ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Kasey Kahne experienced a little bit of everything and then some in his return to stock car racing.

Named one of the 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023, Kahne came back to NASCAR Saturday to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham Speedway, his first appearance across the sport’s national touring series since 2018.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Rockingham

Driving the No. 33 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, Kahne qualified fourth and was steadily toward the front of the field until he suffered damage in a Stage 1 crash that hindered his car for the remainder of the 256-lap event. Nonetheless, Kahne trudged through the day and rebounded for a respectable, hard-fought 14th-place finish in the North Carolina Education Lottery 250.

“That was definitely a handful once the car was tore up,” Kahne said. “I think we were an easy top-five car prior to that, maybe even better. But yeah, once the front end was tore off the right side, and then just the damage, it was just a battle from that point on. The guys did good — like I thought we did a good job of getting back to the lead lap and just avoiding wrecks, just kind of salvaged the best we could at that point.”

It was nearly impossible to tell it had been seven years since Kahne’s last time driving a stock car. At 45 years old, Kahne continues to race sprint cars through his team, Kasey Kahne Racing, and is competing full-time in the Kubota High Limit Racing series in 2025. His departure from NASCAR, though, was medically necessary. Then 38 years old, Kahne would regularly overheat in the race car and become dehydrated more quickly, he explained in a February episode of Dirty Mo Media’s “Dale Jr. Download.”

Away from the intense heat and duration of a stock-car cockpit for numerous years, Kahne felt ready to get back behind the wheel, this time with Richard Childress Racing.

“As far as my health, I’m in a good place right now because I don’t do this all the time,” Kahne said Friday. “I don’t do the long races, the (heat). It got worse as soon as the summer months came, and then every week after that just was draining me, those last couple years I did it. I think going into this, it’s good.”

Good it was for Kahne, who soldiered through the 2 hours, 59 minutes and 38 seconds of Saturday’s event with little to no issues despite two red flags and 14 caution periods slowing the race’s average speed to 80.377 mph.

“Long day. I was hot on Lap 60,” Kahne said, referencing the end of Stage 1. “And then we got some ice bags and started drinking more water. Went fine from there, but yeah, I haven’t been that hot in a long time. Seven years.”

Yet Kahne returned to competition just as naturally as he entered it in 2004, when he finished second in a thrilling photo finish at Rockingham behind Matt Kenseth in just Kahne’s second career Cup start.

“It’s been a long time, and as long as I drove these cars, it was really cool to get back in one and feel it (and) do that whole race weekend because it’s just so much different,” Kahne said. “The sprint car stuff I’m doing now I love, and things happen quick and the night’s over and you move on to the next one. But this is just a different type of racing, different type of race weekend. I enjoyed it. I’m glad I did it.”

Ultimately, the 18-time Cup Series winner walked away satisfied with his entire experience. Whether Kahne returns for another crack at NASCAR racing — Cup? Xfinity? Trucks? — remains yet to be determined. But the process of being back in the throes of a NASCAR team for a January test, simulator prep work and the motions of a practice, qualifying and race was heartily welcomed by the 2017 Brickyard 400 winner.

“I enjoyed it,” Kahne said. “I’ve really looked forward to it and put a lot into it. It was really fun working with the RCR group, going up to their shop, just being part of a NASCAR team again — that was really cool. And all the people at RCR were great. So, yeah, I mean, I enjoyed it. I don’t know about more in the future, but I’m really glad I did this. I wish it would have went much different, but I think we were very competitive and had a shot at being somewhere in that top five if things go our way throughout.”

NEW YORK (April 22, 2025) — Prime Video announced a June 12 premiere date for “American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans,” a feature-length documentary about NASCAR’s 2023 endeavor to compete in the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans race with an American stock car.

The documentary — formerly known as “Garage 56” will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide and is the latest addition to the Prime membership. Prime members enjoy savings, convenience and entertainment all in a single membership.

RELATED: Timeline, coverage of Le Mans project | Join Prime Video today!

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the crown jewels of international motorsports. It’s a showcase of sports car racing excellence that tests the limits of man and machine. For the race’s 100th anniversary running in June 2023, an invitation was extended to NASCAR to bring an American stock car Chevrolet Camaro to compete against the futuristic Ferrari and Porsche prototypes and attempt to complete the grueling 24-hour challenge that is Le Mans. It was NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France’s dream since childhood to have one of his cars race at Le Mans, so he recruited NASCAR’s most successful team, Hendrick Motorsports, to build and race the car. Along with world-class drivers Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson, and Mike Rockenfeller, Hendrick Motorsports embarked on an 18-month journey to develop a race car designed to run three-hour races on ovals in the United States into one that could survive the challenge of racing 24 hours straight on an unforgiving road course.

