At 45 years previous, it is unusual to suppose that we’ve 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 powerful 18 wins, Kahne’s NASCAR profession got here to an abrupt finish in the course of the 2018 season.
Kahne stepped out of the automotive after fighting warmth exhaustion over the course of the three to four-hour races, dealing with an out-of-control coronary heart price and an incapacity for his physique to control 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 acute 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 house.” His ultimate NASCAR race could be the grueling Southern 500 at Darlington with Kahne noting: “It was actually laborious to maintain my eyes open. I used to be struggling to try this and I used to be making an attempt to regulate my coronary heart price as a result of it was so excessive. I simply sort of laid within the automotive and drove across the corners and tried to do as little as attainable to get my coronary heart price to go down.”
However seven years later, he’s lastly again … no less than for one race. Whereas the Cup Sequence enjoys its solely off-weekend for the remainder of the yr, Kahne will probably 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 nicely — Rockingham. And whereas he hasn’t been racing inventory vehicles, he has been racing, operating dozens of quick dash automotive occasions on grime. However his Saturday return at Rockingham would be the longest race he is accomplished since stepping away.
In celebration of Kahne’s return to inventory automotive racing, we determined to check out a few of his greatest 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 Pictures
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 no 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 absolutely thought the gullible rookie behind him would comply with 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 they usually 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 only a few inches shy of main the one one which mattered. From that day on, each NASCAR fan knew the identify ‘Kasey Kahne.’
Successful 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 primary 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. Exhibiting his gratitude to the followers who obtained him there, Kahne proceeded to march by way of the sector and win the All-Star Race and amassing the $1 million greenback bonus in a shocking upset. No different fan vote recipient has ever accomplished that. One week later on the similar monitor, Kahne went on to win one among NASCAR’s crown jewel occasions when he gained 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 does 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 picture 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 additional time restart, he pulled alongside Erik Jones in an exhilarating 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, nevertheless it was someway simply sufficient to surge forward. Kahne was victorious by a mere 0.005s.
Giving Crimson Bull its wings
Race winner Kasey Kahne, Crimson Bull Racing Crimson Bull Toyota celebrates
Picture by: Motion Sports activities Images
On mortgage to Crimson Bull for one yr earlier than transferring over to Hendrick Motorsports, Kahne joined the Crimson Bull Racing crew 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 crew’s true potential earlier than its NASCAR story abruptly ended. Within the penultimate race of the 2011 season, he performed spoiler in the course of the playoffs and took the combat to the title contenders in his No. 4 Crimson Bull Racing Toyota. Holding off giants of the game, he claimed victory in Phoenix. Two weeks later, Crimson Bull Racing disappeared from the game and he moved on to HMS, having earned the crew 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 convey 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 seemed again, main the rest of the race and successful 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?
Successful one of many wildest Brickyard 400s
Race winner Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Picture by: Russell LaBounty / NKP / Motorsport Pictures
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 gained 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 all the 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 in a position to cycle to the very entrance of the sector. It was then warning after warning with Kahne having to fend off the pack by way 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. Actually, 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 way 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 enduring bricks.
Learn Additionally:
On this article
Nick DeGroot
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR XFINITY
Kasey Kahne
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