by Kasey Kahne

The disappointing finish can be attributed to a couple of mishaps, the most serious on the final lap when I cut down a tire and hit the wall. I think I ran over some debris on the track. Earlier in the race, a pit road incident with another car forced a green-flag pit stop to pull the sheet metal away from the tire. I ended up going a lap down, but got it back later in the race.

The most significant positive was the experience I gained. Experience is so important on the superspeedways because of the restrictor plate and draft. The draft at Talladega is so much different than at tracks like Kansas or Charlotte. At Talladega, cars run three wide and in a pack. You can get shuffled back through the field at any time and in a hurry.

On several occasions at Talladega, I moved from the middle of the pack into the top 10. I was comfortable in the draft and made some sound decisions on when to make a move. It's easy to go from up front to the middle of the pack if you make the wrong choice on drafting partners or pull out of line at the wrong time.

I was able to work my way into the top five both early and late in the race. I was fourth with eight laps to go, but needed a quick stop-and-go for fuel. My best superspeedway finish was within grasp until the final-lap incident.

We have seven races remaining. The last couple of races have been tough on our effort to finish 11th in points. But that can all change with a couple of solid runs and we're coming to tracks that we have been successful at. I expect the No. 9 Dodge to run well at Kansas and Charlotte.

We're right on track to achieve the goals we set for the team at the start of the season — win the Raybestos Rookie of the Year title and finish in the top 15 in points. We have the lead in the rookie standings and are 14th in the point standings.

We're still a young team, but we've made great progress this year. We're in the process of putting chassis now being built at Evernham Motorsports into service. The communication between Tommy (Baldwin, crew chief) and I continues to get better as I'm providing the kind of feedback that leads to good adjustments during the race. The chemistry is there throughout this team.

We're still looking to put a "W" on the board this season. We've been close. If we can secure our original season goals and add a trip to victory lane in the next seven races, it would complete a very successful season.