Kasey Kahne
Date of Birth: 04-10-80
Residence: Mooresville, N.C.
Birthplace: Enumclaw, Wash.
Marital Status: Single
Team: Kasey Kahne Racing
Drivers: Brady Bacon, Brad Sweet, Joey Saldana
Series: USAC Mopar® Midget National Championship & National Sprint Car Series; World of Outlaws Sprint Series
Sponsor: Mopar
Crew Chiefs: Davey Jones, USAC Mopar Midget National & National Sprint Car Series; Justin Adams, World of Outlaws Sprint
Director of Competition: Willie Kahne
Engine Builder: Speedway Engine Development
Web Sites: www.kkr9.com, www.moparspeed.com, www.mopar.com
AS A CAR OWNER
- Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR) fielded drivers Brady Bacon and Kevin Swindell in USAC Mopar Midget National Championship and USAC National Sprint Car competition in 2007.
- Swindell brought home a win in dominating fashion for KKR in the “Night Before the 500 Midget Classic” at O’Reilly Raceway Park in May 2007. Swindell seized the pole and led all 50 laps of the prestigious event.
- Bacon finished fourth for KKR in the final USAC Sprint standings and earned eighth-place honors in the USAC Mopar Midget National Championship points battle. Swindell clocked in at eighth and sixth, respectively.
- Brad Sweet joined KKR and took over Swindell’s ride late in the 2007 season.
- KKR’s USAC lineup features young guns Bacon and Sweet—18 and 22 years old, respectively.
- Veteran KKR World of Outlaws (WoO) Sprint driver Joey Saldana put together a career-year in 2007, capturing 12 wins, second most of the series, and earning runner-up honors, a career-best finish for the Brownsburg, Ind., native.
- Saldana earned 42 top five and 66 top ten finishes for KKR in 2007 WoO competition.
- KKR was named as Mopar’s factory-backed race team in the USAC Mopar Midget National Championship and USAC National Sprint Car Series, as well as the World of Outlaws Sprint Series, for the 2007 season.
- KKR’s Saldana finished third in the World of Outlaws Sprint Series points standings in 2006, with seven wins, second-most on the WoO Sprint circuit.
- Saldana captured a victory for KKR in the prestigious King’s Royal event in 2006, with team owner Kahne on hand to witness the win at Ohio’s historic Eldora Speedway.
- In 2004 and 2005, Kasey Kahne Racing competed in every USAC Silver Crown Series event with sponsorship from Dodge, ASE and Curb Records.
- During its inaugural 2004 season, Kasey Kahne Racing’s Tyler Walker won three consecutive events and set numerous qualifying records.
- In addition to the primary No. 19 entry, which saw Walker and Kraig Kinser, among other drivers, compete for KKR, Evernham Motorsports development driver Erin Crocker made selected starts in a second Kahne USAC Silver Crown entry on pavement.
- In 2005, Kahne himself competed for KKR in select winged sprint car events, as did Midwestern driver Jesse Hockett.
AS A DRIVER
- Drove a Mopar-powered midget car at the 2008 Dodge Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla. Including himself, Kahne fielded a four-man team composed of KKR drivers Brad Sweet, Brady Bacon and Joey Saldana. Kahne qualified for the Chili Bowl A-Main event, which was televised live for the first-time ever on HBO Pay-Per-View.
- Drove to a win in his No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger at the NASCAR Nextel Cup Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October 2006. The victory was the first NASCAR Nextel Cup win for a car that carried the Mopar logo and colors as its primary paint scheme.
- Made the NASCAR Nextel Chase for the Cup, finishing eighth in the final 2006 Nextel Cup point standings.
- Powered to six 2006 wins, the most on the Nextel Cup circuit, and tied for most 2006 poles, also with six.
- Took part in the first meeting of NASCAR Nextel Cup stars and drifters in the Mopar D1 All-Star Duel, held at Irwindale Speedway in August 2006. NASCAR stalwarts such as Matt Kenseth, Bill Elliott, Greg Biffle and Robby Gordon took runs in drift cars, along with drifters such as Team Mopar’s Samuel Hubinette. All proceeds from the event benefited the Kasey Kahne Foundation, which raises and donates funds to charitable organizations that care for chronically ill children and their families.
- Claimed his first Nextel Cup Series victory in 2005 at Richmond International Raceway. It was the first win of the season for the Dodge Charger, which returned in 2005 after a 27-year hiatus from NASCAR’s premier series.
- Named Raybestos Rookie of the Year in 2004, and finished 13th in the Nextel Cup Series points standings.
- Won four poles in 2004 on the Nextel Cup circuit (Las Vegas, Darlington, California, Pocono).
- Started two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races in 2004 (at Darlington and Miami), and won them both.
- Captured his first career NASCAR Busch Series victory in the final race of the 2003 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
- Took the leap to NASCAR in 2002, running a part-time NASCAR Busch Series schedule.
- Scored 10 top-five finishes, including four wins and a second consecutive Belleville Midget Nationals victory, in 11 USAC National Midget Car Series starts during the 2001 season.
- Earned two wins in one night at the USAC National Midget and Sprint Car Series doubleheader at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway in 2001.
- Raced a partial USAC schedule in 2001, and competed in the All-Star Circuit of Champions, World of Outlaws and Gumout Racing Series.
- In his first season, Kahne was named the USAC National Silver Crown Rookie of the Year. He also took honors as the USAC National Midget Car Series champion and Driver of the Year.
- Tapped by team owner Steve Lewis to drive in the USAC National Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown Series in 2000.
