Kasey Kahne, crew chief not sweating All-Star Race strategy
How do teams prepare for Saturday night's Sprint All-Star Race (7 p.m. ET, FOX Sports 1)? Most will make a well thought-out plan and strategize about each of the segments. And then once the green flag drops, it all goes out the window.
That is the case with Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Keith Rodden.
"We always have a plan and then as soon as the race starts, it all kind of gets blown up in our face," Rodden said Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "We'll see what kind of conditions we have in the race and that kind of dictates your strategy. We've talked about it and all our guys are prepared, but sometimes you have to jump ship and make adjustments during the race."
While Kasey Kahne, driver of Rodden's No. 5 Chevrolet, admits there is a plan in place going into the night, he has only one job in mind: Go hard and pass cars.
"I think you have to qualify pretty well, first, and you want to try to start as close to the front as you can to get as many points throughout those rounds as possible," Kahne said. "But I think also where you're running on the track kind helps you decide your strategy. And that's what Keith and our engineers will do throughout the race. They'll figure that out. My job is to just go as hard as you can every lap and pass the car in front of you."
Passing cars will be essential to being a factor in the closing segment of Saturday night's race. As of late, track position has been one of the biggest keys to victory in the non-points event.
Regardless of the strategy throughout the night, both Kahne and Rodden believe they need to start up front for that final segment and a chance at $1 million.
"It's the best of the best in stock-car racing, so you have to have a car that works really well," Kahne said. "Because if you can't pass, you're not going to win because you have to come in towards the very front of that final pit stop, so you need to pass and you need to be up front and finish up front in the other segments. So, you have to have a great car and you have to make great calls throughout the race. You have to push hard.
"It will be interesting to see how the segments go," he said. "I'm glad they're a little bit longer because at least the cars will give up some over those runs and maybe you'll get an extra spot or two, depending on how well your car is turning and running. But it's not going to be easy."
