Buffalo, New York – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver of the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS, Kasey Kahne, paid a visit to Western New York on Wednesday in preparation for the second and final road course race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season at Watkins Glen International.
Kahne’s first pit stop of the day was at Pole Position Raceway at the Walden Galleria in Buffalo for a go-karting challenge against members of the media, including myself. Khane got a jump start on his preparation for making right-hand turns for the second time this season in the event hosted in conjunction with Watkins Glen International at the 46,000 square foot indoor karting facility. Owned by some of Kahne’s fellow competitors such as Kurt Busch, Travis Pastrana, and ESPN’s Jamie Little, Kahne spent time in the driver’s seat of the all-electric, Italian karts topping speeds of 45 MPH on a bead-blasted racetrack enhancing tire traction, something similar to the 2.45 mile road course he’ll be competing on in the Finger Lakes Region of New York in just a few weeks.
Kahne then spent some time answering questions about his experience at Pole Position and his experiences at Watkins Glen International, and even held the Winner’s Trophy for this year’s Cheez-It 355 at The Glen. “Pole Position is a bit different than Watkins Glen, but I really like them both…I like going around the track during driver intros (at Watkins Glen) and seeing where all the fans are sitting around the entire course, you can tell they’re enjoying themselves, having a good time. I just think it’s a neat place because you’re not just sitting in the Grandstands. You can go walk around and find all different places to watch the race in different corners, and to me, that’s pretty neat and looks like a good time.”
For Kahne, the biggest difference between the two road courses (Sonoma and Watkins Glen) is the difference in grip each track has to offer throughout the duration of the race .”The biggest thing about Sonoma is the tires fall off, so you get sliding around a lot and lose a ton of grip. We seem to be a little better when that happens, and I feel a little better when that happens. For whatever reason at The Glen you always have good tires and have a lot of speed, never really slide around a lot compared to what you would at Sonoma.”
Following his challenge with the media, where he showed why his paychecks are written by a NASCAR team owner, Kahne and the Watkins Glen crew headed for Tonawanda, New York and the General Motors (GM) Powertrain Tonawanda Engine plant. The GM plant paid tribute to various local charities by presenting checks on behalf of the GM Foundation for their contributions to the Western New York community. The check presentation was followed by a tour, with a few pit stops to sign autographs and chat with employees, of the 3.1 million square foot facility, approximately 190 acres along the Niagara River. The Tonawanda plant is the exclusive provider of the standard 6.2L LT1 V8 engine for the 2014 Corvette Stingray, along with producing five other engines for 11 other GM vehicle models. No question as to why the Tonawanda plant was chosen for a visit from Khane as the plant produced over 364,000 engines in 2013 and over 71 million since its opening in 1938.
Watkins Glen International President, Michael Printup was on hand for the karting event and also spent the afternoon touring the GM Tonawanda plant. “It was great having Kasey up here today, and he even beat my best time at the karting event! It was really nice of him to come up considering we only have two and a-half weeks left until the NASCAR race. Kasey had a ball touring the GM plant, I think he would have spent all day here if he had the chance.”
Printup went on to talk about what it meant to have such a high profile driver in the Western New York area in preparation for the Cheez-It 355 at The Glen, “Having Team Hendrick come (to Buffalo) and do a tour is really nice for us. I think having Kasey in the area for the day means a lot because we’ve dedicated ourselves to promoting in Buffalo, and the great fans in the area get a little exposure tonight in the media.”
The staff at Watkins Glen International have begun their final preparations for the largest single-day sporting event in the State of New York, and the Cheez-It 355, Zippo 200, and Bully Hill Vineyards 125 weekend will once again be a serious contender for the highlight of the NASCAR Summer Series. Visit www.theglen.com for additional race weekend information. View more photos from Kasey Kahne’s visit to Western New York here: http://www.speedwaymediaphoto.com/photo/index.php?/category/507
