When a team is that strong, the vibe off-track is also brought along in the rush. Kahne explains, “Momentum is so big in this sport. To win at a track like Pocono says a lot about this entire Budweiser Team. The excitement, the confidence and everything – 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. But that's probably how it was in '06. It's just good. Everybody is excited. I'm just glad I can be part of it and I'm glad that I'm with Kenny Francis (team director) and he can give me cars as fast as he did in Pocono.”

Team morale and chemistry is a huge part of success. Crewmembers need just the right amount of time both together and apart – a fact not lost to Kahne.  When asked if there was anything in particular done to maintain that, Kahne said, "It's tough to do a whole lot. We try to stick together at the track and do a dinner or a lunch sometimes during the week. It's tough. We have so much testing and time away from your families that when the guys aren't on the road, they need to be off doing their own thing relaxing. The best way to have good morale is win races. The best thing is to win poles, be fast in practice and be fast every weekend. That's what gets everybody going."

Still, the gearhead in us wants to know just what are they doing to get these results. Kahne did give some history with, “At the beginning of the season, Mark McArdle  said that we were going to get this program turned around, we’re going to build better cars. Our Pocono car was one of our brand new chassis, so it just proves that we are on the upswing. I personally know the ups and down of NASCAR racing. When you’re up you have to take advantage of it because you never know how long it will last.” Kahne also went on to say, It's a combination of all the racecars, setups and calls between Kenny Francis and Chad Johnston (Race Engineer) along with the information that I'm giving them. We really haven't had any issues. They (the team) have been doing a really good job. All aspects have been really good."

But what about the car? GEM teammate, Elliott Sadler may have spilled the beans when he said, “I think the biggest improvement has been our cars. We've made them a little bit lighter, a little faster. They're real comfortable to drive. Anytime that you can get your car more comfortable, the drivers are going to drive them faster and look better on the race track. We've come a long way in this Car of Tomorrow from last year. I think all the hard work is paying off. Kasey and I are very happy with our cars and setups each and every week, not only on Friday, but Sunday too. I think that we are more competitive and better in traffic. It doesn't matter if it's a big track or small track, we're starting to figure out what this car wants and it definitely has shown each and every week. Now we just have to put together a whole uneventful race and try to get some luck on our side."

Sadler said even more when he talked about the car he would use at New Hampshire. "We brought a brand new car here today, it's got a lot of lead in it and I'm excited to drive it. I can't wait to run it this weekend. The guys have worked really hard to get ready for this race. If we can get (the car) turning good in the middle we should have a good day on Sunday."

Lighter cars? Doesn’t NASCAR stipulate all cars weigh 3450 lbs. with the driver? Sure, but the cars have always been built to weigh less. That way, crews use lead and other heavy metals to balance the chassis by putting the weight where they want it. If one set-up needs more front weight, they can do it. If another set-up requires more side weight, they can adjust that, too.

A lighter car? That’s one of the oldest ways to make ‘em faster and it appears GEM has remembered that fact and used it to design their new – and most of all, winning – Dodge Chargers.