CONCORD, N.C. -- As All-Star weekend arrives, Kasey Kahne and the No. 5 team have gotten off to a solid start to the season.
To this point, Kahne has accumulated three top-10s, including two top-five finishes, one of which came two weeks ago at Talladega Superspeedway.
"We're really happy that we've progressed and we have better speed in our cars," No. 5 team crew chief Keith Rodden said. "We're really concentrating on finishing the races where we deserve to finish them and not give away good finishes."
Rodden said one of the areas he has seen the team excel has been at improving the car throughout the race.
That was evident last weekend at Kansas Speedway, when after a 31st-place start, Kahne piloted his No. 5 Chevrolet SS into the top five with less than 100 laps to go. He ultimately led the Hendrick Motorsports effort with a 15th-place result.
"We've done a really good job of having the car the best it can be at the end of the race, but we just need to start a little further forward and I think you'll see a big improvement on our stage points and our finish position as well," Rodden said.
To hear more from the crew chief on the state of the No. 5 team, watch the video above.