Kasey Kahne says talks continue concerning 2011 ride
Kasey Kahne says no decision has been made concerning which team he will drive for in 2011. Kahne has signed with Hendrick Motorsports for next season, but isn't slated to drive for the organization until 2012. // James Rapp, NASCAR Illustrated
DOVER, Del. – Kasey Kahne, playing out the string in his final season with Richard Petty Motorsports, said Friday at Dover International Speedway that there still has been no decision made on where he will be racing in 2011.
Kahne announced last month that he would leave RPM to join Hendrick Motorsports in 2011. But the popular 30-year-old’s move called for him to drive for team owner Rick Hendrick in 2012 in the organization’s No. 5 Chevrolet currently driven by Mark Martin. That being the case, the question remains of just where Kahne will be driving next season.
With the NASCAR cap of four teams per organization, Kahne won’t be in a Hendrick entry unless someone currently driving for the team vacates a seat. One possibility would be for him to drive for a Hendrick-affiliated team, such as Stewart-Haas Racing if that team expands from two to three teams.
“Still no word on any of the specifics,” Kahne said after qualifying second-fastest for Sunday’s Autism Speaks 400. “Nothing has changed since the announcement. There is a lot going on – talking to Mr. Hendrick this week and last week, I think we are about three or four weeks out from finding anything out.
“I know I am getting a little anxious about it. They are working hard and want it to be the right decision. Whatever is decided, they want to do [it] the right way and make sure that they come up with the perfect place for me for next year.”
After a slow start in the season’s first two races, Kahne posted top-10 finishes at Las Vegas and Atlanta to move up to 17th in points. Since then, however, he’s finished 17th or worse in six of the past seven races and fallen to 22nd in the point standings.
Has the No. 9 team bagged the season, knowing its driver will be leaving at year’s end? Kahne doesn’t think so.
“That was something I was worried about when we made that announcement,” Kahne said. “I feel like it is easy to get down or to give up on somebody.
“As a team we all talk about it. They are excited for me and I am excited for the opportunities they will have, depending on what they want to do. Everybody wants to win; we all want to race well.”
Kahne said he isn’t sure if the announcement affected his team’s on-track performance – “Maybe that had something to do with it, I’m not sure,” he said – but said he feels the team has “rebounded nicely.”
