Kasey Kahne
No. 9 Budweiser Ford Fusion
TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway
• Last Sunday, Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford, was the 29th runner to cross the finish line in the Kasey Kahne Foundation Five Kahne five-kilometer run in Uptown Charlotte, N.C., but this Sunday he’s looking for a better result in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
• Kahne completed the 3.1-mile run with a time of 22 minutes, 52 seconds (average pace 7:22). The event featured 302 runners, including fellow NASCAR drivers Brad Sweet (21:20), Jimmie Johnson (24:06), Joey Logano (25:36) and Coleman Pressley (28:24). Participating NASCAR media members included ESPN’s Marty Smith (23:23), NASCAR.com’s David Caraviello (27:45) and SceneDaily.com’s Bob Pockrass (31:48). Approximately $30,000 was raised by the run for the Kasey Kahne Foundation. Beneficiaries include the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte and the NC STEM Community Collaborative.
• When Kahne and the No. 9 Budweiser Ford team arrive at Martinsville Speedway this weekend they will look to improve upon recent runs at the speedway. While their best result in the last seven races at the track is 17th, Kahne and the No. 9 team have finished as high as second at the 0.526-mile track. In 13 races at Martinsville Speedway, Kahne has scored one top five and two top-10 finishes.
• Kevin “Kiwi” Duncan, shock specialist and rear tire carrier for the No. 9 Budweiser Ford team, is one of the 43 crewmen selected to serve as grand marshals for Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500. Duncan, a native of Hamilton, New Zealand, raced motorcycles for years and worked with IndyCar Series teams for years before moving over to NASCAR.
• In the 2010 season Kahne and the No. 9 Budweiser Ford team have scored three pole awards, seven top fives, nine top-10 finishes and led 337 laps. Kahne is currently ranked 21st in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings.
• Follow along each weekend with Kahne and the team on Twitter. Check out @kaseykahne for behind-the-scenes information straight from the driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford. Get live updates from the track each weekend from @kk9team, the PR team for Kahne. Also, follow @RPMotorsports for additional information about the Richard Petty Motorsports organization.
• Become a fan of Budweiser on Facebook. Exclusive information on Kasey and the No. 9 Budweiser Ford Team can be found on the Budweiser Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Budweiser.
• For the online version of the Budweiser Racing media guide, please visit .
Kasey Kahne discusses racing at Martinsville Speedway:
What are your thoughts on racing at Martinsville? “As a driver, I’ve learned a lot about racing at Martinsville. The first time I raced at the track, I could barely go around it. I wasn’t even close to qualifying well. The next year, I was better and the car drove ten times better than the year before and we ran second. It’s a tough track and I think that some people pick this track up quicker than others, but I also think that you need a car with a good set up to win a race at Martinsville.”
Does patience play a large role there? “I think it does, but hopefully not as much because you’re not worried about aero here. It’s more about handling and getting the car to turn and trying to get as much forward drive off the corner as you can. That’s the good thing about Martinsville, there’s no real aero tight there. If you’re tight, you’re tight – your car just isn’t turning that day.”
