LONG POND, Pa. – In his short four-plus-year career, Kasey Kahne has gone from the next best thing to the next big bust.

When he won a series-high six races in 2006, many predicted great things for him, including pegging him as the man to beat in 2007. But a title run never materialized; instead Kahne was relegated to the middle of the pack.

He didn't just miss the Chase last year. He never even sniffed it, finishing the season without a single victory en route to a dismal 19th-place finish in the standings.

Coming into this season, there were no grand predictions for the 28-year-old. His star had seemingly fizzled out just as quickly as it had risen.

Maybe he could regain some of his luster. But with his team, Gillett Evernham Motorsports, in a transition phase and Kahne showing little of the promise he had in '06 – he crashed five times last year – much of the confidence had faded.

Three weeks ago, things started to turn around when Kahne, using the fans' vote just to get into the All-Star race, won for the first time in nearly two years. Though it wasn't a points race, it was something, and he used that momentum to carry him to a victory a week later in the Coca-Cola 600 – his first points-paying victory since Oct 14, 2006.

Still, there was reason to remain cautious in declaring Kahne back. He'd always had success at Lowe's Motor Speedway, home of both the All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600. He still needed to prove that he and his team had something somewhere else.

Sunday at Pocono Raceway, he did.

Kahne didn't just win the Pocono 500. He dominated it. If it hadn't been for a pit road mishap in the early going things would have been even worse for the competition.

Now, with two wins on the season, it's time to say it: Kasey Kahne is back.

"As a driver, I don't think my confidence was down," Kahne said Sunday of his winless 2007. "I felt ready to win and I went to the track with a good attitude. But until I won this year, I realized I was probably leaving a little bit out there and wasn't communicating like I should have been with (crew chief) Kenny (Francis) as well as I have in past. Since then, I've done a better job"

But Kahne, who led a race-high 69 laps Sunday, doesn't think the comeback started at the All-Star race. Instead, he points to a May test session at Lowe's and the race the following Saturday night at Darlington.

Regardless of where it started, Kahne, the driver Budweiser hitched its wagon to after parting ways with Dale Earnhardt Jr., now has two wins on the season and has emerged as a valid contender to the title Kyle Busch had seemingly already been handed.

There will be no concern in the Busch camp after he pulled a Big Brown on Sunday, wrecking his car on Lap 46 to finish dead last. He's still the points leader, even if it's been trimmed to only 21 points over Jeff Burton.

But there may be cause for concern in Earnhardt Jr.'s garage. Yes, Junior recorded another top-five performance – he finished fourth – but it seems as though the frustration of not winning is getting to him.

"Fun wouldn't be in there," he said, describing his day.

While he may have been referring to the extreme heat and the grueling length of the race – temperatures reached the mid 80s, much hotter in the car, while the race lasted more than four hours – there's no denying that Junior is anxious to get to victory lane. And with each passing race without getting there – his winless streak is now at 76 races – he not only misses another opportunity to do what Kahne has done – inject a little more life into everyone around him – but runs the risk of falling into the same hole Kahne did a year ago.

"The excitement, momentum, confidence, everything," Kahne said of the changes in attitude he's seen in his team since the All-Star win. "You go to Gillett Evernham right now and everybody is walking around there with a smile on their face and that's not how it was a month and a half ago."

Jay Hart is the NASCAR editor for Yahoo! Sports. Send Jay a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Updated on Sunday, Jun 8, 2008 8:36 pm, EDT

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