Kasey Kahne enjoying NASCAR return with Richard Childress Racing

Yahoo

16-04-2025

After grinding as a full-time NASCAR competitor for nearly two decades, Kasey Kahne needed time away. He was forced to miss the final 11 races of the 2018 Cup Series season with Leavine Family Racing while battling extreme dehydration, which ultimately ended his full-time NASCAR career.
It took some time for Kahne to reconnect with the sport he dedicated his life to. But after glancing at the 2025 national series schedules, one race stuck out to the 18-time Cup Series winner.
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MORE: Rockingham schedule | Kahne through the years
During the wee hours of Jan. 10, Kahne sent a text message to Keith Rodden, vice president of competition for Richard Childress Racing. He was inquiring about NASCAR's return to Rockingham Speedway. The two former teammates for nearly 15 years immediately picked up the phone to discuss the possibility of Kahne driving an RCR car. Rodden then messaged Danny Lawrence, vice president, alliance operations and director of RCR's Xfinity Series program. The next day, they approached team owner Richard Childress with the idea.
Childress signed off on it, welcoming Kahne to RCR for the first time as driver of its No. 33 Chevrolet, if only for one race.
An added bonus to Kahne's return to stock cars was a surprise-to-him organizational test on Jan. 28 at the 1-mile tri-oval, which RCR asked Kahne to attend. Kahne found out roughly two weeks before the test that the track had been repaved.
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'I felt great off the start and was really happy with how quickly it came back [to me],' Kahne told NASCAR.com, reflecting on the test. 'It doesn't feel like I've been out of NASCAR as long as I have. Time flies, and I'm glad to be back doing this race.'
No matter the track surface, Rockingham is a special place for the recently-turned 45-year-old. Kahne made his Xfinity Series debut at 'The Rock' in 2002 for Robert Yates Racing, and two years later, in just his second Cup Series start, he finished second in a photo finish as Matt Kenseth clipped the young gun at the line for the victory. Kahne is also undefeated in Craftsman Truck Series competition in Richmond County, winning the series' return race in 2012.
'I always liked the track from that point on and enjoyed racing there,' Kahne said of why he wanted to return. 'I did [five] Xfinity races, one truck race and one Cup race and was competitive every time I was there. The size of the track, the banking, the flatness in spots — everything that Rockingham brings. It's a cool track that I wanted to race again at.'
In preparation for Saturday's North Carolina Education Lottery 250, Kahne has leaned on full-time RCR drivers Austin Hill and Jesse Love, as well as hopping on the simulator, a tool that was in its infancy when Kahne last competed.
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Kahne tested Kyle Busch's chassis from last spring's event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The No. 33 team, led by veteran crew chief Andy Street, is bringing a sister car to the track this weekend that's never been raced before.
'[Kahne] is getting the best of the best that we have,' Rodden stated, noting that Kahne was near the top of the leaderboard in his opening laps during the test. '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.
'Our intermediate program is better. Bringing someone like him in who had such domination at intermediates for a long time, he can bring our group up.'
Kahne isn't returning after nearly seven years away just to lollygag. His competitive juices are flowing, and he wants to feel the thrill of contesting up front. His assumption is that the No. 33 car will be a threat. Kahne is one of only three drivers entered in Saturday's race who have previously competed at Rockingham, along with Ryan Sieg and Jeb Burton.
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'I'm doing it to do everything that I can to win the race,' Kahne, an eight-time Xfinity winner, said. 'That's not going to be easy by no means; the [drivers] are very good in the Xfinity Series. That will be tough to accomplish, but I want to run all the laps and run as close to the front as I can throughout the entire race. Do everything we can to give it our best effort and be happy when it's over, that we did everything we could to try and win.'
Rodden, who spent the majority of three seasons as Kahne's crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports and another decade as a race engineer for the Washington native, wants to make this weekend special for Kahne.
'I think it's great for NASCAR,' Rodden said of Kahne's return. 'Kasey is one of the greatest 75 drivers in NASCAR history. It was cool to see him be honored at Darlington (in 2023). In his prime, he was one of the best.'
Kahne has raced frequently at dirt tracks in his post-NASCAR years and is running the full High Limit Racing season in 2025. After six races, he's eighth in the standings. The longest race he's competed in away from NASCAR, he believes, was a 40- or 50-lap feature.
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When Kahne couldn't continue racing full time in NASCAR, it was easy for him to disappear. As time has passed, he's gradually become more familiar with understanding the new nuances of the sport because 'I do miss it a little bit and want to know what's going on and where things stack up.'
MORE: Xfinity Series schedule
Kahne is uncertain whether he will get bitten by the NASCAR bug again and won't rule out returning post-Rockingham. Rodden tends to believe Kahne will stay away, but a solid outing at Rockingham could lead to additional races.
'This has been a lot of fun to prepare and work on this one particular race,' Kahne said. 'I think a lot of that goes to RCR, the 33 team, Andy Street and that whole group. The timing of it has been perfect. I've really enjoyed it. 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.
'Putting it all into Rockingham right now. The situation that I'm in is very good. Really enjoying the whole process.'