When the chequered flag fell to signal the end of the 40-lap Sprint Showdown qualifying race at the Lowe's Motor Speedway on Saturday Kasey Kahne and his #9 Gillett-Evernham Motorsports team prepared to pack up and watch the All Star race from the team motorhome. Just a few hours later they were celebrating in Victory Lane after Kahne won the Fans Vote and went on to scoop a cool one million dollars.
Kahne, who finished fifth in the Showdown, earned his spot in the main event after polling the most votes cast by the fans. He then went on to gamble on taking no fresh tyres between the third and fourth 25-lap segments and somehow pulled off an improbable victory.
After Showdown polesitter Kyle Busch dominated the first two 25-lap segments before blowing an engine Kahne watched Greg Biffle dominate segment three before making his gamble before the final part of Saturday's 100-lap race.
Restarting in fourth place Kahne battled past Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin, who was side by side with the #9 Dodge when he too suffered an engine failure, before holding off Biffle to take the chequered flag for the richest win of his career.
Biffle, who took two fresh tyres before the final segment, nearly got alongside Kahne but had to settle for a disappointed second place after outclassing the field once Kyle Busch's chances evaporated shortly before half distance. Biffle's Roush-Fenway teammate Matt Kenseth claimed third place with Johnson fourth and Tony Stewart fifth.
Ryan Newman took sixth place in a race that surprisingly ran without any accidents while Showdown runner-up Sam Hornish Jr battled back from two laps down to take an inspired seventh place. Dale Earnhardt Jr and Mark Martin both took turns near the front in segments two and three but had to settle for eighth and ninth places at the end with Carl Edwards tenth and Kevin Harvick and Bobby Labonte completing the top dozen.
Sprint Showdown winner AJ Allmendinger was 17th while Dale Jarrett was 21st in his last ever Cup Series start for the #44 Michael Waltrip Racing team.
![Kasey Kahne. [Pic Credit image.net]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/405825.jpg)
