At 45 years previous, it is unusual to assume that we have not seen Kasey Kahne behind the wheel of a NASCAR inventory automotive in almost seven years. A veteran of over 500 Cup races with a formidable 18 wins, Kahne’s NASCAR profession got here to an abrupt finish in the midst of the 2018 season.
Kahne stepped out of the automotive after scuffling with warmth exhaustion over the course of the three to four-hour races, dealing with an out-of-control coronary heart fee and an incapability for his physique to manage its inner temperature. The slender and well-trained Kahne was in form, however it doesn’t matter what he did, he couldn’t fight the intense dehydration, and it was solely getting worse. There was a concern of passing out whereas behind the wheel, and even struggling warmth stroke if he continued.
Kahne lamented in September of 2018: “It’s simply higher off for me to remain residence.” His ultimate NASCAR race could be the grueling Southern 500 at Darlington with Kahne noting: “It was actually onerous to maintain my eyes open. I used to be struggling to do this and I used to be making an attempt to regulate my coronary heart fee as a result of it was so excessive. I simply type of laid within the automotive and drove across the corners and tried to do as little as doable to get my coronary heart fee to go down.”
However seven years later, he’s lastly again … not less than for one race. Whereas the Cup Sequence enjoys its solely off-weekend for the remainder of the yr, Kahne shall be driving the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet this weekend. Kahne will make this extremely anticipated comeback at a monitor that has additionally been absent from NASCAR for a number of years, and one he is aware of fairly properly — Rockingham. And whereas he hasn’t been racing inventory vehicles, he has been racing, operating dozens of brief dash automotive occasions on filth. However his Saturday return at Rockingham would be the longest race he is finished since stepping away.
In celebration of Kahne’s return to inventory automotive racing, we determined to check out a few of his finest moments behind the wheel.
Driving like a veteran from the beginning
Matt Kenseth takes the checkered flag inches forward of Kasey Kahne
Picture by: Motorsport Photos
Kasey Kahne’s 2004 rookie season was an uncommon one, merely due to how ridiculously shut he stored attending to Victory Lane. He led almost 700 laps and recorded 5 runner-up finishes with out a single win. However nothing in comparison with what went down within the final Cup race ever held at Rockingham. Reigning NASCAR Cup Sequence champion Kenseth entered the ultimate nook excessive and he certainly thought the gullible rookie behind him would observe into the soiled air. It appeared that method at first, just for Kahne to chop down mid-corner and pull alongside Kenseth. In simply his second-ever Cup race, Kahne was the one driving like a veteran and so they drag-raced to the road in entrance of fifty,000 screaming followers. By simply 0.010s, Kenseth barely held on. Kahne by no means led a single lap that day, coming just some inches shy of main the one one which mattered. From that day on, each NASCAR fan knew the title ‘Kasey Kahne.’
Profitable it for the followers
Race winner Kasey Kahne celebrates
Picture by: Motorsport.com / ASP Inc.
In 2008, Kahne, now sponsored by Budweiser after the model’s profitable partnership with Dale Earnhardt Jr. got here to an finish, was not locked into the annual All-Star Race. He was unable to race his method into the principle occasion, however he did not want to fret because the followers had his again. Kahne made the All-Star Race by means of the Fan Vote, taking the twenty fourth and ultimate spot on the grid. Displaying his gratitude to the followers who acquired him there, Kahne proceeded to march by means of the sector and win the All-Star Race and gathering the $1 million greenback bonus in a surprising upset. No different fan vote recipient has ever finished that. One week later on the identical monitor, Kahne went on to win certainly one of NASCAR’s crown jewel occasions when he received the Coke 600. It was his second of three wins in NASCAR’s longest race, which all got here with three totally different groups.
It would not get a lot nearer than that
Kasey Kahne, JR Motorsports Chevrolet beats Erik Jones, Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota to win
Picture by: NASCAR Media
Kahne had a knack for being concerned in photograph finishes all through his profession. And in 2015, he was concerned within the closest ever recorded end at Charlotte Motor Speedway (on the nationwide degree) and the third-closest in Truck Sequence historical past. In an time beyond regulation restart, he pulled alongside Erik Jones in an exciting battle. Out of Flip 4, it was all Jones up high, however Kahne refused to let that stand as he swerved in direction of Jones in an try and side-draft off him. Contact was made and Kahne slid sideways, however it was by some means simply sufficient to surge forward. Kahne was victorious by a mere 0.005s.
Giving Purple Bull its wings
Race winner Kasey Kahne, Purple Bull Racing Purple Bull Toyota celebrates
Picture by: Motion Sports activities Images
On mortgage to Purple Bull for one yr earlier than shifting over to Hendrick Motorsports, Kahne joined the Purple Bull Racing workforce in its ultimate season earlier than shutting down. Regardless of the upcoming demise of the group, that did not cease Kahne from giving it his all. He showcased the workforce’s true potential earlier than its NASCAR story abruptly ended. Within the penultimate race of the 2011 season, he performed spoiler in the midst of the playoffs and took the battle to the title contenders in his No. 4 Purple Bull Racing Toyota. Holding off giants of the game, he claimed victory in Phoenix. Two weeks later, Purple Bull Racing disappeared from the game and he moved on to HMS, having earned the workforce its ultimate win.
The (first) return of Rockingham
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Picture by: NASCAR Media
This yr’s Rockingham revival is not really the primary. There was an try and carry it again with a Truck Sequence race in 2012, which Kahne gladly entered. Like lots of his Cup triumphs, Kahne did not present up till late within the race, however as soon as he did, there was little the sector might do to cease him. Kahne blew by Matt Crafton in a short battle for the race lead with 46 laps to go and by no means regarded again, main the rest of the race and profitable the primary Truck race ever held at Rockingham. This weekend, the Xfinity Sequence returns to ‘The Rock’ for the primary time in 21 years and Kahne is nearly the one driver entered who has actual expertise there, so might historical past repeat itself as soon as extra?
Profitable one of many wildest Brickyard 400s
Race winner Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Picture by: Russell LaBounty / NKP / Motorsport Photos
Not each driver can have a memorable ultimate win to place an exclamation level on their Cup profession, however that is precisely what Kahne did in 2017. He and nobody else knew it on the time, however when NASCAR went to Indianapolis Motor Speedway that summer time, it ended up being the ultimate time the favored driver ever received on the Cup degree. That yr’s Brickyard 400 was chaotic, that includes a mid-race restart the place the 2 drivers who had dominated your complete day took one another out (Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.). From that time onward, it was pure mayhem. It morphed right into a fuel-mileage race however Kahne couldn’t not stretch it, diving to the pits for a splash-and-go. However that proved to fortuitous as a warning flew moments later and he was capable of cycle to the very entrance of the sector. It was then warning after warning with Kahne having to fend off the pack by means of a number of restarts.
However the defining second got here with two laps to go when Kahne ended up within the center, three-wide for the race lead. To his outdoors was Brad Keselowski and to his inside was his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson — whose automotive was smoking because the engine started to falter. Even nonetheless, Johnson by no means lifted. The truth is, none of them did as they raced into Flip 3, three-wide for the win. Johnson crashed and Kahne narrowly prevented being collected, holding onto the race lead by means of the chaos. Extra wrecks and restarts adopted however Kahne by no means relinquished the lead once more. His 18th and ultimate Cup Sequence win got here in one other NASCAR crown jewel, kissing the long-lasting bricks.
Learn Additionally:
On this article
Nick DeGroot
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR XFINITY
Kasey Kahne
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