If the Hendrick team won the race and placed all four of its drivers in the top 14 on Sunday, it was arguably an even better day for Joe Gibbs Racing.
“He and Chad had a lot of success together, and all of our crew chiefs think the world of him and what he’s accomplished,” Hendrick said. “Greg’s proven that he can win races, and he has all the tools to do big things.”
Kahne, along with crew chief Kenny Francis, gave it his best shot Sunday. The No. 5 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet led a race-high 70 of the 160 laps and was in front for the final restart of the day with 17 laps to go.
The 23-year-old Tatar ranked sixth on the Red Wings with 39 points in 73 games during his rookie season. He led the Red Wings with 158 shots, while his 19 goals were second and his plus-12 rating ranked third.
He lost a top-5 finish to Joey Logano in the closing stages but took some positives out of a competitive run, including moving up two places in the standings to 15th place.
Reimer lost the starting job to Jonathan Bernier last season, but was forced into service with Toronto’s playoff hopes on the line when Bernier sustained a knee injury that ended his season.