Kasey Kahne gave his fans a million-dollar payback victory Saturday night.
He won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race after being voted in through a fan vote. Kahne failed to finish in one of the two transfer spots in a last-chance race for drivers who otherwise didn't qualify for the special event. He received an overwhelming majority vote of fans to get a starting slot at the rear of the field.
Kahne made the best of his chance, racing his way through the field in four 25-lap segments and taking the lead on the 84th lap when Denny Hamlin's' No. 11 FedExToyota lost power just like teammate Kyle Busch's car earlier in the race.
Defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson took the lead after a mandatory pit stop by everyone with 25 laps to go but Hamlin passed him quickly after the restart. Kahne also passed Johnson, as did Greg Biffle, who ran with the frontrunners all night.
At the end, it was Kahne, Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Johnson and Tony Stewart in the top five spots. Stewart raced from the rear to fifth after an engine change during practice forced him to start in the back.
Ryan Newman was sixth, just ahead of teammate and NASCAR rookie Sam Hornish, Jr., who raced his way into the All-Star field by finishing second in the showdown earlier. Hornish's' performance was very impressive. He finished just ahead of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., whose car lost its grip in the final segment.
Trailing Earnhardt in nith place was veteran Mark Martin, followed by Carl Edwards.
Busch took off like a jackrabbitt at the start and put plenty of distance between his No. 18 M&M's Toyota and the rest of the field.
He led every one of the first 25 laps. Biffle hung on two seconds back with Kyle's brother Kurt in third ahead of his Penske teammate Newman. Earnhardt, Jr. was next with Gordon running sixth.
Rounding out the top 10 at the end of the opening 25 laps were Labonte, Truex, Kenseth and Johnson.
Busch continued to lead the second 25-lapper but a rocker arm problem slowed him down on lap 39 and Edwards took command.
By the time the teams took a 10-minute break at 50 laps, it was Edwards, Earnhardt, Kenseth, Newman, Biffle, then Kyle Busch, Martin, Kahn and Johnson.
Busch's pit crew swarmed over his car during the timeout trying to change its rocker arms but the damage could not be repaired and Kyle was done for the night.
Earnhardt passed Edwards for the lead on the first lap of the third 25-lap segment, much to the delight of "Junior Nation."
Kenseth took over second with Biffle right behind him. Edwards slid back in the field to sixth place. Biffle went past Kenseth on lap 64 and then hauled past Earnhardt a lap later.
The top 10 after 75 of the 100 laps had been completed were Biffle, Earnhardt, Kenseth, Newman, Martin, Kurt Busch, Kahne, Edwards in eighth, Johnson ninth, and Hamlin 10th.
AJ Allmindinger and Sam Hornish, Jr., raced their way into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race by finishing one-two in a twin, 20-lap, last-chance, throw-caution-to-the-win preliminary event.
Allmindinger, who sat out five races after failing to get his Red Bull Toyota qualified in several events, charged to the front of the field in the second and final 20-lap segment and held off Indianapolis 500 winner Hornish the final two laps.
Ironically, one of the pre-showdown race favorites, Elliott Sadler, was bumped into the wall by Allmindinger early in the first 20-lap segment.
Kasey Kahne failed to qualify in the race but was voted into the All-Star extravaganza by NASCAR's' fans.
Allmindinger, Hornish and Kahne started the All-Star race at the tail end of the starting field.
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