Kasey Kahne announces 2014 date for charity 5K

Courtesy of The NASCAR Hall of Fame

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Kasey Kahne Foundation announced recently that the fifth annual Five Kahne 5K is set for Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014, at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

In 2013, a record 731 runners, including Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Casey Mears and other NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, participated in the fourth annual Kasey Kahne Foundation Five Kahne 5K and Kids Dash presented by Great Clips in Uptown Charlotte on Sunday, Oct. 13. The event followed the Bank of America 500 Sprint Cup event held at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Oct. 12.

With a 61 percent increase from last year’s 455 runners, more than $65,000 was raised in 2013 to support youth programs in the local area including Friends of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which provides grants that fund educational field trips for middle and high school students in career and technical education (CTE) courses and other science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses. The Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte is also a beneficiary.

“As the Five Kahne continues to gain momentum and popularity as a premier 5K in the community, we are able to raise more awareness and support for the youth of North Carolina,” said Shanon Adams, executive director of the Kasey Kahne Foundation. “This year we saw the biggest increase in participation and funds raised. It is exciting to watch this event continue to grow and have such a meaningful impact on thousands of youth on an annual basis, exposing them to the business behind the sport of NASCAR through exhibits at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne started the 5K charity run in 2010 with the goal of building an annual event to generate funds for youth causes. During the 2012-2013 school year, 2,012 students from 20 counties across the state traveled to the NASCAR Hall of Fame for an interactive day of learning. Since the partnership between the Kasey Kahne Foundation and Friends of the NASCAR Hall of Fame was created in 2011, approximately 2,587 students have visited the facility as a direct result of these efforts. The Kasey Kahne Foundation is confident the fifth annual 5K in 2014 will be the biggest one yet.

For more information about the Kasey Kahne Foundation and the Five Kahne 5K, visit kaseykahnefoundation.org.