Kasey Kahne leaves Atlanta as the top-finishing Hendrick driver

The three-time winner on the 1.5-mile track couldn’t qualify out of the first round of time trials on Friday. After starting 29th, Kevin Harvick lapped the No. 5 Chevy 70 laps into the Stage 1.

But with help from his pit crew, Kahne raced his way to a fourth-place finish.

“We got behind early and just battled and battled,” Kahne said. “Had to battle (Matt) Kenseth for a long time for the lucky dog and he got it and he drove to the front. I knew he was really good. We just got a lot better. The adjustments were spot on. If we didn’t have those, we would have been two or three laps down.

“The adjustments were perfect. The pit stops were really solid and then our final pit stop was the best stop we had all day at the perfect time. That put us in row three and we were able to get to fourth.”

Kahne fought for the lucky dog and became the beneficiary twice — after the first stage and the fifth caution. He restarted 11th on Lap 284. When Austin Dillon’s car stalled to trigger the sixth and final caution on Lap 310, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team enabled Kahne to leave pit road sixth.

Kahne gained two spots in the final 10 laps for his first top-five finish since Charlotte Motor Speedway eight races ago.

“It was a great race,” Kahne said. “Our Farmers Insurance Chevrolet really came alive. It was good. It was fun. It was quite the battle. 500 miles at Atlanta is a long time to run right on the wall or right on the white line and switch it up.”

Kahne’s finishes elevated his to ninth in the standings. Kevin Harvick leads the standings by four points over his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kurt Busch.