“American Thunder: NASCAR to Le Mans” is produced by NASCAR Studios and Griffin Van Malssen and directed by Brad Lockhart. The film is executive produced by Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports and Tim Clark, John Dahl, Amy Anderson, Tally Hair and Matt Summers of NASCAR.

The NASCAR Cup Series’ season-opening Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium left race fans clamoring for more.

Last weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series doubleheader at Rockingham Speedway had the same effect.

The enthusiastic turnout engendered hopes that perhaps the Cup Series might someday join its national series brethren at the rejuvenated “Rock.”

After winning the Black’s Tire 200 Truck Series race on Friday, Tyler Ankrum got right to the point.

“It’s really, really cool,” Ankrum said. “When we get to bring back these old tracks, it’s really cool. You can tell the fans are excited. Even on pit road, the fans are going crazy all the time, and they’re talking so loudly you can hear ‘em from pit road.

“You kind of get the feeling of what I imagine as a kid what Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon felt like. They’re here for us — they’re not here for the Cup guys. It’s cool to see racing like this come back to North Carolina.

“I was really surprised at how wide the track had gotten, how much fall-off there was, especially there at the end of the race. … I hope Rockingham stays on the schedule for a long time.”

RELATED: Recap Truck race | Xfinity Series race recap

Kasey Kahne, the only driver in the Xfinity Series field who had raced at Rockingham before the series left the track in 2004, made a return of his own after an absence from NASCAR racing of nearly eight years. Kahne thought the Cup Series would be a viable option at the 0.94-mile speedway.

“I think a Cup race could probably be really good here,” said Kahne, who also won a Truck race at the track in 2012. “I used to enjoy watching it and being a part of it the one year I was.

“It could make a great race.”

Kahne’s point is hard to argue against. The racing surface, which was repaved in late 2022, readily took rubber in both practice and the races themselves. The result was a viable second groove that lent itself to compelling racing.

“It’s been cool to go back to some of the venues that may not be as big places but the history, I think, of NASCAR and great racing is at some of those tracks, Rockingham being one of those as well,” Kahne said.

“I like where some of that stuff seems to be headed.”

NASCAR Xfinity Series racing at Rockingham.
James Gilbert | Getty Images

Jesse Love, disqualified as the ostensible winner of Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, nevertheless waged intense battles at the front of the field against both Carson Kvapil and Ryan Sieg.

Drivers found creative lines around the track, running higher in the corners to gain momentum and dropping down to try to make passes on the inside. It wasn’t uncommon to see competitors swap positions more than once within the same lap with slide jobs and crossover moves.

As Ankrum indicated, fan reception was exceptional. The grandstands were packed, and likewise, the hospitality suites were sold out. As both the Clash at Bowman Gray and the move of the NASCAR All-Star Race to North Wilkesboro Speedway have proven, there’s an appetite within the fan base for the traditional venues that are an integral part of NASCAR’s past.

Yes, bringing a Cup race to Rockingham would require improvements to the track’s infrastructure, but that was also the case at Bowman Gray and North Wilkesboro.

MORE: At-track photos | Rockingham through the years

Though not yet three years old, the pavement at “The Rock” already is showing some age, and the racing — already compelling — will only improve as the asphalt continues to degrade.

There was no issue with access to the speedway. It’s a straight shot up U.S. Highway 1, with multiple entrances and ample parking. Even at expected peak times, the traffic flowed.

The bottom line? There’s no reason a Cup race can’t be a viable option at Rockingham, but even if the schedule doesn’t allow such an option in the immediate future, the Truck/Xfinity national series doubleheader — with an ARCA Menards Series East race thrown in for good measure — is well worth the price of admission.

That was certainly the case during NASCAR’s long-awaited return.

Despite moving organizations after nine races in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, Ryan “Skip” Flores is taking his pit-crew change in stride, viewing the opportunity to help propel an up-and-coming Cup Series team with driver Zane Smith as an exciting proposition.

Flores, who joins the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports group as a front-tire changer, was a front-tire changer for the No. 12 since 2022 before he was replaced last week by Keiston France, who served in the same position on the No. 38 team. Flores co-hosts “Stacking Pennies” with Corey LaJoie.

RELATED: Cup Series schedule | Listen to “Stacking Pennies” podcast

“There’s a lot of young guys on the 38, and if we look at where the 38’s been on the charts, they’re at the lower end of the charts,” Flores said during a podcast segment about the move. “So, OK, my mind just immediately doesn’t go to, ‘What the hell, that’s not fair.’ Like, OK, shift gears, how do we win, what’s the steps with this team? How do I prepare them to be a top-20 team, to be a top-10 team and how do I take the experiences I have from racing for championships for the last 10 years … and I understand what it takes to win at this level, how do I pass that on to these guys that are gonna want to get there?

“That’s where my mind goes. My mind doesn’t go anywhere of being destructive or being mad, being frustrated, feeling wrong.”

