Superstar Kahne Makes Rare Midget Start, Wheels to Fourth at 'Copper World'
Team Mopar driver, NASCAR superstar and former United States Auto Club (USAC) Midget champion Kasey Kahne returned to the open-wheel wars on Thursday, Nov. 6, posting a solid fourth-place finish in the "Copper World Classic" at Phoenix International Raceway. The "Copper World," part of USAC's Mopar Midget National Championship, marked only the third Midget event of the season for Kahne, who admits to finding "a lot of enjoyment" in his rare opportunities to reconnect with his racing roots.
However enjoyable it may be, Kahne worked hard in the 25-lap feature. Starting from the ninth position, he made several overtaking moves on the historic one-mile oval, coming home as the top Mopar finisher. Just behind Kahne in another Mopar-powered Midget was fellow NASCAR racer (and fellow ex-USAC champion) Jason Leffler. Both Kahne and Leffler campaigned their own Midgets, with Speedway Engines providing the horsepower for Kasey's mount and Gary Stanton assembling the engine in the Leffler car.
Further back, in 15th, was Brady Bacon, in the first of Kasey Kahne Racing's full-time USAC Midgets, a good rebound from a dismal 29th-place qualifying run. Bacon's teammate, Brad Sweet, suffered mechanical problems in the early going and was listed 38th in the finishing order.
The 2008 Mopar Midget National Championship concludes on Thanksgiving evening, Nov. 27, with the annual "Turkey Night Grand Prix" at Southern California's Irwindale Speedway. Entering the event, Sweet is third in the series standings, with Bacon fifth and two-time USAC Midget champion Jerry Coons, Jr., who did not compete in the Phoenix event, in the eighth position.
Kahne is expected to be among the "Turkey Night" favorites, having thrilled the crowd with his drive to second place after starting at the tail end of last year's 98-lap feature. For more info on the USAC Racing Series, visit http://www.usacracing.com.