Kahne content with points system
Kasey Kahne has no complaints about NASCAR's points system despite facing the prospect of missing out on a Chase for the Championship spot - even though he has won more races than any other driver this year
After this weekend's Richmond race, only the top ten in the standings - or any drivers within 400 points of the leader's total - will be able to participate in NASCAR's ten race 'play-off' for the title.
Kahne has taken five victories in 2006, but he also endured a run of middling races in mid-summer - including last lap crashes at Indianapolis and Watkins Glen.
With NASCAR's points system weighted toward consistency, those results leave the Evernham Dodge driver 11th in the standings, 30 points adrift of the top ten, prior to Richmond.
He accepts that his own errors - not the scoring methods - have caused his current predicament.
"If you want to be in the Chase, you need to have a full season," Kahne admitted.
"It can't be hit and miss. We missed for a little while and now we're back on, and hopefully we have enough time to make it.
"The other two guys with the most wins are first and second (Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson).
"Usually when you have a lot of wins, you're good in points. We just screwed up for a couple of weeks.
"If we would have just been consistent and not won five races and won one race, we wouldn't be close in points.
"You've definitely got to win races and I think you've got to be consistent at the same time if you want to make it in there."
Kahne dismissed suggestions that the driver with the most wins should automatically qualify for the Chase regardless of their position in the points table.
"I feel (if) you start doing stuff like that, next thing you know, why even have points?" he said. "Just give people bonuses for doing certain things that make the fans happy. I'm not really for that."
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