Kasey Kahne

Birthday: 04/10/1980
Hometown: Enumclaw, WA , United States

YEAR-BY-YEAR CUP SERIES RECAP

2011 -- Finished 14th in series points. ... Improved Loop Data Driver Rating by seven points from 2010. ... Most top-five (eight) and top-10 finishes (15) since 2006. ... Two poles, Darlington and Atlanta. ... Average start of 11.3. ... Broke 81-race winless streak at Phoenix-2. ... Average finish of 15.6. ... Completed 92.3 percent of laps attempted. ... Led 340 laps. ... Finished season with seven top-10 finishes in last eight races. ... Top-seven in four key Loop Data categories.

2010: Finished 20th in series points. ... Best finish second at Michigan-1, Daytona-2. ... Tied for series poles lead with Jamie McMurray, with four (Infineon, Michigan-2, Kansas, Homestead). ... Average start 13.5. ... Average finish 18.9. ... On April 13, announced he would leave Richard Petty Motorsports after season. ... Best position in standings was 16th, for four weeks. ... Scored seven top-fives, 10 top-10s. ... Released from RPM contract for final five races, which he drove for Red Bull Racing, his 2011 team, with best start (pole) and finish (sixth) coming at Homestead finale.

2009 -- Finished 10th in series points. ... Won two races for the second consecutive season. ... His victory at Infineon Raceway on June 21 brought legend Richard Petty back to Victory Lane as an owner for the first time since John Andretti won at Martinsville on April 18, 1999. ... Kahne entered the Chase seeded fifth, but finished 32nd or worse three times in the final 10 races.

2008 -- Finished 14th in series points. ... Voted into All-Star Race and won; then won the Coca-Cola 600 the following weekend. ... Also won the season's first Pocono event. .. Started on the pole at the first Pocono race and at Sonoma.... Was in the series standings' top 12 for the first eight weeks of the season.

2007 -- Finished 19th in series points. ... Finished with one top-five, eight top-10s and two poles. ... Had six DNFs during a frustrating season in which he dipped as low as 36th in the standings. ... Earned poles at Bristol and Las Vegas.

2006 -- Finished eighth in series points. ... Finished with six wins, 12 top-fives and 19 top-10s. ... Won a series-high six races and a career-high six poles. ... Earned first Chase berth. ... Finished in the top 10 for the first time in his career.

2005 -- Finished 23rd in series points. ... Earned first career win May 14 at Richmond. ... Finished with two poles, one win, five top-fives, eight top-10s and nine DNFs. ... Earned back-to-back poles at Darlington and Richmond in May.

2004 -- Finished 13th in series points in rookie campaign. ... Captured four series poles -- third-highest total of the season. ... Earned first pole in only his third career start (Las Vegas). ... Recorded three top-five finishes in his first four career starts. ... Secured third runner-up finish in six weeks at Texas in April. ... Missed qualifying for the Chase by 28 points. ... Ended the season by compiling three top-fives in the final four races.

PREVIOUS RACING HISTORY

In 2011, won his lone start in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. ... Annually tries to compete in Chili Bowl Midget Nationals race in Tulsa, Okla.. ... After spending his entire racing career in open-wheel series, Kahne spent 2002 and 2003 in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. ... Drove for Robert Yates Racing during 2002 rookie season, running 20 of 34 events and finishing 33rd in the standings. ... Moved to Akins Motorsports in 2003 and finished seventh in the standings, a season highlighted by his first career win, in the Homestead season finale, 14 top-10 finishes and his first career Nationwide Series pole, at Michigan in August. ... Prior to stock cars, Kahne was considered a top open-wheel talent. ... His accomplishments include the 2000 USAC National Midget Series title and the 2000 USAC Silver Bullet Series Rookie of the Year. ... In 2001, he ran limited schedules in the Toyota Atlantic Series and Formula Ford 2000 Series before moving to the Nationwide Series in 2002.

NOTEWORTHY

Has worked with crew chief Kenny Francis since 2006, and in 2011, they'll be together at their fourth different race team. ... Hired by longtime open-wheel car owner Steve Lewis, who has fielded cars for Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart, to compete in the USAC Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown series during the 2000 season. ... Won the "Night before the 500" Classic at O'Reilly Raceway Park in 2000 (teammate Ryan Newman finished second) and 2001, becoming the first driver to post back-to-back victories in the annual event since Jeff Gordon in 1989-1990. ... Honored by his hometown of Enumclaw, Wash., with Kasey Kahne Day on Sept. 5, 2005. ... Had surgery to "clean up" both knees following the 2010 season. ... In 2005, created the Kasey Kahne Foundation as a way to give back to chronically ill children and their families as well as disadvantaged youth. ... In 2006, was appointed by President George Bush to serve as a member of the President's Council on Service & Civic Participation. ... Active on Twitter: @kaseykahne.