Kasey Kahne’s Brickyard win didn’t end up saving his job after all
By Nick Tylwalk
Turns out even winning one of NASCAR’s most well-known races isn’t a guarantee to keep your seat.
When Kasey Kahne won the Brickyard 400 a few weeks ago, many NASCAR observers defined it as a career-saving job. Though his current sponsors were on the way out and his future was up in the air all season, the thought was that such a high-profile victory could swing the pendulum in his favor.
Unfortunately for Kahne, it did not.
Hendrick Motorsports announced today that it was ending its six-year run with Kahne at the end of the 2017 season, making him a free agent. The 37-year-old Kahne won six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races with Hendrick, one-third of his career total.
The problem is that NASCAR is a “what have you done for me lately?” sport, and Kahne’s performance has definitely slipped over the past few seasons. His Brickyard win was his first trip to Victory Lane since Atlanta in 2014, and the No. 5 Chevrolet recorded only two top-5 finishes in 2017 before breaking through at Indy.
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Rick Hendrick thanked Kahne for his efforts and more or less said all the nice things he could while letting the driver go:
"“Kasey has worked extremely hard. He’s a tremendous teammate and person, and he has been totally dedicated to our program since day one. I’ve always believed that he’s a special talent, and I know he will thrive in the right situation. We will do everything we can to finish the season as strong as we can.”"
The Hendrick statement also revealed that the team still expects to field four cars in the Cup Series in 2018. With Jimmie Johnson, Chase Elliott and newcomer Alex Bowman holding down three of those seats, expect a bunch of speculation over whether Kahne’s departure means a quick promotion for William Byron or if veterans like Matt Kenseth could get a call.
In the meantime, we’re in a situation where both the reigning Daytona 500 winner (Kurt Busch) and reigning Brickyard 400 winner are free agents. If that doesn’t convince you this is the wildest NASCAR Silly Season in recent memory, nothing will.