If the final 11 races of the NASCAR season become part of a Kasey Kahne farewell tour, this weekend presents a special stop along the way.
Kahne enters Monday’s Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App, IMS/MRN, SiriusXM) as the defending race winner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 38-year-old driver has a long-held affection for the historic track, and his performance there has provided another source of anticipation.
“Very special place and always has been,” says Kahne, who’s scored top-10 finishes in half of his 14 Monster Energy Series starts there. “I always went into the Brickyard feeling really good about the opportunity to race at that track. I watched so many races there before I got to actually race there. To actually drive the track is pretty incredible, and to win there last year was unreal.”
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Much like last year, Kahne heads to the Indianapolis race in a moment of career transition. Last season’s Brickyard victory came with rumors swirling about his future at Hendrick Motorsports. Two weeks later, the organization announced that Kahne would not return in 2018, setting the stage for his move to his current team, Leavine Family Racing.
This year’s Indy race finds him at another career crossroads, one where he dictated the terms. Kahne announced Aug. 16 that he would step away from full-time racing in NASCAR at season’s end, opting to spend more time with his son, Tanner, and to focus his motorsports efforts on his sprint-car operation.
Now nearly three weeks removed from his announcement, Kahne says he’s more convinced that the decision was the correct one.
“I kind of wondered how that would go, but actually I’ve just been way more at ease about it,” Kahne said. “Really happy with my decision and already trying to think ahead and think about things and ways to go racing with the sprint-car guys and enjoy that, spending time with Tanner, not just during the week but on the weekends. Vacations, things like that with him, and then I have some thoughts on other things to do as well. I’m really happy with my decision and think it’s the right time for it for numerous different reasons, but it’s going to be really nice.”
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Kahne will have plenty of reminders of last year’s triumph when he arrives for the storied Brickyard 400-miler, which will mark its 25th running this year. Kahne outlasted several late-race challenges, a pair of overtimes, chaotic crashes around him and a finish in near-darkness after an early race delay for a thundershower. The drain — both physical and emotional — was enough to send Kahne to the infield care center after Victory Lane for fluids.
Success has been tougher to come by this year, with Kahne sitting 27th in Monster Energy Series points and needing a Hail Mary victory to clinch a postseason berth. The goals for closing out the final 11 races this year are modest, with Kahne hoping to place LFR’s No. 95 on better footing for his successor.
“I want to finish the best that we can and enjoy it with the guys,” Kahne said. “It’s a good group there, so we’ll finish the best we can and go from there. I think they’re working on ideas and things for their future as well, which is going to be great for them.”