Kasey Kahne News Rumors

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Dec. 31, 2005:

Kahne appointed by Pres. Bush: President George W. Bush announced his intention to nominate three individuals and appoint seventeen individuals to serve in his Administration: The President intends to nominate Alexander A. Karsner, of Virginia, to be Assistant Secretary of Energy (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy). Mr. Karsner currently serves as Managing Director for Enercorp, LLC. Prior to this, he served as Director of Development & Senior Development Manager for Wartsila Power Development & Wartsila Diesel Development Ltd. He also served as Chief of Staff for the Honorable Moses Cheng Mo-Chi, former Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Earlier in his career, Mr. Karsner served as International Project Director for Tondu Energy Systems. Mr. Karsner received his bachelor's degree from Rice University and his master's degree from Hong Kong University. The President intends to nominate Donald R. DePriest, of Mississippi, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority, for a term to expire on May 18, 2009. The President intends to nominate Vince J. Juaristi, of Virginia, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service, for the remainder of a five year term expiring February 8, 2009. The President intends to appoint seventeen individuals to be Members of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, for two-year terms, including Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Dodge for Evernham Motorsports. (White House website)

Dec.. 10, 2005:

Chilli Bowl includes Kahne and Stewart:  The Bowl season is nearly upon us and that can mean only one thing: it's time to take a look at the pre-entries for the upcoming 20th Annual O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, which will take place at Tulsa Expo Raceway on Wednesday through Saturday, January 11-14, 2006. The complete list of entries is available at www.chilibowl.com/2006cbentries.asp. The entry list for the 20th edition of the Chili Bowl, which includes 229 entries from 26 different states, reads like a veritable "Who's Who" of auto racing with top drivers from all disciplines of racing. Among those headlining the list of entries are NASCAR Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart, NASCAR star Kasey Kahne, 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser, four-time Chili Bowl winner Sammy Swindell, two-time Chili Bowl champions Cory Kruseman and Dan Boorse, and defending Chili Bowl winner Tracy Hines. With 229 entries already submitted, it is expected that last year's record count of 249 competitors will be easily eclipsed. One-third of the entrants will compete on Wednesday night, January 11, with the second-third on Thursday night and the final third on Friday night. Qualifying night results will determine the Saturday, January 14, Chili Bowl championship feature lineups. Reserved seating for all four nights of the event was depleted in mid-October. Pit passes for all four nights do remain however. Four-night pit pass vouchers are available by contacting the O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals ticket office at 918-838-3777. Those unable to attend the event can listen to all the action unfold live via the Internet at www.racinboys.com. Additional information regarding the O'Reilly Chili Bowl Midget Nationals is available at www.chilibowl.com or by calling 918-838-3777.

Nov. 25, 2005:

Kahne Foundation helps project: The Kasey Kahne Foundation teamed up with Cathy Schweinberg and The CHD Awareness Quilt Project to give 6-year-old David Mundt a day to remember. David was born with a congenital heart defect and underwent open-heart surgery at 5 months of age. CHD's are among the most common birth defects and the leading cause of birth defect-related deaths. The Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) Awareness Quilt Project, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting public awareness of children born with chd's, provides emotional support to many heart families, donates AED's to local schools and encourages continued research in the field of congenital heart defects. The annual fundraiser for the Quilt Project, The Jason Schweinberg Memorial Classic was held on September 17, 2005. The family of 17-year-old Jason Schweinberg who lost his life to chd's organizes this golf classic and devotes their life to helping other families. More information can be found at http://chdquilt.org During the golf classic a child that is courageously battling chd's is honored and a special wish fulfilled. This year 6-year-old David Mundt was the recipient of an all expenses paid trip to Lego Land for him and his family. Since David is a huge fan of Kasey Kahne's, Cathy Schweinberg wrote Kasey Kahne asking for autographed items to present to David at the golf classic. Kasey responded by saying he wanted to do more for David. Kasey helped with the costs of the Lego Land trip and wanted to personally meet David and his family. Shannon Adams, of The Kasey Kahne Foundation, arranged for David to share center stage with Kasey during Kasey Kahne Day in Enumclaw, WA on September 6, 2005. Enumclaw happens to be the hometown of Kasey Kahne and David Mundt. David was named as a special VIP for the day, had items autographed, and walked through downtown Enumclaw with Kasey viewing the juniors sprint cars and classic cars on display. During the celebration, Shannon Adams announced the Kasey Kahne Foundation, which provides financial support to charitable organizations geared toward helping ill and underprivileged children and their families. More information can be found at Kasey Kahne Foundation website. The Schweinberg family and The CHD Awareness Quilt Project is grateful to Kasey Kahne for his help in making a courageous little boy smile." Kasey went above and beyond what was asked of him and David will never forget it. The Nascar community should be proud of Kasey's big heart", said Cathy Schweinberg. " His support helped our organization make a wish come true for David and his family.

