He might be fifteen spots away from victory, but he left with a thousand memories. Kasey Kahne’s return to NASCAR wasn’t about the finish line, but about the road that led him back to where it all began. 21 years after his debut Xfinity Series drive at Rockingham, he was once again prepared. However, this time, older, wiser, and full of energy. Two crashes bruised his #33 Chevy, yet couldn’t dent his emotions. “I felt right at home,” he said, like no time had passed these 6 years. This RCR driver’s comeback wasn’t just symbolic but soulful. And when he talked about it, people understood, this story might be far from over.
After driving in NASCAR for almost two decades, Kahne hung up his boots from Cup racing back in 2018. All this time, he was busy competing in the sprint car races, but with Rock returning to NASCAR, he couldn’t help but stage a comeback. For the fans who had supported him throughout his racing career, they remembered his 2012 Truck Series race win at Rockingham and were rallying behind him for a win last Saturday. It could’ve been anyone race, given that the track had been repaved. But unfortunately, he had to settle for a 15th-place finish.
Kahne encountered two crashes, one on lap 57 when Katherine Legge spun. The other one was on lap 236 when Daniel Dye Spun and Josh Billick forced the #33 Chevy into the wall. For any driver making his return after six long years, the streak of bad luck and results would be seen as a big disappointment. But Kahne opted to look at the positives and was glad to have this opportunity. If anything, this historic return might have lured him into adding more NASCAR races to his schedule.
“I enjoyed it. I definitely have enjoyed it. You know, I’ve really looked forward to it and put a lot into it. It was really fun working with the RCR group, going up to their shop again. And, you know, just being. Being part of a NASCAR team again like that was really cool. And all the people at RCR were great.” Kahne said after the race. Although he wasn’t sure about the win, he believed that his #33 RCR Chevy could’ve landed inside the top 5 if everything had gone smoothly. There was this feeling that the veteran driver felt he had some unfinished business, and when asked if he was handed an opportunity to come back to racing, he replied, “I could see looking at that down the road.”
Well, the relationship between Kahne and RCR started with a simple text message he had sent to Keith Rodden in January. The two share a good bond as Rodden served as his crew chief during the HMS days from 2015 to 2017, which includes a Brikcyard 400 win. Well, after discussing the possibility, even team owner Richard Childress gave his blessing and signed up Kahne for the Rockingham return.
.@kaseykahne’s wouldn’t rule out another Xfinity Series run after crawling back to a 15th place finish at Rockingham.
“We have a relationship started with this group now…I could see looking at that down the road.”#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/q5ux2MAl3p
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) April 19, 2025
Even before he got behind the wheel of the #33 RCR Chevy, Kasey Kahne had expressed his feelings of running more races with the group. “I want to put together the best effort that we possibly can and look at it after that and decide if there’s another one that we would like to do or something like that. The situation that I’m in right now is very good. Really enjoying the whole process.”
Not only that, the 45-year-old driver even endorsed Rockingham Speedway’s return to the Cup Series.
Kasey Kahne approves Cup Series return at the Rock
The Xfinity and Truck Series race weekend at the Rockingham Speedway was a huge success. And that in turn has got everyone excited about a potential return of the premier series on the 0.94-mile oval. The thing is, NASCAR is in a tough spot with its Cup Series dates. They have an international race in Mexico City and a street race in Chicago. Not to forget the five road course events that are spread across the schedule.
Making space for a traditional one-mile track could be a huge undertaking, but Kahne feels that the facility can host a Cup race. “I mean, the Cup race could probably be really good here. It used to be, I used to enjoy watching it or being a part of it, the one year.” Well, it’s not just Kahne, Rockingham Speedway President and CEO of Track Enterprises, Bob Sargent, has also teased a return of the premier series at the historic race track.
“There are only so many geographic regions and things like that. So there are many factors that go into when dates get put where. So it’s not a magic wand. But I feel comfortable, and am not saying anything out of line that, yes, we did everything we needed to do. It’s a process. But we are on the radar. We are in that process.” Sargent said. Fans wouldn’t mind offloading a road course event, or even cutting out the Chicago or Mexico race for Rockingham’s return.
But again, this is easier said than done, as NASCAR will need to coordinate with its media partners and teams to plan this ambitious return. Remember, even though North Wilkesboro and Bowman Gray had a second shot, these are not point-paying races. Perhaps, we could see Rock return as the Clash or the All-Star event in the coming years.
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