picture of things. We just need to keep getting better and head to Dover and try to have another solid run.”

The day ended early for Kahne as the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge was sidelined with engine problems on lap 66. He finished 38th which drops him to 12th in the Chase standings.

“We had a good car,” Kahne said. “I think we were up to eighth or ninth. It seemed like our Budweiser Dodge was decent. We had some things to do to make it better. It’s disappointing. It’s better than last week because we wouldn’t have been in the Chase. We just have to work extra hard now. I don’t know how this all works. You never know in the Chase if you can have a mulligan or not. This team is doing a nice job. Hopefully, we can make gains in those final nine (races).”

Kahne is 12th in the Chase standings, 161 behind the leader.

Elliott Sadler, despite being involved in a seven-car mishap just past the halfway point of the race, finished eighth in the No. 19 Stanley Dodge Charger. It was his best finish since the July race at Daytona.

“We made wholesale changes from last night that really helped our Stanley Dodge,” said Sadler. “This race was very gratifying for everyone on this team. It was a good run for us. We learned some things today that really helped our car. We found some things that I like to have in the race car that we can build on from here on out. Hopefully we can build on that for the final nine races.”

NASCAR SPRINT CUP CHASE STANDINGS
(First Of 10 Races In The Chase)
1. Mark Martin 5,230
2. Jimmie Johnson 5,195
3. Denny Hamlin 5,195
4. Juan Pablo Montoya 5,175
5. Kurt Busch 5,165
6. Tony Stewart 5,156
7. Ryan Newman 5,151
8. Brian Vickers 5,140
9. Greg Biffle 5,138
10. Jeff Gordon 5,128
11. Carl Edwards 5,117
12. Kasey Kahne 5,069

Driver Team Finished
Kurt Busch No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge 6th
Elliott Sadler No. 19 Stanley Dodge 8th
AJ Allmendinger No. 44 Berlin City Dodge 25th
David Stremme No. 12 Penske Dodge 28th
Reed Sorenson No. 43 McDonald’s McCafe Dodge 36th
Sam Hornish Jr. No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge 37th
Kasey Kahne No. Budweiser Dodge 38th

Driver Rank Starts Points Behind Wins Poles T5s T10s
Kurt Busch 5 27 5165 -65 1 0 7 15
Kasey Kahne 12 27 5069 -161 2 0 5 10
Elliott Sadler 25 27 2558 -2672 0 0 1 4
AJ Allmendinger 26 27 2543 -2687 0 0 1 3
Sam Hornish Jr. 27 27 2486 -2744 0 0 1 3
Reed Sorenson 28 27 2445 -2785 0 0 0 1
David Stremme 31 27 2368 -2862 0 0 0 0

– 30 –

If you’ve been following the Chase to the Championship as closely as we have, you already know the great news: Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne will defend Dodge’s honor on the way to the 2009 Sprint Cup.

We’re scrambling to find the words for the excitement felt here at Red Letter Dodge, and at Dodge HQ. “Proud” is definitely at the top of the list. “Floored” sounds right, too.

Kurt and Kasey will definitely be keeping it floored for the rest of the season, and we’ll be bringing you coverage of the edge-of-your seat racing that’s sure to take place for the rest of the season.

How do you feel about the big news? Share your thoughts and words of encouragement for Kurt and Kasey as they prepare for the next 10 races.

Here are some links to more coverage of this weekend’s race results:

NASCAR’s 12 drivers racing for the Sprint Cup title.

Vickers edges Busch in Chase.

Richmond II: Kurt Busch race report.

Richmond II: Post race press conference — Hamlin, Kahne.

Hmmm … Is it too early to start making more room in our trophy case?

Dodge will be represented by Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne in the 12-driver Chase for the Championship field that will compete for the Sprint Cup over the final 10 races of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Busch finished second and Kahne 12th in Saturday night’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Speedway to lock up their berths.

The points have been reset at 5,000 for each of the 12 drivers plus 10 bonus points for each win. The leader heading into the first event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway next week will be Mark Martin with 5,040 points after receiving 40 bonus points for four wins so far this season. Kahne starts with 5,020 (two wins) and Busch 5,010 (one win).

Busch ran in the top five most of the night and challenged race winner Denny Hamlin for the lead over the final 14 laps. It was Busch’s seventh top-five and 14th top-10 finish of the season.

“We did what we needed to do tonight to make the Chase,” said Busch. “It was a conservative race setup for us. We put ourselves up front to try and stay out of trouble. We finally found something that the car liked during the race and I’m so proud of our guys. It was really a good run for us tonight and exactly what we needed heading into the Chase.

