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Kasey Kahne announced today his signing to drive for Hendrick Motorsports in the future. As the top free agent this season, Kasey was as highly sought after a driver in recent memory. Typically the “Silly Season” of driver signings and changes take place later in the season, but Kasey was eager to establish his future plans and focus on racing for the remainder of the long NASCAR season. Marty Smith, who broke the story on ESPN.com, was the first also to get a one-on-one with Kasey to discuss his decision. Click here to watch video of interview. Many agree this is a great resting place for Kahne. Read this opinion piece by NASCAR.com writer David Caraviello.
NASCAR.com has produced season review videos on the top 15 Sprint Cup drivers. Check out this video on Kasey Kahne, who finished 10th in the final season standings, that showcases his highs (2 victories) and lows (blown engines).
MMI partnered with NASCAR Media Group to produce a 90-minute, documentary style DVD video about Kasey Kahne. “The Rise of Kahne” is narrated by Kasey’s good friend, country music star Dierks Bentley, and presents fans with an insider’s gaze into Kasey’s life on and off the track. In doing so, the video documents Kasey’s journey from Washington to Indiana and finally North Carolina as he battles the racing ranks in a high-octane drive to stardom. The $19.99 DVD can be pre-ordered at the Kasey Kahne Store and shipped in time for the December holidays. Caleb Clark of MMI designed the cover artwork, which features a portrait image of Kasey taken by photographer Jens Honore last February in downtown Seattle, Washington. Watch the DVD trailer.
MMI clients went 1-2 and 1-2 in both NASCAR races (Cup and Truck) at 2.66 mile Talladega Superspeedway this past weekend. Billy Ballew Motorsports teammate Aric Almirola pushed Kyle Busch to victory (see video) in the Truck Series race on Saturday and then the next day Jamie McMurray outlasted Kasey Kahne and two late car-flipping crashes in the Sprint Cup race to capture his third career victory.
Kasey Kahne’s Fan Club, Klub Kahne, conducted its first real-time web chat at the MMI offices with club founder (and Kasey’s mother) Tammy Kahne. The chat lasted about 45 minutes and had over 75 club members joining in on the conversation. The chat went very well and several more will be scheduled in the near future giving the club members unparalleled access to all things Kasey Kahne.
NASCAR PR is putting the Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers through a whirlwind tour of media in NYC this week. Check out this clip of Kasey Kahne winning the Shock Absorber award on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon TV show. Kasey and Denny Hamlin got into a Guinness World Record-setting pie throwing contest on the Live with Regis & Kelly show, while Tony Stewart did a street interview on ABC’s Good Morning America (click for video) and that’s not all, just a taste. Speaking of taste, Kasey tweeted the following from backstage at the Regis & Kelly show from his twitter.com/kaseykahne account: “Still wiping this crap off but glad I didn’t take one in the face. That would be a mess. I did nail a guy right in the forehead.”
Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, and Kasey Kahne are in. The top 12 Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers were finally determined last Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. Hometown hero Denny Hamlin dominated yet again on the 1-mile oval and recorded his first-ever win at RIR. Chase standings are reset based on number of wins so Stewart moves from first to second with 30 bonus points (10 points per win) while Hamlin and Kahne sit one place back with 20 bonus points. Kyle Busch nearly raced his way into the top 12 with a fifth-place finish, only to fall short by eight points from the 12th spot, despite four wins on the season. The first race is New Hampshire, a track that Stewart and Hamlin have won at before and one that Kahne is capable of winning at.
Kasey Kahne hit all his marks in the closing laps of the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway to win his 11th career NASCAR Sprint Cup points race and draw closer to securing a spot in the coveted 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Kahne went from fourth to first on the final restart with 11 laps remaining to score his second victory of the 2009 season, beating Kevin Harvick to the checkered flag by 1.766 seconds. The win elevated Kahne five positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings. With only the Richmond race remaining until the Chase field is determined, Kahne is in the sixth position, nine points behind fifth-place driver Carl Edwards. He is 96 points ahead of 13th-place driver Brian Vickers. Watch the Race Chatter video at NASCAR.com
A typical off day and off week for a NASCAR driver isn’t all what it is supposed to be. For example, Kasey Kahne spent his Wednesday at an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet store opening appearance in West Virginia in the morning and then returned to Charlotte for a video production taping at the Dirt Track at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in the afternoon. The taped interviews will appear on a Kasey Kahne bio dvd-video that will be coming out around the holidays.
Kasey Kahne hosts a charity short track race or two every year to raise money for the Kasey Kahne Foundation and MMI creates the graphics and helps organize and promote the event. This year’s event was just announced on June 30th and is taking place again at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. on August 6th. Since the area is in the heart of Civil War country (Gettysburg is nearby), we went with a Civil War-esque theme. Hence the Battle at the Grove name and 1860’s era war logo. Go to the Battle of the Grove website for event details. And go to the event to help us raise funds for great causes.
