DARLINGTON, SC (May 10, 2008) — The oval aptly nicknamed the track "Too Tough to Tame" lived up to its name on Saturday night as the Sprint Cup competitors took to Darlington Raceway. The race gave fans and viewers with door-banging action through 367 laps; which included 35 lead changes. Kasey Kahne and the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge team managed to avoid the major accidents, but finished 22nd after battling an ill-handling car.

Starting in a backup car from 42nd place, Kahne knew he had an uphill battle from the onset. In the opening stages, the Budweiser Dodge looked strong as Kahne gained 12 positions in the first 10 laps. The second caution flag fell on lap 11 while Kahne was running in 29th place. At that time, he radioed Team Director Kenny Francis saying his car "won’t turn". Kahne entered pit road for a fuel stop and track bar adjustment to help alleviate the handling problems.

Tight getting into the corner and loose on exit continued to plague the Budweiser Dodge and Kahne fell victim to the torrid race pace set by the leaders on lap 210 when he went down a lap. The Budweiser Dodge continued to suffer handling problems with Kahne saying the car felt as though it wouldn’t turn and he was going to hit the wall.

Unable to get much out of the car in its condition, Kahne waited patiently for the lap 279 caution where he received the Lucky Dodge award, returning him to the led lap in 20th position. Unfortunately, he would fall victim to another long green flag and return a lap down in the final stages of the race, posting a 22nd place finish.

"I fought that race car all night", Kahne said. "It was exhausting. The guys kept working and working on it, but it just didn’t come around. We had to go to our back up car for the race and it wasn’t nearly as good as our primary car. We struggled on power a bit, but I kept it off the wall - which is a positive".

With his 22nd-place finish at Darlington, Kahne looses one spot in the Sprint Cup Series standings and is now tied for 13th.

Kyle Busch hit the wall multiple times and had pit-stop issues, yet through it all he was the car to beat and cruised to his third win this year. Carl Edwards finished in second, followed by Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon in third and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in fourth. David Ragan rounded out the top five.

Next weekend, Kahne and the Budweiser crew will be vying for a spot in the NASCAR All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. It is a non-point event, but one loaded with drama and excitement. Kahne and the No. 9 Budweiser Team will be in the All-Star Showdown, the preliminary event to the All-Star race. If they win or finish second in that race, they will transfer to the All-Star Race. Fans can also vote Kahne and the team in via www.sprint.com.

Racing begins next Saturday at 7 p.m. ET with the running of the All-Star Showdown; which will determine the final entrants into the All-Star race tentatively scheduled for a 9 p.m. start. SPEED TV will provide live television coverage for both races.