Kahne hasn't noticed a change in Evernham's role
By SceneDaily Staff
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Marc Serota / Getty Images for NASCAR
BRISTOL, Tenn. – From Kasey Kahne’s perspective, the change in Ray Evernham’s role at Gillett Evernham Motorsports really hasn’t made that much of a difference.
The team’s founder moved into an undefined role this year, working with the competition aspects of the team. As to working with Kahne, though, that still remains an active part of Evernham’s week. He’s the man who brought Kahne into the NASCAR Cup ranks and guided him to a Chase appearance last season. Now, he’s still the person Kahne talks to every week.
“I think as far as the people at the shop and the way the shop is run there, I wouldn’t say it’s a big difference at all,” Kahne said of the difference in having Evernham, who sold majority interest in the team to George Gillett Jr. last fall.
“You may not see him quite as much, but they’re all busy, they’re all doing their jobs, they all have certain priorities in things they have to do,” Kahne said. “It’s not that big of a difference.”
For him personally, the difference is even less noticeable. He still talks with Evernham frequently.
“To me, I’m up there when I get up there, some weeks not at all and other weeks two or three times and whether I see Ray or not, it’s still the same now as it was two or three years ago,” he said. “To me, it’s really no different. He’s there, he still helps me with everything I need, I talk to him once a week, I run into him whether it’s I see him out or he gives me a call. We talk every week and try to go over things. …
“His impact on me is the same, he calls me and talks to me and says what I need to work on, what I’m doing good, what I’m doing bad and how to kind of go about that, and that’s how it’s been since 2004.”
