Memorable Moments: Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports
CONCORD, N.C. – Since 2012, Kasey Kahne has been racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with the Hendrick Motorsports logo emblazoned on his No. 5 firesuit.
But despite his short time with the organization, Kahne has certainly left his mark in the team’s history book.
With Kahne signing a three-year contract extension, keeping him with Hendrick Motorsports through 2018, let's take a look at five memorable moments from his career with the organization thus far:
Home-track advantage
Located less than two miles down the road from the Hendrick Motorsports campus, Charlotte Motor Speedway is often considered a “home track” for the local Sprint Cup teams. But for Kahne, it’s also statistically one of his best – and favorite – tracks on the Cup circuit. In May 2012, Kahne made the short trip to his favorite oval, attempting to record his first win there since joining Hendrick Motorsports at the beginning of the season – and 400 laps later, he accomplished that goal. After leading 96 laps around the 1.5-mile oval, Kahne took the checkered flag at Charlotte for the fourth time in his career.
Front-row status
Kahne’s first season with Hendrick Motorsports in 2012 was a memorable season for many reasons. But one of the primary reasons for its notability was Kahne’s knack for taking home pole awards that year. He kicked off his freshman season at Hendrick Motorsports with plenty of speed, winning two poles within the first six races of the year. Kahne closed out the season by winning two more poles, one of which came at Talladega (Alabama) Superspeedway; Kahne had never sat on the front row at the restrictor-plate track, much less led the starting field to green. His four pole awards in 2012 aided him in recording his career-best average starting – and finishing – position.
Victorious in Thunder Valley
By the time the 2013 season rolled around, Kahne had won at almost half of the active tracks on the Sprint Cup circuit. But one track where he hadn’t reached Victory Lane was one of the more historic venues on the schedule – Bristol Motor Speedway. Kahne placed himself in a great position to win from the start, winning the outside pole in Thunder Valley. From there, he didn’t slow down. The 10-year Cup veteran led a race-high 109 laps around the Bristol’s tight turns on his way to Victory Lane.
Right on time
Time was running out for Kahne in the 2014 season. The newfangled Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format placed a greater emphasis on winning races to advance to NASCAR’s postseason and there were two races left before the Chase began. Although he had come close, Kahne had yet to reach Victory Lane that season. That all changed on Aug. 31 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, when Kahne utilized fast restarts to hold on to the lead for the win. The victory qualified him to compete in the 16-car championship playoff with the rest of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates.
Three years running
Making the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup isn’t an easy task. There are a limited number of drivers who qualify and many factors that contribute to either a driver’s success or failure in any given Sprint Cup race. Nevertheless, in his three years at Hendrick Motorsports, Kahne has successfully qualified for the Chase each year. Under the Hendrick Motorsports banner, he recorded a career-best Cup finish of fourth place in the 2012 season’s final point standings. And next season, Kahne will be looking to extend his Chase streak another year, both for himself and Hendrick Motorsports.