The No. 12 pit crew has struggled at times this season, including most recently at Darlington Raceway, where a slow stop resulted in a fifth-place finish instead of a possible visit to Victory Lane. According to NASCAR Insights, Blaney’s No. 12 pit crew rating currently ranks 25th, while the 2023 champ’s passing, defense, speed and restart ratings all rank inside the top 12. Meanwhile, Smith’s No. 38 Ford ranks outside the top 20 in all categories; the No. 38 pit crew ranks 29th.

Flores, who has been a part of several Xfinity and Cup Series championships — including Blaney’s Cup title triumph — understands the sport’s shifting nature, including that of pit-crew members changing teams. However, Flores views the move as an opportunity to help the next up-and-coming pit-crew member find their place in the sport.

“I want to be somebody that, when I come back to pit road, the young guys, and I’ve passed on the good of what the sport is and how you’re supposed to act and how you’re supposed to be a champion,” Flores said. ” … If I can bring a good attitude to a team, show kids what it means to win, inevitably, if I’m meant to be on a championship car and go win another championship. If I’m meant to be a mentor and somebody that is on a car to help kids and help younger guys to get to where they’re at, then that’s great, too.”

MORE: Talladega weekend schedule

The Cup Series resumes action this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway (Sun., 3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The NASCAR Xfinity Series rolls into the high banks of Talladega Superspeedway for the Ag-Pro 300 on Saturday (4 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

TALLADEGA ENTRY LISTS: Cup Series | Xfinity Series

Forty-one cars are on the entry list, including Navy officer Jesse Iwuji, who returns to the Xfinity Series driving the No. 91 DGM Racing Chevrolet. Katherine Legge, in the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet, will attempt to make her first national series superspeedway start. Only 38 cars will start Saturday’s event, meaning three teams will fail to qualify.

Take a look at the full entry list for Saturday’s event:

The NASCAR Cup Series makes its first of two visits to Talladega Superspeedway, racing at the action-packed track Sunday in the Jack Link’s 500 (3 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

TALLADEGA ENTRY LISTS: Cup Series | Xfinity Series 

Anthony Alfredo will run double-duty this weekend, piloting the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet.

See the full entry list for the 188-lap event:

Cheshire County Clash 200

Monadnock Speedway

$104,304 posted awards

RACING PURSE BREAKDOWN

*1st place monies includes the $3,500 Special Award Whelen Engineering “Winner of the Race” award paid to winning driver.

Total: $70,701

  • 1st-$11,092
  • 2nd-$4,046
  • 3rd-$3,110
  • 4th-$2,275
  • 5th-$2,264
  • 6th-$2,227
  • 7th-$2,215
  • 8th-$2,204
  • 9th-$2,192
  • 10th-$2,180
  • 11th-$2,169
  • 12th-$2,157
  • 13th-$2,145
  • 14th-$2,133
  • 15th-$2,122
  • 16th-$2,110
  • 17th-$2,048
  • 18th-$2,012
  • 19th-$2,000
  • 20th-$2,000
  • 21st-$2,000
  • 22nd-$2,000
  • 23rd-$2,000
  • 24th-$2,000
  • 25th-$2,000
  • 26th-$2,000
  • 27th-$2,000
  • 28th-$2,000

QUALIFYING AND SPECIAL AWARDS

  • $1,150 Hoosier Tire “Pole Award” per event award to the eligible driver with the fastest qualifying time eligible to participate under the Manufacturers’ Prize Money Conditions.
  • $1,000 Hoosier Tire “Hard Charger” per event award to the highest finishing eligible driver who advances the most positions from the start of the race to the end of the race. In the case of a tie, the highest finishing driver will receive the award.
  • $550 Sunoco Spec Fuel per race award divided: 1st-$300 5th-$150 10th-$100
  • $400 Phil Kurze “Halfway Leader” Award presented by Josten’s per event award to the race leader at the halfway point of the event, regardless if the race is running under green or yellow.
  • One set of Hoosier Racing Tires – Product Award valued at $1,000 to be awarded as follows: At the conclusion of the event, the race winner will draw a pill to randomly select which finishing position of 10th through 25th will win this award.
  • One set of Hoosier Racing Tires – Product Award valued at $1,000 to be awarded to the highest finishing new team participating in the race. New team is defined as a new Car Owner to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour or a Car Owner who has not participated during the past three (3) seasons of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. If there are no new teams that qualify for this award, a second pill will be drawn, by the race winner, and the tires will be awarded to a team that finishes between 10th and 25th positions.

WOODFORD, Va. — A smashed watermelon that was triumphantly slammed from the roof of his car, an Advance Auto Parts victory cap placed upon his head and three separate trophies in his hands set a much better scene for Doug Barnes Jr. at the Triple Memorial 200 at Dominion Raceway on Saturday night.

