ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Kasey Kahne experienced a little bit of everything and then some in his return to stock car racing.
Named one of the 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023, Kahne came back to NASCAR Saturday to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham Speedway, his first appearance across the sport’s national touring series since 2018.
RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Rockingham
Driving the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, Kahne qualified fourth and was steadily toward the front of the field until he suffered damage in a Stage 1 crash that hindered his car for the remainder of the 256-lap event. Nonetheless, Kahne trudged through the day and rebounded for a respectable, hard-fought 14th-place finish in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250.
“That was definitely a handful once the car was tore up,” Kahne said. “I think we were an easy top-five car prior to that, maybe even better. But yeah, once the front end was tore off the right side, and then just the damage, it was just a battle from that point on. The guys did good — like I thought we did a good job of getting back to the lead lap and just avoiding wrecks, just kind of salvaged the best we could at that point.”
It was nearly impossible to tell it had been seven years since Kahne’s last time driving a stock car. At 45 years old, Kahne continues to race sprint cars through his team, Kasey Kahne Racing, and is competing full-time in the Kubota High Limit Racing series in 2025. His departure from NASCAR, though, was medically necessary. Then 38 years old, Kahne would regularly overheat in the race car and become dehydrated more quickly, he explained in a February episode of Dirty Mo Media’s “Dale Jr. Download.”
Away from the intense heat and duration of a stock-car cockpit for numerous years, Kahne felt ready to get back behind the wheel, this time with Richard Childress Racing.
“As far as my health, I’m in a good place right now because I don’t do this all the time,” Kahne said Friday. “I don’t do the long races, the (heat). It got worse as soon as the summer months came, and then every week after that just was draining me, those last couple years I did it. I think going into this, it’s good.”
Good it was for Kahne, who soldiered through the 2 hours, 59 minutes and 38 seconds of Saturday’s event with little to no issues despite two red flags and 14 caution periods slowing the race’s average speed to 80.377 mph.
“Long day. I was hot on Lap 60,” Kahne said, referencing the end of Stage 1. “And then we got some ice bags and started drinking more water. Went fine from there, but yeah, I haven’t been that hot in a long time. Seven years.”
Yet Kahne returned to competition just as naturally as he entered it in 2004, when he finished second in a thrilling photo finish at Rockingham behind Matt Kenseth in just Kahne’s second career Cup start.
“It’s been a long time, and as long as I drove these cars, it was really cool to get back in one and feel it (and) do that whole race weekend because it’s just so much different,” Kahne said. “The sprint car stuff I’m doing now I love, and things happen quick and the night’s over and you move on to the next one. But this is just a different type of racing, different type of race weekend. I enjoyed it. I’m glad I did it.”
Ultimately, the 18-time Cup Series winner walked away satisfied with his entire experience. Whether Kahne returns for another crack at NASCAR racing — Cup? Xfinity? Trucks? — remains yet to be determined. But the process of being back in the throes of a NASCAR team for a January test, simulator prep work and the motions of a practice, qualifying and race was heartily welcomed by the 2017 Brickyard 400 winner.
“I enjoyed it,” Kahne said. “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, just being part of a NASCAR team again — that was really cool. And all the people at RCR were great. So, yeah, I mean, I enjoyed it. I don’t know about more in the future, but I’m really glad I did this. I wish it would have went much different, but I think we were very competitive and had a shot at being somewhere in that top five if things go our way throughout.”
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