Well, Kasey "The Kandy Man" Kahne proved the fans that voted him into the All-Star race knew what they were doing with his surprising victory last night even though most of his competitors had newer tires than he did during the final segment. His many fans can only hope this was a precursor to better days ahead as he recaptured his Lowes Motor Speedway magic.
I think there were four other "Big" surprises last night and the engine problems of JGR were not one of those surprises. TRD has proven they are ahead of the curve with their engine program this year and what better event to experiment with additional changes that might tweak out a few more horsepower. That effort will continue to pay dividends for all the Toyota teams.
Here are the other four big surprises I saw last night:
Sam Hornish, Jr. looked like he finally belonged in Cup racing last night. He has done little to show me he has grown as a Cup driver before last night but he was very racy finally. He has plenty of talent so last night was a long time coming.
Jeff Gordon was last among HMS drivers and never seemed to improve his car through any of the segments. You have to wonder how Jr. and his suspect crew chief can continue to outperform the 24 team but it may be time for a new crew chief for Jeff.
Kurt Busch was woeful and that is probably being kind. He just wasn't competitive and looked like someone who has continued a long downward career slide for quite some time.
Richard Childress Racing didn't have anyone looking competitive last night either. Harvick was eleventh, Clint was 18th, and Jeff Burton was 20th. Not the way any three car team wants to leave such a big event, especially at Lowes.
The good news for Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, and the Childress guys is that it was a non-points race but the bad news is there is a huge points race next week on the same track. I know all their fans hope the surprise next week is positive while Kasey and Sam just want to perform at the same competitive level.
