Kahne pessimistic about making Chase

Kahne is currently 48 points behind 12th-placed Clint Bowyer in the drivers' table with only one race left before the final cut for the series' playoff is made on Saturday night at Richmond.

Despite having two wins in points events this year, at Lowe's Motor Speedway and Pocono, besides his All-Star victory in May, Kahne says he is not surprised by his current position in the championship, right behind many drivers who have not won a single race this season.

"We were really good those couple weeks - four weeks in a row - but other than that, we've been pretty much a 15th place car all season," Kahne said. "It's a lot better than where we were last year. I know how quickly things can change.

"We had two bad weeks. Two weeks ago we were going for sixth in points and now we are 14th. That's racing. That's the way it goes. I think that we are still a good enough team to be sixth or seventh in points. If we get the right breaks, we'll end up back in the Chase."

The Gillett Evernham racer is currently the best-placed Dodge driver in the standing and the manufacturer's only real shot at being represented in the Chase. Kahne believes he will need a great result next weekend and some bad luck for Bowyer and David Ragan in order to break into the top-twelve in the points.

"Hopefully they'll have a problem; that's our only way in (the Chase)," said Kahne. "I think - is if somebody else has a problem. The other two drivers are strong. So we'll see what happens. Other than that, hopefully our car will be fast, get a win and get a bunch of points."

The 28-year-old is confident his team could be strong in the Chase if they end up making the cut, given the kind of tracks that prevail in the final ten events. Half of them are 1.5-mile ovals like Lowe's Motor Speedway, where he has won twice this year.

"I think that we have a good enough team that if we make the Chase, we can run in the top five of the points," he said. "If we don't make the Chase, we're going to run 13th in points. It's going to be disappointing.

"All that we can do is our best and that's what we've been doing all year. We just have to head to Richmond and see how it all shakes out."

Kahne claimed his maiden Sprint Cup series win at Richmond International Raceway in 2005.