Kahne snaps streak
Kasey Kahne gave struggling Richard Petty Motorsports a much-needed boost Sunday, holding off Tony Stewart at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., to snap a 37-race winless streak.
Kahne was met in Victory Lane by Richard Petty, who made his first trip as a car owner in more than a decade. A Petty-owned car had not won a race since John Andretti’s victory at Martinsville in April 1999.
“I feel just as good as he does,” said The King, clad in his trademark cowboy hat and sunglasses. “It’s great, man. It’s great.”
Petty’s race team teetered on the verge of collapse at the end of last season and needed a January merger with Gillett-Evernham Motorsports to stay in business. The team was rebranded as Richard Petty Motorsports and kicked off the season with a strong showing at the Daytona 500.
But it’s been a rough ride, since. Team manufacturer Chrysler is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and funding to RPM has slowed to a crawl as Dodge restructures. The team laid off nine employees earlier this month and made companywide salary cuts.
It’s made for a frustrating season for Kahne, the star of the four-driver team, who at times this year has been vocal about RPM’s progress. His criticism prompted team officials to push out a new Dodge engine, and the improved motor had given Kahne hope that there’s reason for optimism.
Now he has his first victory on a road course – a remedy for any disgruntled driver.
“I learned how to drive on dirt,” Kahne said. “So to come out and win on a road course … it feels great. I can’t believe it.”
The victory moved Kahne to 13th in the standings, one spot shy of qualifying for the Chase for the championship.
Stewart finished second and was followed by Marcos Ambrose, who blew a motor in Saturday’s practice that forced him to start at the back of the field and forfeit his third-place qualifying position.
IRL: Iowa Corn Indy 250
Dario Franchitti won the Iowa Corn Indy 250 to earn his second victory in two trips to Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa.
Franchitti took the lead with 50 laps to go and beat Ryan Briscoe by just over five seconds to take his first checkered flag since Long Beach in April.
Briscoe finished second for the third straight race despite leading for 85 laps.
F1: British Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, England, leading Red Bull to a 1-2 finish and claiming his second Formula One victory of the season.
The German beat teammate Mark Webber by 15.1 seconds at the Silverstone circuit to duplicate their finish at China in April.
Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello was third, but teammate and championship leader Jenson Button finished a season-low sixth in front of home fans.
Having won six races out of eight, Button still leads the standings by 23 points despite failing to finish on the podium for the first time this season. Button has 64 points, followed by Barrichello with 41.
Arriving at Silverstone with revamped cars, Red Bull was dominant over all three days.