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SONOMA, Calif. -- Richard Petty returned to victory lane for the first time in 10 years at the unlikeliest of places.

Just as unlikely was the driver who joined him.

Kasey Kahne, who had never finished better than 23rd in five previous races at Infineon Raceway's road course, held off Tony Stewart to give Petty his first win as a car owner since 1999 at Martinsville.

"I don't think coming into today he expected that I would win,'' Kahne said of Petty. "I don't know if anybody did.''

Petty, who won a series-record 200 races as a driver, admits he wondered when he'd win another NASCAR Sprint Cup race as a car owner.

"You run good and you have good days and then it looks like just when you think you're going to really get there, something jumps up and slaps you,'' said the 71-year-old Petty in victory lane as fans shouted his name. "Today you just sat and waited for something to happen because we've been through so much of that lately.''

Kahne did stall his car in the pits but that was early in the race. Other than that, there wasn't a problem.

Even four double-file restarts late couldn't keep Kahne from winning his first Cup race since Pocono a year ago and 10th in his career.

"He never made a mistake,'' Stewart said.

At a recent test session at Road Atlanta in preparation for this race, Kahne noted that he needed only three laps to top his best lap at the same course last year.

Running alone is one thing. Racing with Stewart chasing is another. It's a familiar situation for Kahne, who was a Stewart fan when he was younger. Kahne beat Stewart at Richmond in 2005 to score his first career Cup win and there Stewart was again when Kahne won his first road course race.

"He was running that car as hard as he could go,'' said Marcos Ambrose, who came from the rear of the field after changing engines Saturday to place third. "(Tony Stewart) is one of the best road racers there is. I'd like to think I'm half OK. (Kahne's) a road race winner now. He did it on his speed. He didn't do it on fuel mileage or anything else. He was fast. He deserves it, absolutely.''

Especially with the double-file restarts, instituted by NASCAR less than a month ago.

Some drivers predicted chaos, including Juan Pablo Montoya, who finished sixth. Instead, the restarts -- described as "intense'' by Ambrose -- were not as problematic.

That didn't mean Kahne wanted to see a caution that extended the race to a two-lap shootout.

"I was like, 'I can't believe this,' '' Kahne said.

He shot forward at the restart and pulled ahead of Stewart quickly.

For once, Richard Petty Motorsports -- which had been Gillette Evernham Motorsports before Petty joined the organization and Ray Evernham backed away this season -- had something to celebrate.

Kahne, not one to publicly complain about his team, has been vocal about the need to use Dodge's new engine. Dodge skipped a payment to the team after declaring bankruptcy and the team laid off nine employees afterward.

"I know going in (this) morning, it's not going to quite as drab going into the shop as what it's been lately,'' Petty said.

The celebration was special. For years, the now-defunct Petty Enterprises team did not have alcoholic sponsorship to honor the request of Petty's mother. Sunday, with Budweiser on Kahne's car, Petty even sipped a cabernet in Victory Lane.

"I like wine,'' Petty said.

It was as good as winning this day.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com