“It came down to the 26th race and we did the job tonight to fight our way into the final 10 races. We did it. I’m so proud of everyone on this Miller Lite Dodge. They fought hard all year to put us in a position that we’re in tonight. The four years that I’ve been at Penske, we’ve made half of the Chase races and I’m proud of everyone that played a role.

“It gave us a more comfortable feeling to run in the top five all night and try to stay out of trouble. To be in contention to win like that at the end and have great pit stops all night, it shows we’re ready. We’ve got some questions marks, but we’ll sort them out when we get there. It’s a moral victory for the team. It gives us a shot at the championship. We’re only 30 points behind. It’s a whole different game now.”

Pat Tryson, who will be leaving the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge team at the end of the season as crew chief, is looking forward to the first two stops (New Hampshire and Dover) in the 10-race Chase.

“We had a good car all night,” Tryson said. “I wish we had a little something more for the 11 car (Hamlin). It was a nice solid night to make the Chase. Now we can go after that championship. If it wasn’t for a couple of wrecks, we would have been locked in (the Chase) a couple of races ago. That stuff happens. We’ve run well all year. Hopefully, we can go give them a run for their money. The first two are good tracks for us. So if we can get out good, we’ll see what happens.”

Kahne was never in trouble during the night, but the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger didn’t handle as well as it did the previous week at Atlanta when Kahne picked up his second win on the season and built a comfortable cushion in the Chase standings.

Kahne started fifth and ran in the top 20 throughout the night, finishing 15th.

“It feels great to make it in the Chase,” said Kahne. “We wanted to run a little better tonight, but we did enough to make it into the Chase. I’m proud of everyone on this Budweiser Dodge team. Kenny (Francis, crew chief) called a great race and put us in position to stay up front and not get caught up in someone else’s mess. I’m happy for all the guys that work so hard to put our Budweiser Dodge in a position to make the Chase. It’s a great feeling.”

Francis said the Budweiser Dodge was a handful. “We were just too loose off the corner all night,” he said. “We could never get it to where we liked it, but we kept chasing it and got it to the point where we were about a top-10 car. We made some gains on it, but more importantly, we did what we had to do to make the Chase.

“We’re in the Chase. It’s a real relief for everyone to make it. It’s big for the whole organization at RPM and Dodge and Budweiser and all our partners. We’re just looking forward to putting together some good runs the next 10 races and give them all we got.”

Sam Hornish Jr. posted his second top-10 finish of the season at RIR. He started 33rd but had worked his way into the top 10 by lap 170 and remained there the rest of the race. He ran as high as fifth and settled for eighth at the checkered flag. Hornish finished sixth in the spring event.

“It was a good night for this Mobil 1 Dodge team,” Hornish said. “We had to come from the back and were able to get another top-10 finish. We had a tough pit stall and had a few problems getting out just based on where people were running on the track. The Mobil 1 crew did an outstanding job and I’m proud of our entire team effort tonight.”

Driver Team Finished
Kurt Busch No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge 2
Sam Hornish Jr. No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge 8
Kasey Kahne No. 9 Budweiser Dodge 12
Reed Sorenson No. 43 Reynolds Wrap Dodge 16
AJ Allmendinger No. 44 PVA.com Dodge 23
David Stremme No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge 26
Elliott Sadler No. 19 Insignia/Best Buy Dodge 34

Driver Rank Starts Points Behind Wins Poles T5s T10s
Kasey Kahne 5 26 5020 -20 2 0 5 10
Kurt Busch 7 26 5010 -30 1 0 7 14
AJ Allmendinger 24 26 2455 -2585 0 0 1 3
Sam Hornish Jr. 26 26 2434 -2606 0 0 2 7
Elliott Sadler 27 26 2416 -2624 0 0 1 3
Reed Sorenson 28 26 2416 -2650 0 0 0 1
David Stremme 31 26 2289 -2751 0 0 0 0

Sprint Cup Chase Standings
1. Mark Martin 5,040
2. Tony Stewart 5,030
3. Jimmie Johnson 5,030
4. Denny Hamlin 5,020
5. Kasey Kahne 5,020
6. Jeff Gordon 5,010
7. Kurt Busch 5,010
8. Brian Vickers 5,010
9. Carl Edwards 5,000
10. Ryan Newman 5,000
11. Juan Montoya 5,000
12. Greg Biffle 5,000

Race Results
Chevy Rock & Roll 400
Richmond International Raceway
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009
Race 26 of 36
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kurt Busch
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Mark Martin
5. Kyle Busch
6. Clint Bowyer
7. Brian Vickers
8. Sam Hornish Jr.
9. Kevin Harvick
10. Ryan Newman
Other Dodge Drivers
12. Kasey Kahne
16. Reed Sorenson
23. AJ Allmendinger
26. David Stremme
34. Elliott Sadler
— 30 –