Backseat Blonde - Kahne Comes a Knockin'

August 13, 2004

Kahne Comes a Knockin’
By Allison Wagda

Kasey Kahne captured the imagination of fans from
almost the moment he stepped onto the Cup circuit. His
wry smile wooed the ladies, and his impressive driving
quickly made him a standout among the 2004 rookie
class.

When Bill Elliott semi-retired from racing, opening up
the Dodge Motorsports #9, his legions of fans were left bereft. After all, Elliott had
been one of the most popular drivers on the track for years, and he would be sorely
missed.

But his young protégé is now on the verge of being the only rookie to make the cut for
the much-hyped Chase for the Championship heading into the Watkins Glen road
course. Just 31 points out of 10th place, Kahne, 24, is a serious threat to other
“bubble” drivers.

Earlier this week, Kahne spoke with reporters about his expectations for the
weekend and for joining the Chase. Kahne’s only other experience road course
racing (in the NASCAR Nextel Cup) at Sonoma earlier this year, ended with a difficult
31st place finish.

“I really enjoy it (road course racing),” said Kahne. “I learned a lot at Infineon. Watkins
Glen is going to be tough track, but we had a good test up there and hopefully
everything goes smooth all day. If we get out of there with a top 15, we’ll be real
happy.”

Conceivably, Kahne could actually win the championship if he qualifies for the
Chase. At the beginning of the final 10 races, the top 10 drivers will essentially be
placed on an even playing field. While many of the older drivers have criticized
NASCAR’s new point system, Kahne sees it in a different light. “I think it’s a great
deal this year, great way for it to work. It’ll mean a lot to get in that top 10 for our team
and Dodge and UAW, everybody that’s behind us. So we have to work real hard.”

“It’s definitely a little nerve racking. It’s got to be,” he continued. “There’s a good bit of
pressure on us right now to get in there. At the same time, it’s our rookie season. So
that takes a little bit of the pressure off.”

At Indy, Kahne credits Bill Elliott for at least some of his 4th place finish. Before the
race started, he went down to Bill’s garage to get a few pointers.

“I think driving the car is the thing that I’m still learning a lot, but at the same time, we’
re having a lot of good things going on,” said Kahne. “The team is not like a rookie
team. A lot of it is Bill Elliott’s team from last year and they have a rookie driver, but
other than that it is definitely a team that can win a championship or can run top 10 or
top five pretty easily.”

Kahne picked up Cup racing pretty darn quick. In the first 10 races, he had three
runner-up finishes, a remarkable feat for a rookie. Fans sat up and took notice, and
ever since Kahne has enjoyed the celebrity of being the rookie to beat. Some even
compare him to a young Jeff Gordon. But the intensity of the racing has been
something of an adjustment, although you would never notice from the results he’s
had so far this season.

“You’ll hear people say that NASCAR drivers just ride around the first three hundred
miles of the race and then race the last two hundred or one hundred, and I don’t think
that’s the case at all, said Kahne. “Ever since I’ve been in the Cup series, it’s from
lap one. Everybody races as hard as the can.”

He’s also battling teammate Jeremy Mayfield for one of the coveted Chase spots, but
he says the competition in the garage is friendly. He’s more focused on giving his
crew the results to put them in the Chase.

“I think there is some pressure because we want to finish in there and we’re so
close. I think there is a lot of excitement. The shop is excited, everybody there, and in
the engine shop. Jeremy’s having fun, I’m having fun and hopefully we both get in.
We’ve got great race cars and if we keep it up and keep getting consistent finishes,
then we’ll get both Evernham cars in the final 10.”

If that happens, expect fans to see a lot of red. As in Evernham red.

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