Kahne's persona not what the average fan may think (cont'd)

If history is any indication, Eli will find his place in the family racing business soon enough. Becoming a great racing family has been the plan since Kahne and his younger brother were teenagers growing up on their farm in Enumclaw, Wash.

And the farm is where Kahne learned to appreciate the value of manual labor -- not something you would think a so-called pretty boy would do or even enjoy. But this is yet another layer of Kahne that you may not have been aware of: clearing sticker bushes and chopping trees.

“

Lots of people think I'd rather stay in fancy hotels and whatnot when actually I'm the kind of guy that wouldn't care to stay in a tent with friends and a huge campfire.

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KASEY KAHNE

He's even in the market for a tractor and could give Kenny Chesney a run for his money in the whole She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy department.

Shanon said whenever a tree would fall on their family's property her brother was the first to jump on the tractor, hack it to pieces and clear it away.

Jokes aside, Kahne said, "I'm looking to get a tractor from a friend of mine, but if he doesn't sell it, I'll get a John Deere like the one my dad had when I was growing up. It's just a good way to keep your land up and I enjoy doing stuff like that."

He laughed and said, "I've got a weed eater and a leaf blower too."

So while fans might assume Kahne is up in the club perfecting the latest boy band moves, as depicted in his recent Allstate commercial, he is more likely to be found doing yard work, sporting the backpack-style leaf blower and all.

Here's hoping Kahne doesn't get a Crocs endorsement anytime soon!

And as for his dancing skills, his chances of representing NASCAR on the next season of Dancing with the Stars are slim.

"My feet don't move that freaking quick," Kahne said, judging his performance in the Allstate commercial. "The parts where you could see my face where all me, but if it was the part where my legs are moving all crazy, that was probably not me. I had another guy, the same size as me, doing some of the dancing. I really enjoyed the commercial, but I would've picked a different firesuit."

Fair enough; floating hearts and baby blue don't match well with John Deere green anyway.

A color that does suit him however is red -- the red on his No. 9 Dodge, but also the red of the Republican Party.

Add politico to the list of factoids you didn't know about Kahne.

While marketers are content to paint Kahne as an object of desire for tweens and soccer moms across the nation, he prefers they admire him for his work in our nation's capital.

Since December of 2005, Kahne has been pushing President George W. Bush's agenda for increased volunteerism and good will among Americans. Appointed to the president's Council on Service and Civic Participation with other dignitaries such as philanthropist Evern Cooper Epps, Ohio's First Lady Hope Taft and University of Texas chancellor Mark G. Yudof, Kahne is an ambassador tapped to represent his home state of Washington and the sport of NASCAR.

"We have meetings in Washington and I think it's unique, because I get to sit down with President Bush and listen to his ideas about giving back to the communities and how we can get people to do more like the fans in NASCAR do," Kahne said. "They like to hear ideas of how drivers like me and Jeff Gordon get people involved in volunteer work, things we do at the tracks."

His most recent two-year appointment to the council, the only racecar driver to earn such an appointment, stems from his ability to be a role model as well as the charitable work he performs through the Kasey Kahne Foundation.

"Kasey has a huge heart and I don't think people realize it," said Shanon, who left her job in the Charlotte, N.C., banking industry to run the foundation full time after its launch in 2005. "I didn't realize how big until I had this position and could see how many nice things he does for people. He never wants credit or tells the family, he just does it."

Moral of the story, there's a lot about Kahne you may have been surprised to know.

He likes country music and has befriended Dierks Bentley; the two text back and forth regularly about everyday happenings. He's enamored with the Olympics, namely the women's volleyball team and says "they are ridiculous." And he recently braved South Dakota's famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, a playground for biker gangs like Hell's Angels and Iron Pigs. In fact, authorities are investigating a shooting that took place at the rally last week allegedly involving an off-duty police officer who is believed to have shot a man!

"I had never been there but it was great. We definitely saw things that would offend the kids," Kahne said. "I took a couple of friends from home and we rode bikes up to Mount Rushmore. It was a great two-day vacation. The nightlife is outrageous. The parties start late at night and go on well into the morning."

If there's one thing Kahne would like NASCAR fans to know about his personality it's that he's many-sided.

"Lots of people think I'd rather stay in fancy hotels and whatnot when actually I'm the kind of guy that wouldn't care to stay in a tent with friends and a huge campfire."

Like I said, the guy is like an onion. When you peel back his layers, you might be surprised by what you find.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.