After winning last at Phoenix International Raceway November, Kasey Kahne was supposed to contend for the victory in today's Subway Fresh Fit 500. Unfortunately, his race is effectively over after banging the wall exiting the fourth turn and doing significant damage to the right-front suspension of his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Kahne has gone behind the wall for repairs and will likely finish deep in the field for the second-straight race after wrecking late in Monday's Daytona 500.
Kahne is not the only driver to have trouble so far today, as Clint Bowyer has suffered two flat right-front tires in the early stages of the event. The first time brought out the race's lone caution to date, but the second saw his Toyota glance off the wall in the same area Kahne smacked the wall earlier.
Varying pit strategies on the race's lone caution flag have put Kevin Harvick out front. Harvick dominated Saturday's Nationwide Series race before finished fourth. Regan Smith and Denny Hamlin sit second and third. Jimmie Johnson, coming off a miserable week, is running fourth and has consistently had the fastest car on the track.