NASCAR: Kahne ending season with a flourish

AVONDALE, Ariz.

If Kasey Kahne had only made the Chase.

Kahne, driving for a team that might not exist after next week's season finale, won Sunday's race at Phoenix International Raceway.

Kahne's victory was his fifth top-five finish in nine Chase races, showing the strength of Red Bull Racing even if questions remain about the team's future with the sponsor backing away.

Kahne's future is set - he'll drive at Hendrick Motorsports next year with crew chief Kenny Francis joining him.

Just as satisfying as ending an 81-race winless drought for Kahne was celebrating with his team in Victory Lane.

"They haven't given up," Kahne said. "We've been able to stay focused. Kenny Francis has given me some cars in the last few months that we've been able to... run with Carl (Edwards) and Tony (Stewart), who have been probably the two best."

Kahne took the lead with 14 laps to go during a cycle of green-flag pit stops. He had pitted before the leaders and his quick stop put him in position to move into the lead when others pitted.

"There's been a lot of ups and downs," said Kahne, who is 14th in the point standings. "We were able to finally a whole race together."

Dethroned Johnson turns thoughts to 2012

For the first time in six years, there will be a new Cup champion.

Jimmie Johnson finished 14th and was eliminated from title contention.

"We're going to go to Homestead and try to have our best race down there that we can and finish as high as we can in the points," said Johnson, who is in fifth place.

"To a certain degree being on top for as long as we have been takes a lot of effort to maintain that. So this winter will be a nice winter to unplug and relax and really look internally and dissect the different areas of the race team and what we do and come back stronger."

Vickers, Kenseth have another run-in

Brian Vickers and Matt Kenseth, who had run-ins two weeks ago at Martinsville Speedway, got together again Sunday.

Contact between the two caused Kenseth to wreck. He wasn't happy.

"I was out of brakes and I was up on everybody and I saw him coming and I lifted at least 10 car lengths before where I would normally lift and he drove in there at 165 miles per hour and cleaned us out," Kenseth said. "If NASCAR is going to start parking people for being mad 25 seconds after you wreck and wrecking somebody then you would park somebody for that.

"You have someone that has been telling everybody... as soon as he got a chance at a fast race track he was going to make it hurt and wipe us out and they do nothing about it. It was so premeditated it just surprises me that they didn't do anything. I am disappointed but I expected it."

NASCAR issued a statement from John Darby, Cup series director.

"Had we felt it was more than a racing incident, we would have reacted," it read.

Said Vickers on the radio after the incident: "He just stopped halfway down the backstretch."

Pit passes

Kyle Busch, who started at the rear after changing engines on Friday, blew an engine and finished 36th.... AJ Allmendinger's team replaced its pit crew midway through the race, using fellow Ford driver David Ragan's crew. Allmendinger finished sixth.... Car owner Roger Penske said he plans to run Sam Hornish Jr., winner of Saturday's Nationwide race, the entire Nationwide season next year.