“Putting it all into Rockingham right now.” The level of energy in these words is what fans eagerly crave in a NASCAR driver resurrected from retirement. During the final 11 races of the 2018 Cup Series season, the driver’s grid was one less. Kasey Kahne battled extreme dehydration, which ultimately ended his NASCAR career. However, the 18-time Cup race winner and former Hendrick Motorsports driver is back to his roots after seven years. What is more, he will head back to a favorite racetrack.
Rockingham Speedway, a D-shaped oval track in North Carolina, was a NASCAR hotspot earlier. It hosted 78 Cup Series races before going defunct in 2004. After a fresh repavement project and revival, the Rock is again set to enthrall fans, and veterans cannot wait for Kahne to show his magic there.
All eyes on Kasey Kahne at ‘the Rock’
Well, the former HMS star has a deep bond with the historic track. Kasey Kahne made his Xfinity Series debut at Rockingham Speedway in 2002 for Robert Yates Racing. Two years later, he was part of a photo finish at the same track in just his second Cup Series start, finishing second behind Matt Kenseth. Kahne also won the Craftsman Truck Series’ return race at the Rock in 2012. After all these years, his enthusiasm is intact. In January 2025, he called up Keith Rodden, vice president of competition at Richard Childress Racing. Kahne fixed up an Xfinity Series ride, colliding Rockingham’s return date with his own. And this news has gotten several veterans pumped.
In a recent episode of Performance Racing Network, host Doug Rice started the buzz. “Kasey Kahne will be back. Are we excited about that?” Then co-host Alexis Erickson chimed in: “That’ll be huge!” This excitement stems from Kahne’s rich NASCAR records. Even after retiring from the sport, he kept his competitive juices flowing on dirt tracks. Kahne clinched six World of Outlaws championships as a team owner. So Kyle Petty is eager to see him back, “He’s dreamy, that’s good…He’s still racing. It’s not like he just disappeared from the race car. So he’s been in race cars.”
What is more, Kasey Kahne likes the feel of the newly repaved Rockingham Speedway. He said he “felt great” at a test conducted on January 28th. With a $9 million grant from the North Carolina government, officials revamped the track surface. Kyle Petty continued that ‘the Rock’ will not disappoint in any way. “Listen, I look forward to – and I was down there 3 or 4 months ago, looking around the racetrack. They had done a tremendous amount of work. It’s just – it looks great, everything looks great. I’m interested to see if the racetrack races the same way it did, where you could run low, you could run high, you can run in the middle…Racing and racing in multiple groups. It’s going to be interesting to see.”
What will make it more interesting is Kasey Kahne’s presence. That is because of the immense preparation that the veteran is undergoing for his comeback.
Harnessing all the guidance for the race
Kasey Kahne has raced for several race teams in his NASCAR career. Primarily, he was under the umbrellas of Ray Evernham, Richard Petty, and Rick Hendrick. Now, on his return, he is joining the fold of another legacy team, Richard Childress Racing. And this team is ensuring that Kahne gets the best possible equipment, resources, and preparation for Saturday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 250. Kahne has leaned on full-time RCR drivers Austin Hill and Jesse Love. Additionally, the veteran driver has also hopped aboard the simulator, a tool that was in its infancy when Kahne last competed. He also tested Kyle Busch’s chassis from last spring’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Veteran crew chief Andrew Street will lead the No. 33 team of Kasey Kahne. Street is bringing a sister car to the track this weekend that’s never been raced before. As Kahne was on top of the leaderboard during the test, Street said, “[Kahne] is getting the best of the best that we have. We’re making sure we put our best foot forward. We need to be around the top five at the last pit stop, keep up with the track, make the right adjustments and give him every opportunity to win the race. When we’re at our best, that’s where we’re at with the (Nos.) 2 and 21. We expect the 33 to be there, as well.”
Evidently, a lot of hype is building up around Kasey Kahne’s grand debut. As the weekend looms into view, let us see how the veteran dazzles us on the racetrack.
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