Kasey Kahne gives verdict on more NASCAR outings after wild Rockingham race

Kasey Kahne spoke up on his NASCAR comeback with RCR in a chaotic Xfinity Series race in Rockingham on Saturday.

Kasey Kahne gives verdict on more NASCAR outings after wild Rockingham race

Kasey Kahne (via The Podium Finish)

NASCAR veteran Kasey Kahne marked his return to the field on Saturday during the Xfinity Series race in Rockingham. The 45-year-old had retired from the sport midway through 2018 and made his first start in almost seven years this weekend. Kahne opened up on his experience in what was a dramatic outing for the No. 33 car.

The 45-year-old finished the race in 14th place after being in contention for victory at the start. Kasey Kahne seemed right at home during his return, going head-to-head with the likes of Nick Sanchez and William Sawalich. However, his race got derailed due to a massive wreck in the early stages. On Lap 50, Katherine Legge invoked a big wreck with Kahne colliding with the No. 53 car. He lost valuable time and was forced to recover during the rest of the round.

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Kasey Kahne reckoned that he loved his first outing in NASCAR since 2018. The veteran was happy to be working with Richard Childress Racing again and enjoyed his time on the track. Rockingham is a special place for Kahne as he made his Xfinity debut at the same track in 2002. Moreover, he won his first Truck Series race in Rockingham a decade later.

I enjoyed it,. I’ve really looked forward to [the race] and put a lot into it. It was really fun working with the Richard Childress Racing group, going up to the shop again. Just being a part of a NASCAR team again like that was really cool, and all the people at RCR were great.

Kasey Kanhe told Frontstretch

When asked about whether he would be willing to compete in more NASCAR races in the future, initially, Kahne gave a cryptic response. The 45-year-old simply stated that he was happy to have raced in Rockingham. Moreover, Kasey Kahne revealed that he will have a talk with his team over more such outings in the near future. Though, these discussions will only happen after Easter celebrations.

I don’t know about more in the future, but I’m really glad I did this. I just want to have a good Easter tomorrow, look at things Sunday, Monday, talk to the team this week and then start sprint car racing again. And yeah, maybe there’d be [another] chance down the road.

Kasey Kanhe hinted

Kahne opened up about the Lap 50 crash. The RCR star claimed that he simply couldn’t see past Sawalich due to the big bumpers of NASCAR’s new gen cars. This gave him very little time to avoid the collision as he slammed into Katherine Legge’s No. 53 car. Though, Kasey Kahne was able to make it back on-track and continue his race.

I was directly behind the No. 18 (Sawalich), and their bumpers are so big, I could not see anything in front of him at the time until he slowed way up. So then I slowed way up and went left, and then the car in front of him (Legge) came left and I hit [her]. I couldn’t see any of it happening until I started to go left.

Kasey Kanhe explained

Kasey Kahne laments Rockingham outing over crazy wreck

The NASCAR veteran admitted that things became more challenging after the collision with Legge, as he struggled to handle the car. Kasey Kahne claimed that he could’ve easily finished in the top 5, if not better otherwise. The 45-year-old highlighted that he was ‘battling’ his way till the end of the race after the front end incurred damage from the wreck.

That was definitely a handful once the car was tore up. I think we’re easy top five car prior to that, maybe even better, but once the front end was torn off the right side … it was just a battle from that point.

Kasey Kanhe added
Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kahne driving the No. 33 RCR car (via Getty images)

Nevertheless, Kahne was satisfied with his outing. The veteran racer asserted that he managed to do a good job in getting back on the lead lap following the crash. The RCR driver insisted that he was able to salvage the best possible result for his team given the circumstances.

I thought we did a good job of getting back to the lead lap and just avoiding wrecks and kind of salvaging the best we could at that point.

Kasey Kanhe noted

Physically, Kasey Kahne did feel the heat within the No. 33 cockpit. Kahne revealed that around Lap 60, he had to put on ice bags and drink more water to manage his health after not having been exposed to such temperatures for such a long time.

I was hot on lap 60, and then I got some ice bags and started drinking more water. Was fine from there, but I haven’t been that hot in a long time — seven years.

Kasey Kanhe remarked

Certainly, Kahne is happy with his comeback to NASCAR. The 45-year-old showed that he had not lost his speed in the last seven years. Though, the RCR veteran understandably laments the wreck which ruined his chances of a fairytale result at Rockingham.