CONCORD, N.C. – While NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing action takes a break this weekend, fathers everywhere will be celebrated, including two Hendrick Motorsports drivers.
Celebrating his first Father’s Day on Sunday is Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet SS. Kahne’s son, Tanner, is eight months old.
The first-time dad shared some insight into his fatherhood experience, which you can see in the five fun facts below.
1) Kahne said the most challenging part of becoming a new father was adjusting to running on someone else’s schedule. And not only that, but one that changes frequently. “As time goes on that gets more under control and now we’re getting more into a schedule,” the driver said. “Just kind of running that crazy pattern for the first five months was difficult at the time but now that it’s passed it was actually super simple. It’s crazy how easy it looks looking back at it already.”
2) Tanner is the most energetic and happy when he first wakes up in the morning. “He’s just smiling and talking nonstop, making so much noise because he’s figured out his voice where he’s just making all these noises and things like that,” Kahne said. “I love that part of the morning with him.”
3) For Kahne, balancing his job as a driver as well as his duties as a father, hasn’t been all that difficult. “My job is to perform and prepare and put all the time into racing,” he said. “Then there’s Tanner. I spend a lot of time with him but at the end of the day it’s really still all about racing and putting in the effort and making sure we’re prepared when we get to the track. Once I do that, I still have lots of time to spend with Tanner and do things I enjoy.”
4) Does Kahne hope Tanner will share his love for speed? “I’ve enjoyed it,” the driver said of his career. “I’ve loved my life and what I get to do and look forward to every week. If he’s into it then great, if he’s into something else then that’s great, too. Hopefully he can do something that he can always look forward to the next week and what he’s getting ready to do.”
5) Fathers have an important role in their children’s lives to share their wisdom and teach them values. Kahne said the most important lessons he hopes to pass along to Tanner are those of respect and work ethic. “Those are the two things I was taught when I was young and I’ve always tried to keep those with whatever I’ve done and so we’ll definitely push that on him pretty hard,” Kahne said.