Kasey Kahne: From Washington Sprint Cars to NASCAR Cup Wins and Back to Dirt

Kasey Kahne is an American dirt track and stock car driver from Washington State. He won 18 NASCAR Cup Series races, among them the Coca-Cola 600 three times and the 2017 Brickyard 400. He retired from full-time Cup racing at the end of 2018, returned to sprint cars, and announced a full-time NASCAR Truck Series ride with Spire Motorsports for 2027.

Who is Kasey Kahne?

Kasey Kenneth Kahne was born on 10 April 1980 in Enumclaw, Washington. Childhood was spent on a 50-acre country property, with four-wheelers and dirt bikes. He also played baseball and basketball, and in winter he drove snowmobiles in the mountains.

His career has spanned sprint cars, the NASCAR Busch and Truck Series, and the Cup Series. He has also raced in High Limit Racing and the World of Outlaws. Charity work has been part of his life, and he sat on a presidential council on service and civic participation.

From a 2000 sprint car opener to 18 Cup wins and a dirt comeback, Kahne's career has run on a steady mix of speed and second chances.

How did Kahne start in sprint cars?

He started in sprint cars at 17 at Deming Speedway, climbed to Skagit Speedway in Alger, Washington, and later joined USAC. In 2000 he travelled to Pennsylvania and won the season opener at Williams Grove Speedway. The outfit that hired him had previously run Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kenny Irwin Jr.

During his debut season on the circuit he took Rookie of the Year honours and the national midget crown. He kept racing in USAC and the Toyota Atlantic Series, and he also competed with the World of Outlaws. Skagit's Jim Raper memorial Dirt Cup went to him twice, in 2002 and 2003.

How did Kahne move up through NASCAR's lower series?

In 2002 he made 20 starts in the Busch Series for Robert Yates Racing, with a best finish of tenth at Cabela's 250. The next year he joined Akins Motorsports full time, adding a Michigan International Speedway pole and his first Busch win at the Ford 300. He finished seventh in the points.

In 2005 he made 22 Busch starts, splitting time between Akins and Evernham's new operation. Wins came at the O'Reilly 300 at Texas and the United Way 300 at Kansas. Across his Truck Series career he has made six starts and won five of them, including a pair of 2004 wins at Darlington and Homestead-Miami for Ultra Motorsports.

How did Kahne arrive in the Cup Series?

At the close of 2003 Kahne took over Bill Elliott's No. 9 Dodge at Evernham Motorsports, as Elliott cut back to part-time racing. Ford, which still had a contract with him, sued after he joined Evernham. The judge, Robert Cleland, ruled in Kahne's favour because the contract required Ford to find him a full-time seat with a mutually agreed team.

His debut season in 2004 was a strong one. He won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award, finished second five times, recorded 13 top-five finishes and four poles. Jeremy Mayfield, his own teammate, took the last Chase berth, leaving him just short.

What were Kahne's Evernham years like?

In 2005 he scored his first Cup win at Richmond, a dominant victory that was the first Dodge Charger win there since Richard Petty in 1975. A milestone came with it, since no driver born in the 1980s had won a Cup race before him, but inconsistency followed and he dropped to 23rd in points.

The 2006 season was his best. He won the Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta, the Samsung/Radio Shack 500 at Texas and the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, and he held off Jimmie Johnson in the Bank of America 500. He also won at California and Michigan. He became the tenth and last driver to qualify for the Chase, edging the defending champion Tony Stewart out by 16 points.

A 16th at New Hampshire, a Dover crash and running dry at Kansas ended his title hopes. He finished strongly, with five top-ten finishes in the last seven races, and he won the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte. Later that year he raised the 12th Man flag before a Seattle Seahawks game.

The 2007 season was much harder. During Daytona 500 qualifying, inspectors found holes in the wheel wells of the Dodge Charger he drove, and the team was one of six penalised for illegal modifications. He led 305 of 500 laps at the Sharpie 500 at Bristol and finished second to Carl Edwards, but his season ended 19th in points without a win.

How did Kahne win the 2008 Coca-Cola 600 and All-Star Race?

