It’s worse than running in circles for Evernham

CONCORD, N.C. —  Ray Evernham should be enjoying a triumphant return to Lowe’s Motor Speedway this weekend.

It was here, after all, that Kasey Kahne won NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 a year ago in an Evernham Dodge, breaking a string of four consecutive victories by Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports.

That helped Kahne make the Chase for the Nextel Cup, during which he also won the fall race at the 1.5-mile Lowe’s oval. Scott Riggs, another of Evernham’s drivers, won the pole position at both races last year.

Kahne, 27, overall had a series-high six wins in 2006, so he and Evernham were expected to cruise into this year’s Chase as well.

“Without a doubt, I thought [Kahne] was going to be a contender for the championship and race wins like he was last year,” said Johnson, the reigning titleholder.

But he isn’t.

Kahne and Evernham Motorsports have struggled since the first week of the season, and the team returns for the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday hoping that its already long year will start improving with stock car racing’s longest event.

Kahne is mired in 30th place in points with only one top-10 finish -- a seventh at the season-opening Daytona 500. Riggs is 37th and their other teammate, Elliott Sadler, is 17th.

The top dozen drivers in points after 26 races qualify for the series’ 10-race Chase to determine the champion, and this will be the 12th points race of the year.

Evernham takes the blame for the slump.

“What’s going on this year is not Kasey Kahne’s fault,” he said. “We need to shoulder this stuff together. You just got to put that behind you and do your job.”

The team’s cars simply haven’t been competitive in many races, especially against the strong Chevrolets fielded so far this year by Hendrick, Evernham’s former employer.

That includes the five races where NASCAR has mandated the use of its new Car of Tomorrow. Hendrick cars won all five.

“It’s just NASCAR -- it’s so competitive,” said Kahne, who drives the No. 9 Dodge. “We’re working hard to get back to where we were. Hopefully, sooner than later we’ll start figuring things out.”

There has been other turmoil surrounding Evernham.

Before the Daytona 500, NASCAR penalized all three of Evernham’s crews for making unauthorized changes to the aerodynamics of their Dodges.

Kahne was docked 50 points before the season started, and his crew chief, Kenny Francis, was suspended for four races. Riggs and Sadler lost 25 points each, and their crew chiefs were suspended for two races.

In addition, Evernham has been seeking a partner who can bring additional cash -- and help with recruiting new sponsors -- so that Evernham can focus on building cars and keeping the team competitive with rivals such as Hendrick and Roush Fenway Racing.

Evernham is courting businessman George Gillett Jr., who has ownership stakes in the Montreal Canadiens hockey team, the Liverpool soccer team, ski resorts and auto dealerships, including Dodge.

“We’re really working toward making it happen,” Evernham said of selling part of the team to Gillett. “It’s a giant process. Right now I’m enjoying a great friendship with the guy.”

Finally, the recently announced sale of Dodge’s parent company, Chrysler, to the investment firm Cerberus Capital Management, has raised questions about Chrysler’s willingness to stay in NASCAR. But Dodge and Evernham say the automaker remains firmly committed to the sport.

“I was with corporate [officers] two days before the deal was announced,” Evernham said, “and as far as everything I was told, NASCAR is very important to Dodge.”

He added, “The company coming in may allow [Dodge] to have a little bit more freedom,” in terms of putting resources into NASCAR. “I think this is going to be good,” he said.

A New Jersey native, Evernham rose to fame in NASCAR as Hendrick’s crew chief for Jeff Gordon in the 1990s, during which he guided Gordon to 47 wins and three series titles.

Looking for another challenge, the lean, clean-cut Evernham left Hendrick, then later formed his own team when Dodge returned to the Cup series in 2001.

The team reached the Chase in the format’s inaugural year in 2004 with driver Jeremy Mayfield, who repeated the feat in 2005. Kahne maintained the streak last year.

But this year, Kahne and his teammates are simply trying to finish a race in the top 10 -- and keep their spirits up.

“I was feeling like I was getting down a little bit a few weeks back,” Kahne said. “Now, I feel like I’m where I need to be, just trying to keep the guys motivated, working on things that we need to work on.”

And Evernham isn’t making any excuses.

“You get down, but you can’t quit. You have to keep fighting,” he said. “It’s a big-boy sport, and we’ve all got to be big boys.”

james.peltz@latimes.com