A week removed from a viral ride into the Cordele Motor Speedway melon patch during a CARS Tour race, Barnes returned to his home track to complete a three-peat.

Previously titled the Dickie Boswell 200, the Triple Memorial 200 was renamed to honor the late Boswell, Roy Hendrick and Blake Morris on one special night. As the winner of both the inaugural and second annual race, Barnes’ win Saturday night was his third in the three-year history of the event.

“It means a lot to win this race. I have a lot of respect for all three guys we are racing for,” Barnes said from Bugsy Auto Repair Victory Lane. “I was feeling pretty confident when I saw there was no watermelon patch here.”

AirDoug qualified on the pole, beating last year’s Dominion Raceway late model track champion Landon Pembelton by a mere two hundredths of a second. However, it was Pembelton who dominated the early stages of the race.

The No. 0 of Pembelton led the first 87 laps before Mason Bailey passed him for the lead. Bailey was the halfway leader, but when the cars restarted after the Lap 100 break, Pembelton regained the lead.

On Lap 125, Barnes passed Bailey for second, and on Lap 147, calamity struck for Pembelton. The No. 0 cut a right-front tire in Turn 3 while leading and slammed the wall, ending his night.

“I am not sure if I was able to chase Landon down; I don’t know if I would have had enough time. He definitely had the car to beat,” Barnes said. “I would never wish misfortune on someone like that, especially a hard contact like that, because I’ve hit this wall before, and it is hard.”

With the dominant car on the tow truck, the adventure was just beginning for Barnes and the other competitors.

On Lap 161, the No. 88 also had a right front tire issue and pulled to a stop on the backstretch, bringing out a caution. Barnes’ team changed the tire, and Conner Weddell assumed the lead in his late model debut.

On the subsequent restart, Trenton Kilgore passed Weddell, but while jockeying for the lead, Weddell and Kilgore made heavy contact. Weddell’s car was destroyed, and
Kilgore’s car was spun in the other direction.

Doug Barnes Jr.
Doug Barnes Jr. in action (Photo: Mitchell Richtmyer/Dominion Raceway)

When the dust settled, Cameron Burke was the leader, and Barnes needed seven laps to chase him down. With 17 to go, Barnes took the lead for good.

“Right when I thought it might’ve been easy, I cut my own right front,” Barnes said. “I came in, and they docked me a lap, and then Conner and the white car got into it, and we got the lap right back, but then we didn’t get to start in the front, because we are the lucky dog and had to run the leader down by a straightaway. It was probably one of the weirdest wins I’ve ever had.

“The previous two years, we had the car to beat, and our strategy played out the way we needed. Tonight we were thrown one hundred curve balls, and we hit the right one.”

Barnes will return to Dominion when the CARS Tour runs the Mini’s Mission 225 on June 14. He is currently tied for fourth in points for the CARS Tour late model standings, and they are heading into the part of the schedule where they visit tracks he has prior experience racing.

“We are hitting the summer stretch and going to tracks that I have personally been to before like Orange County this weekend and then Ace and North Wilkesboro,” Barnes said.

While he may get his first CARS Tour win in the Lee Pulliam Performance machine beforehand, Barnes has his return to Dominion Raceway circled.

“When it comes to coming back here, we will be on the F45 Stars, so I don’t know how that is gonna go. That’s probably gonna be all out for 225 laps,” he said. “This is a good confidence booster after driving it into the watermelon patch last week.

“We are gonna get on it; I am excited to come back with Lee [Pulliam] and everybody.”

In other Advance Auto Parts Night at the Races racing action, Penelope Carlisle got her first home-track win in the Bandos, while Miles Murray and Charlie Beals split INEX Legends wins.

Richard Powers got his first win of the season on the Dominion Stocks, and the Any Cars race saw James Johnson win in the 6cyl class and Michael Pifer in the 8cyl class.

Richard Childress Racing indicated Monday that the organization will appeal the disqualification of its No. 2 Chevrolet from last weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Rockingham Speedway.

Jesse Love had driven the No. 2 Chevy to an apparent victory in Saturday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 250, but his car failed a post-race technical inspection. That ruling handed the win to JR Motorsports’ Sammy Smith, who was second at the time of the checkered flag.

RELATED: Rockingham race results | Smith seals Dash 4 Cash bonus

Officials cited Rule 14.14.2.I-5.H in the NASCAR Rule Book, which concerns truck trailing arm spacers/pinion angle shims as part of Section 14.14.2 (Rear Suspension). Officials stated: “All mating surfaces between the truck trailing arm and the U-bolt saddle must be in complete contact with each other.”

NASCAR competition officials said Monday morning that RCR’s appeal notice had been received. On Tuesday, it was revealed that the appeal hearing would take place on Wednesday.

The race was the Xfinity Series’ first at the 0.94-mile track since 2004.