Kasey Kahne grabbed the lead on a restart following a caution with 23 laps to go and held off Matt Kenseth in a two-lap shootout to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday night.
It’s Kahne’s first win of the season and earned him a spot in the Chase for the Sprint cup. Kenseth also qualified for the Chase on points.
Tony Stewart’s much-anticipated return to racing ended a little more than halfway through the race. He hit the wall for the second time after his right front tire blew out on Lap 172, ending his night with a 41st place finish.
Kenseth began the night fifth in the points race, but not yet locked into the Chase because he had no wins. Kenseth needed to finish seventh or better to secure his place in the playoffs.