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[/media-credit]Not since he entered the Sprint Cup Series in 2004 with Ray Evernham has Kasey Kahne been as excited to head to the racetrack as he will come Daytona in just a few weeks.
“I think everywhere I go I’m going to be pretty darned excited,” Kahne said on Tuesday. “But definitely Daytona, as big as a race as the 500 is, and all of us want to win that race so bad. To come down there with Hendrick Motorsports, a team that’s won the race, it’s just awesome.
“I look forward to that. I’ve never been excited about qualifying. The 5 car had two poles last year on restrictor plate tracks – I’m usually somewhere in the 20s or 30s when it comes to qualifying on those tracks, so that’s exciting to know that, man, we might have a shot to get on the front row or something that we’ve never been able to do before – I’ve never been able to do before – because of how much effort they [HMS] put into the Daytona 500.
“So yeah, it’s a big week. It’s definitely something to be excited about and look forward to and I can’t wait to get there and practice a little bit and then qualifying on Sunday is going to be exciting.”
The Evernham days seem like a lifetime ago for the Washington native, who went from the next big star to almost flaming out permanently. From 2004 to 2008 Kahne earned Rookie of the Year honors (2004) and won races on a semi-regular basis. But then Evernham sold part of the team to George Gillett, who eventually merged with Richard Petty Motorsports and things quickly went downhill.
Happiness and winning couldn’t be found anywhere near Kahne. Wanting a change and out of his current situation he signed with Hendrick Motorsports for the 2012 season, two years away at the time and not an immediate solution to his problems.
Until things boiled over at Charlotte in 2010 and by that Tuesday Kahne was let out of his contract. He moved to Red Bull racing for 2011 in a one off deal and his smile started to return. He ran well enough to contend for wins and broke through for the first time in 81 races at Phoenix in November. While the team didn’t make the Chase, Kahne moved back on the radar and brought forth plenty of expectations for 2012.
So far Kahne’s been impressed by what he’s seen even though he hasn’t run a single competitive lap with the team. Testing early last month though went well and watching those back at the shop put so much time and effort into fine-tuning every little detail has him eager for the season to begin.
And why not, the rich history at HMS gives its drivers a sense of confidence they might not be used to. Kahne inherits a ride that’s a proven winner and number that is a past Cup champion. A little bit of pressure never hurt anyone and he’ll welcome it with open arms because it’s better than what he’s experienced the last few years.
“Oh, man, stability. That’s a great word,” Kahne said. “Good word to hear. I have four years here [at HMS] that I know it’s going to be stable and be competitive and have great people and a great team around me. To be able to be a part of all that is something that I haven’t had. It’s definitely nice to have it, makes you feel pretty good about where you’re at. It’s taken time. I’ve had some really good years in Cup and I’ve learned a lot from everything, and now I’m just in a really solid situation and need to take full advantage of it.”
Predictions have run wild before 2011 ended about what Kahne would accomplish with HMS. His season ending hot streak puts him in prime position to come out this season on a hot streak and visit victory lane early and often. Team owner Rick Hendrick expects Kahne to make the Chase with his three teammates who did so in 2011, finishing sixth, seventh and eighth in points. The time for talk is over though as Daytona looms closer in the windshield.
“I think that we’re going to have really good equipment and going to have a great team and I still have Kenny Francis, so that communication is going to be there,” Kahne said about whether 2012 could be the year he shows how good of a driver he is.
“We’ll just see how high we can rise, how well we can step up and see what we can do throughout the whole season. That’s my biggest deal this year is to be as consistent as I’ve ever been each week and to win races. If we can do that, we’re going to have a great year.”
