Kasey Kahne’s return to NASCAR was somewhat of a surprise for the racing community given his troubled past with his health. The dehydration issues started in 2017 and by 2018 where he couldn’t withstand the pain and suffering. This was a clear case for premature retirement, and unfortunately, Kahne’s fate wasn’t in his hands. But, with the return to Xfinity Series racing in 2025, the former HMS driver couldn’t help but link his return to NASCAR racing back to the roots. While we know that he started his career with Robert Yates and Ford camp, he could’ve been a Chevy driver at Richard Childress Racing.
Manufacturer loyalty is a big thing in racing and in Kahne’s case, he was tied with Ford with his connection to sprint car racing. But despite his talents and potential, Ford wasn’t convinced to hand him a ride in the Xfinity Series. This is where Richard Childress stepped in forcing Ford and Robert Yates Racing’s hand into handing Kahne his first big opportunity in NASCAR.
Richard Childress’ influence on the Kasey Kahne
Before his breakthrough year in 2002, Kasey Kahne wasn’t particularly known for his racing talents on ovals. He did have four Truck Series wins to his name in one-off events, but he was seen as a dirt racer at the time. But, little did he know that veteran team owner, Richard Childress was keeping an eye on him and wanted to see him race in the Xfinity Series. He even offered him a tour of the race shop and was convinced that he was ready to race, but he was conflicted given his ties to Ford.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. expressed was curious to know about Kahne’s NASCAR origin story. “Your first NASCAR-related phone call was with Richard Childress…You ended up going with Ford and, working over there with…Robert Yates. How did you end up not going in that route[RCR] and going the Ford route?” Jr. asked on the Dale Jr. Downalod. To which Kahne explained, “I was racing for Steve Lewis and Midgets. The white nine midget Midgets that appear on TV, back then. And we were doing really well, and…Ford Motor Company was behind that. So…I had a first-rider refusal contract with Ford to go to, whether it was NASCAR, whether it was IndyCar. It was just first rider refusal.”
The driver was stunned to hear that Richard Childress was keen to sign him. But given his ties to Ford, he wasn’t able to come to a decision. “So when Richard called me out of the blue, he flew my dad and me to North Carolina. We visited with him and went around the shop; I could not believe it. When we left that day, he said, ‘You just tell Ford that you have an Xfinity car to drive, and they need to step up and give you an Xfinity car.’ That was basically what he said.” Kahne continued, “So when I went to Ford and said, ‘Hey,’ they said I wasn’t ready. I replied, ‘Well, Richard says I am.’ And they said, ‘Okay.’ Then they dug into it and had a 16-race deal with Robert Yates.” Kahne explained.
BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN – AUGUST 17: RCR team owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer, Richard Childress looks on during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 17, 2024 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
This emphasizes Richard Childress’s ability to identify talented drivers, from bringing Dale Earnhardt onto his team and witnessing his Daytona 500 victory to Kevin Harvick winning his first Xfinity championship in 2001. These achievements highlight Childress’s successful career as the leader of Richard Childress Racing. A strong recommendation from the Chevy team would have definitely influenced Ford to reconsider their decision. Although Childress wasn’t able to sign Kasey Kahne back in 2the 000s, they are finally making this dream collaboration come true with his return to Rockingham in the No. 33 Chevy.
Although the 44-year-old veteran is making a comeback in NASCAR, his sudden departure from racing was indeed painful. Given the severity of his health issues, he just couldn’t withstand the pain, forcing him to take a step back and retire from competitive racing.
Kahne made a healthy comeback after a severe struggle
It was in the 2018 season when he was driving for the Leavine Family Racing but faced challenges to keep his eyes open during the closing laps of the Southern 500 at the Darlington raceway. He even faced issues with irregular body temperature and heart rate. As per medical assessment post-race, he was considered unfit to compete in races, which led to retiring at just 38.
Kasey Kahne faced this problem in the 2017’s summer; initially, even his doctor wasn’t able to figure out the exact cause. But with increasing difficulties in the race participation hinted to him that he couldn’t handle the temperature after a certain extent of time in racing. He explained about his Darlington experience saying, “I needed to get away because of personal health. My body is what it was struggling with those long races. Just went down that path and I couldn’t fix it. The longer the seasons went, the harder it got to recover. I mean, by the end, like I was done in practice. First practice at Darlington, I was sopping wet. If I stood in one area, it was a puddle underneath me.” It was not just Darlington where he wasn’t given a green flag to race, but the Charlotte Motor Speedway too.
But as he worked on his health part and regained it, he again started full-time racing in 2020, initially in the sprint cars with participation in like the World of Outlaws. Where he also owns a team, Kasey Kahne Racing. This race won’t cost much to his health due to the short nature of racing and, in addition, to the features of cooler open cockpits. Going ahead with time as he got comfortable and assured of his health part he is all set to mark his return at the Rock in the Xfinity Series. He will drive the No. 33 RCR Chevy which will be sponsored by Hendrickcars.com.
The post “They Said I Wasn’t Ready”- Kasey Kahne Exposes Richard Childress’ Hidden Hand Behind NASCAR Glory appeared first on EssentiallySports.
