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Kasey Kahne followed up his All-Star Race win with a victory in Nascar's longest race the following week, surviving a wild Coca-Cola 600 to get to victory lane in a points-paying race for the first time since the fall race at Lowe's in 2006, as he survived the whole 600 miles as others fell from contention.

"Dale Jr. fell out, he was awesome. Tony Stewart fell out, he was awesome," Kahne said, as teammate Elliott Sadler poured Coca-Cola on him. "They had us beat at times tonight, and we had them beat at times tonight."

Just hours before the race, the Indianapolis 500 had a race-changing incident just a few laps after halfway, when Tony Kanaan was passed by two cars headed into the third corner. The second car to pass him was his teammate Marco Andretti, and the pass forced Kanaan into the mables and into the wall. Kanaan was then hit by Sarah Fisher, and just like that a contender to win the 92nd Indianapolis 500 was out of the race.

"As usual, I'm in the lead and something happens," Kanaan said.

However, this would be minuscule compared to all the contenders who's chances of winning were taken away during the Coca-Cola 600.

It all started with Kurt Busch, when he slammed into the wall after having led several laps. Busch would eventually finish 16th, being a non-factor for the rest of the race. Then Brian Vickers' left-rear wheel dislodged from his car, sending Vickers' Toyota into the wall and out of the race, as the tire made its way into the infield.

Then, with just over 100 laps to go, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who led the most laps, blew a tire and slammed into the wall while leading. Substantial damage was added when J.J Yeley rear-ended Earnhardt's car. Earnhardt would use fuel strategy to finish 5th, but was unable to contend for the win.

Earnhardt's teammate, Jimmie Johnson, was also running up front late when he had an engine failure, ending his day with a 39th place finish.

Then Tony Stewart, who had a commanding 5 second lead and was just cruising to the finish with four laps to go, blew a right-front tire, losing the lead to Kahne, finishing a disappointing 18th. From there, Kahne just had to keep his car off the wall to earn his 8th career victory.

Finishing 2nd to Kahne was Greg Biffle, who also finished 2nd to him in the All-Star Race, followed by Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon and Earnhardt.

The race was the final one with Humpy Wheeler as track president. Wheeler is considered one of Nascar's greatest promoters, having introduced some of the best pre-race activites. He also was the first to introduce luxury suits to Nascar, and the first to put lights on a 1.5 mile track. Wheeler was honored before the race and all 150,000 fans in attendance gave him a standing ovation, as a plane carried a banner that read "Thank You Humpy."

"I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to you for buying tickets to this facility through all these years," Wheeler said, while nearby fans erected a sign reading "Thanks Humpy" on top of their motor home.

This weekend two of racing's biggest events take place: the Indianapolis 500 and then the Coca-Cola 600, Nascar's longest race.

First things first, it is Memorial Day on Monday, a day to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. More important than any race or sporting event is those who serve in our nation's armed forces...






1. Kyle Busch

After his early domination of the All-Star Race before mechanical issues, Busch has to be a favorite. However, Busch only made it 75 miles, his engine will have to last for 525 more if he wants to win on Sunday. To do that, Busch's team will likely use a more conservative package, which could give the competition a shot at him.

2. Carl Edwards

Edwards faded after winning the second segment of the All-Star Race, but had run away from the field before the handling on his car went away on him. If Cousin Carl and his crew can keep the car handling right, or at least get it handling right by the the end of the Sunday night's race, he could find victory for the 4th time this year.

3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Earnhardt Jr. led for 12 laps and was running 2nd at the end of segment three, but fell behind due to pit strategy and wasn't able to recover, finishing 8th. However, Jr. was able to find speed in the high groove. If his crew can get his car tuned in, you'll see Jr. running up front before the end of the night.

4. Greg Biffle

Biffle had a great run in the All-Star Race, and came up just short of the win after winning segment three, finishing 2nd. Biffle is likely another driver that will spend most of the night up front, and should have a shot at the win when the laps wind down.

5. Clint Bowyer

Bowyer was never a contender in the All-Star Race, finishing 18th in the 24-car field. Bowyer and crew will need to find more speed this weekend if they want a chance at finishing in the top-10, let alone contending for the win.

6. Jeff Burton

Like his teammate, Burton was never a contender, as he ran in the rear for most of the race, finishing 20th. Despite two wins at the track, Burton has otherwise been lousy at Lowe's, with an average finish outside the top-20.

7. Tony Stewart

He was the only Gibbs car to finish the All-Star Race, coming from the back of the pack to finish 5th. Stewart has been hit-or-miss at Lowe's, with only 11 top-10's in 28 starts.

8. Denny Hamlin

Hamlin was racing for the lead with Kasey Kahne when, like his teammate Kyle Busch, his engine expired. Though he wasn't able to go for the win, Hamlin displayed that he could contend while up front. If he can get track position, Hamlin could get a strong finish on Sunday, that is if the engine lasts.

9. Kasey Kahne

Kahne was able to use pit strategy to get up front with the leaders, and after getting around the expiring Hamlin, he pulled away from Greg Biffle for the win, the first for a driver who was voted into the All-Star Race. Now Kahne has to focus on getting to victory lane in the points-paying Coca-Cola 600. A win on Sunday at Lowe's, where Kahne won both races in 2006, would vault him back into the top-12 in points, as he sits 14th (tied with Ryan Newman for 13th), just two points behind 12th place David Ragan.

10. Jimmie Johnson

Johnson ran at the tail-end of the top-10 for much of the All Star Race before using pit strategy to get out front, before settling for a 4th place finish. Johnson has seen a lot of success at the track that shares his sponsor. Five of his 34 career victories have come at Lowe's, where he has a worst finish of 14th in his last 12 starts, and 11 top-10's.



Other Notables:

11. Kevin Harvick- Harvick was the highest finishing RCR driver, as he finished 11th in the All-Star Race. Harvick has only three top-10's in 22 career starts at Lowe's.

12. Jeff Gordon- Gordon fell like a rock after the start of the All-Star Race, falling from 2nd to 15th. However, Gordon was confident the car had the potential to go fast, it was a matter of getting the right set-up. If that could happen, Gordon could get his 2nd win in a row at Lowe's.

13. David Ragan- Ragan snuck his way into the top-12 after his strong run at Darlington two weeks ago. Last year, Ragan wasn't able to finish better than 37th in his two starts at Lowe's.

14. Mark Martin- Martin will be running in the Army car this weekend, and his patience is what allowed him to win this race back in 2002. Don't count the veteran out this weekend.

15. Sam Hornish Jr.- A spark of petential was shown out of the former IRL star, as Hornish raced his way into the All-Star Race, then man-handled his way around the track, coming back from an early unscheduled pit stop to finish 7th.