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HAMPTON, Ga. — Kasey Kahne took the lead 11 laps from the finish and went on to score his second NASCAR Sprint Cup victory of the season Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In a challenging venue for drivers, who remarked often on the radio of the slick conditions, no driver fell out of the top 12 in points heading to next week's race at Richmond International Raceway where the field will be set for the title Chase.

Kahne, whose previous victory came at Infineon Raceway, finished ahead of Kevin Harvick, who was seeking his first points win since the 2007 Daytona 500. Still, Harvick scored his best finish of the season a night after winning the Nationwide race at the track.

Juan Pablo Montoya finished third with David Reutimann placing fourth and Mark Martin fifth.

Denny Hamlin, who clinched a spot in the Chase, took sixth with Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle completing the top 10.

Both Vickers and Kyle Busch, the only drivers with a real chance of climbing into the top 12 in points failed to do so. Vickers overcame an axle problem late to score the top 10, while Busch struggled with his car's handling and placed 13th.

Vickers trails Matt Kenseth, who placed 11th Sunday, for the final transfer spot in the Chase by 20 points.

"Really good job of changing that axle guys," Vickers radioed his crew after the race. "That definitely saved us a chance for (the Chase)."

Kyle Busch remains 14th in the points and is 37 points out of the last transfer spot for the Chase.

Sunday marked the return of a Cup race in the South on Labor Day weekend since 2003 and it could be a new tradition. Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted what appeared to be one of its largest crowds in recent years with the large swath of empty seats once seen not evident this time.

"To see a crowd like this in Atlanta, it's a long time since I've seen that," Kahne said after the race in victory lane.

It's likely that most drivers were glad that this race moved out of its spot in the Chase to this weekend. Slick conditions had cars sliding all over the track and drivers telling their crews how hard it was to drive.

Jimmie Johnson, who finished 36th, radioed crew chief Chad Knaus and described his car's looseness, on a scale of 1-10, as a 15.

At another point, Martin complained to his team, saying on the radio: "I got to get where I can handle better. This is beating me to death."

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 17th, said it was so slick that he couldn't afford to take his eye off the track and look down at his gauges even on the straightaway.

At one point during the race, Busch radioed his crew and said of his car: "I don't know what to do with it."

Matt Kenseth bounced off the wall early in the race and needed extra time in the pits for repairs. He stayed on the lead lap and worked his way toward the top 10 and finished 12th. Kenseth and Johnson are the only drivers to have made the Chase every year since its debut in 2004.

An oil leak ruined Carl Edwards' chances of defending his victory in the fall event at this track a year ago. Although repairs put him more than 20 laps behind the leaders when he returned, Edwards finished the race with his broken right foot. He placed 37th.

Points leader Tony Stewart ran toward the front most of the night until a missing lug nut forced him to pit a second time with about 125 laps left and dropped him to around 20th place. He rallied late to finish 11th.

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