In 2008 Budweiser sponsored his car, and he finished seventh in the 50th Daytona 500. On 17 May he won the Sprint All-Star Race XXIV, having been voted into the field by fans. He earned $1,012,975 and became the first driver to win that race from the fan vote.

On 25 May he won the Coca-Cola 600. He got past Tony Stewart with two laps left, after Stewart had a flat tire. Pulling off both the 600 and the All-Star race in one season made him the sixth driver to do it. He also won the Pocono 500 from pole, although he had been 38th at one stage after a pit road error.

He missed the Chase by 69 points and finished the season 14th. Results were uneven, but his speed was clear.

What happened at Richard Petty Motorsports?

In 2009 he drove for Richard Petty Motorsports, a merger of Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Enterprises. On 21 June 2009 he took his first road-course win, at Infineon Raceway in the Save Mart 350. On 6 September he won the Pep Boys Auto 500, holding off Kevin Harvick, and he earned a place in the Chase.

Engine and crash problems hurt his Chase push, and he finished 10th despite a second place at Talladega. In 2010 the team switched to Ford, and he won Gatorade Duel No. 2 at Daytona in February. He was released from the team's contract in October 2010.

Did Kahne win races with Red Bull Racing?

Yes, though only once. He drove the No. 4 Red Bull Toyota in 2011, a number he had used in sprint cars. At the Brickyard 400 he dominated early and led 48 laps, but he spun late and finished 18th.

On 13 November 2011 he held off Carl Edwards at the newly configured Phoenix International Raceway to win. It was his first victory in more than two years and the only one for Red Bull that season. He finished 14th in points.

How strong were Kahne's Hendrick Motorsports years?

In 2012 he drove the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He had a slow start, but a win in the Coca-Cola 600 in his 300th Cup start was his first win with Hendrick. He followed with a win at Loudon on 15 July, which carried him into the Chase through the wild card spots.

That year finished with his best points position, fourth, from two wins, four poles, 12 top-five finishes and 19 top-ten finishes. He had also won a Truck Series race at Rockingham for Turner Motorsports, the same year.

The 2013 season was hard to read. He was second at Las Vegas and Kansas behind Matt Kenseth, and he won at Bristol and again at Pocono. He also clashed repeatedly with Kyle Busch, and a crash at Loudon ended his chances of winning that year.

In 2014 he won at Atlanta to clinch a Chase spot, his only win that season, and finished 15th in points. Keith Rodden was named his crew chief for 2015. The 2015 Brickyard 400 saw him lead seventy laps before finishing sixth.

His 2016 season was the least productive of his Cup career. He finished 17th in points and did not lead a single lap. The 2017 Brickyard 400 gave him his best moment, when he held off Brad Keselowski on an overtime restart. It was his 18th Cup win and his first in 102 races, and it led NASCAR to remove the overtime line.

On 7 August 2017 Hendrick announced that he would not return for 2018, and William Byron was named his replacement.

Why did Kahne retire from full-time Cup racing?

In 2018 he drove the No. 95 Chevrolet Camaro for Leavine Family Racing. His best result was a fourth place at the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, a season best that moved him up to 25th in points. He sat out the 2018 Brickyard 400 after heat exhaustion at Darlington, and Regan Smith took over his seat for a few races.

On 9 October 2018 he announced that he would not race again that season. The announcement brought his full-time Cup career to a close after 15 years.

How did Kahne return to dirt racing?

On 29 March 2019 he was injured in a sprint car crash at Williams Grove Speedway, and the driver James McFadden replaced him. His first race back came at Knoxville Raceway on 8 May 2020, where he finished eleventh in a qualifier.

He committed to full-time World of Outlaws racing in 2022 in his own No. 9 car, and High Limit Racing became his home series from 2024. In late April 2026 he replaced Anthony Macri in a sprint car for ten races, and on 8 May 2026 he won a World of Outlaws feature at Williams Grove, leading all 25 laps.

Is Kahne returning to NASCAR?

Yes. On 24 January 2025 he announced a one-off Xfinity Series start at Rockingham on 19 April, driving the Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet. He finished 14th after Jesse Love was disqualified. On 7 October 2026 it was announced that he would race full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Spire Motorsports, driving the No. 77 truck in 2027.

What are Kahne's main results?