CONCORD, N.C. – Kasey Kahne’s 2015 season was highlighted by new leadership atop the pit box.
Keith Rodden returned to Hendrick Motorsports to lead Kahne and the No. 5 team as crew chief.
Let’s take a look back at the moments that defined Kahne’s 2015 season.
New crew chief
When the 2014 season ended, Rodden was named crew chief for the No. 5 team. Rodden was already familiar with the team as he had worked alongside Kahne as his lead engineer during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. When the 2015 season began, the duo hit the ground running with Kahne ranking eighth in the standings after the first 13 races. Their season also ended on an upswing – Kahne ran 1,795 laps in the top 15 and led 20 laps in the last 12 races.
400th start
The fourth race of the season marked Kahne’s 400th Cup start, and it proved to be one of his best races of 2015. He started the weekend at Phoenix International Raceway by qualifying his No. 5 Chevrolet SS in the ninth position. Kahne took advantage of his top-10 start and continued to stay up near the front of the field for the rest of the race, eventually crossing the finish line fourth. Since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2012, Kahne has earned three top-five finishes at the one-mile Arizona track.
Starting from the front
Kahne went into the race at Michigan International Speedway looking for his first pole of the season and that is where he found it. After posting a qualifying speed of more than 201 miles per hour, Kahne brought home his third pole at the two-mile track. When the green flag dropped, the 35-year old driver led the field to the green and finished the race 15th. Kahne’s first-place start was his first pole since his 2012 season.
Double digits
Kahne knows how to wheel his No. 5 Chevrolet SS to top-10 finishes. The 2015 season proved to be his eighth consecutive year posting double-digit top-10s. Kahne closed out the season having crossed the finish line 10 times inside of the top 10. The No. 5 team will look to continue that streak in the 2016 season.
Passing game
The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet SS makes passing look easy. Throughout the season Kahne made 3,137 green-flag passes. And 1,804 of those passes were on cars running in the top 15. That gave him a 12th-place ranking in quality passes among drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.