Fast Facts Redux: Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne at Charlotte, Oct. 2015
credit: Charlotte Bray/Skirts & Scuffs

NASCAR’s newest dad is the driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports, Kasey Kahne. See what else Kahne has been up to in this updated version of Fast Facts, originally published in October 2011.

• Kasey Kenneth Kahne was born April 10, 1980 in Enumclaw, Washington. He began racing sprint cars at age 17 in Washington, then moved on to USAC, where he earned the National Midget Series championship in 2000. He also raced in the Toyota Atlantic Series and the World of Outlaws before moving to NASCAR.
• Kahne made his NASCAR debut in the Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series in 2002, driving for Robert Yates Racing. At the end of 2003, Ray Evernham named Kahne as the replacement for Bill Elliott in the No. 9 Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series in 2004 when Elliott stepped back his schedule to part-time. Kahne won the Cup Series Rookie of the Year title in 2004 on the strength of 13 top five finishes, including five second-place finishes.
• Kahne won his first Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond in May 2005. From 2004 to 2010, Kahne drove for Evernham Motorsports and later Gillett Evernham Motorsports, finally moving to Richard Petty Motorsports when GEM merged with Petty Enterprises. In April 2010, Kahne announced he was leaving Petty Enterprises at the end of the season and joining Hendrick Motorsports beginning in 2012. Later in the season it was announced that he would join Red Bull Racing for the 2011 season; after he was released from his RPM contract in Oct. 2010, he moved to Red Bull for the rest of the season.
• Kahne’s career to date includes 17 Sprint Cup Series wins, eight Xfinity Series wins and five Camping World Truck Series wins.
• Kahne remains true to his sprint car racing roots as the owner of Kasey Kahne Racing in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, fielding cars for Daryn Pittman and Brad Sweet.
• On Oct. 13, 2015 Kahne and girlfriend Samantha became parents to son Tanner Lee.
• Find out more about Kasey Kahne at kaseykahne.com.