With their short-term futures finally defined, Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin both seemed to be feeling lighter Friday at Michigan International Speedway.
Kasey Kahne clocked a lap of 187.183 mph to knock Jimmy Johnson out of the pole position for Sunday's Sprint Cup race, the Carfax 400 in Brooklyn, Mich.
Kahne qualified on the pole position for Sunday's Carfax 400 with a 187.183-mph lap that knocked four-time champion Jimmie Johnson from the top spot late in the qualifying session.
Martin's No. 5 Chevrolet (12th) wasn't as fast, but the driver was breezing around the 2-mile oval with a spring in his step in the wake of Tuesday's news that Kahne will drive for Red Bull Racing next year before moving to Martin's ride at Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.
"It feels fun again," Martin, 51, said.
The enjoyment had faded not long after Kahne was signed by Hendrick in early April. Team owner Rick Hendrick was confident the team could find a Chevrolet as a one-year stopgap to stash Kahne, whose contract with Richard Petty Motorsports expires after this season.
But as the search dragged on, Martin began facing more questions about whether he would vacate the No. 5 a year early for Kahne. The swirling speculation reached its peak last month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Ray Evernham suggested Martin would step aside in deference to Hendrick.
The suggestion left Martin bristling during a subsequent interview session in which he said the media was being "very disrespectful."
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SOURCE: USA Today
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