Nov. 10, 2005:

NASCAR and NBA stars team up: The reigning NASCAR rookie of the year, Kasey Kahne, and the current NBA rookie of the year, Emeka Okafor, have teamed up for a special cause. Kahne and Okafor partnered with the Charlotte Bobcats Charitable Foundation to create Team 950. The organization will provide 40 Bobcats tickets and tickets to selected NASCAR events in the Southeast for children and youth in need. Both Kahne and Okafor say they share a passion for helping the Charlotte-area community. (News 14)

Sep. 29, 2005:

#9 Dodge to go  Bling Bling at Lowe's: Kasey Kahne had the most dominant car in the race when the No. 9 Evernham Motorsports Dodge Charger last carried the distinctive blue, black and silver Mopar paint scheme in the Fall 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup event at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Kahne is hoping for that same Charlotte magic October 15 when he once again sports the Mopar colors in the primary position on his Dodge Charger. "The last time that I ran the Mopar paint scheme at Charlotte, it was the best car I had in my life," Kahne said. "It's cool to run a completely different paint scheme, especially under the lights. We were dominant last year, leading over 200 laps. Hopefully, this year we can come back as a tough competitor." The Mopar "bling-bling" paint scheme that Kahne will carry was designed by Competition Graphics of Farmington Hills, Mich. Featuring the Mopar "M" logo, as well as the barbed wire paint scheme utilized by Team Mopar throughout the 2005 season, Kahne's car will carry on the brand's unique and authentic motorsports influence. (Evernham Racing PR

Sep. 5, 2005

Kasey Kahne day in hometown: On Monday, Kasey Kahne will return to his hometown of Enumclaw, Wash., to receive a key to the city and celebrate his second season of NASCAR Nextel Cup Series racing with his hometown fans during "Kasey Kahne Day." Among the activities are a classic car show and a display of each type of race car Kahne drove during his career. There will be a special appearance by the Kasey Kahne Juniors, the micro mini sprint car drivers sponsored by Kahne. The mayor of Enumclaw, John Wyse, will present Kahne with a key to the city and rename one of the city's thoroughfares "Kasey Kahne Drive." Kahne will also sign autographs at the dealership for 800 fans who received wristbands through local distribution. For more information, visit www.kaseykahne.com.

Aug 7, 2005

Kahne signs extension with Evernham: Ray Evernham, president and CEO of Evernham Motorsports, announced today a multi-year contract extension with Kasey Kahne as the driver of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger. Kahne is in his second season with Evernham Motorsports. He was named by Evernham in December, 2003 to replace Bill Elliott in the No. 9 Dodge when the 16-time NMPA Most Popular Driver Award winner announced he would scale back his schedule to selected events. "I'm excited to announce the contract extension with Kasey," said Evernham. It's a multi-year agreement that will have Kasey in an Evernham Motorsports car well into the future. Kasey is an extremely talented driver and we're looking forward to much success in the future. "Ray and the Evernham Motorsports organization are committed to building a championship team," said Kahne. "The personnel and resources are in place to achieve that objective. This long-term agreement reflects the confidence we have in our commitment to succeed, to win races and compete for championships."I'm really looking forward to the future with Evernham Motorsports and the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger. I think great things are in store for us in the near future."  (Kasey Kahne.com) The contract is through 2010.

Aug 4, 2005

Kahne to race Sprint Car in Front Row Challenge: Popular NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne is expected to race Monday in the Front Row Challenge at Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa less than 24 hours after competing in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "He is going to race (in Oskaloosa) on Monday," said Terry McCarl, the co-promoter of the Front Row Challenge and Tuesday's Ultimate Challenge. "If he does well, he will probably race Tuesday." McCarl added that Kahne indicated if he runs fast, he may consider racing in Wednesday's qualifying at the 45th Knoxville Nationals. (DesMoines Register)

July 28, 2005

Judge dismisses Kahne suit: A federal judge has dismissed a breach-of-contract lawsuit brought against NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne by Ford Motor Co. U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland ruled Thursday that a 2002 agreement between Kahne and Ford was not enforceable under Michigan law, because significant parts of it were left open for future negotiations. "No reasonable jury could conclude, based on the record of evidence presented, that the parties had reached agreement on all material or essential terms," Cleland wrote. Ford had claimed that Kahne signed a contract obligating him to drive Fords and appear in promotional activities. The lawsuit alleged Kahne left Ford in 2003 — when he was racing in the NASCAR Busch series — to join a Dodge team owned by Ray Evernham. But Kahne's attorney, David Baum, argued during a July 20 court hearing that the contract was merely an "agreement to agree" on a "mutually acceptable racing series with a reasonably competitive team." Baum said it was not an enforceable contract for Kahne to exclusively race for Ford. (CNN/SI)

Kahne testing his USAC at IRP: Kasey Kahne will be testing his USAC Silver Crown team owned car at IRP on Thursday for a possible run in the J. D. Byrider 100 Silver Crown race on August 4th, during Kroger SpeedFest. The test will run from 8:00 A. M. until Noon. The team has requested interviews be held following the session. Media outlets will be allowed to gather b-roll and photographs during the session. This test is not open to the public. Kroger SpeedFest is three nights of pulse pounding racing under the lights at IRP. On Thursday August 4th the stars of the USAC Silver Crown Series will take to the track in the J. D. Byrider 100. On Friday, the Power Stroke Diesel 200, featuring the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will bump and bang all the way to victory lane. The weekend concludes with the 24th annual Kroger 200, NASCAR Busch Series race. (IRP PR)

July 22, 2005

Kahne Kentucky testing: NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne and his No. 9 Dodge Dealers Dodge will join 2006 NASCAR Busch Series hopeful Steve Wallace for testing next week at Kentucky Speedway. Wallace is scheduled for Tuesday, July 26 and Kahne is penciled in for Wednesday, July 27. Fans can view testing from the designated area outside Turn 3 at the track at no charge. Testing will begin around 9:00 a.m. and continue through 5:00 p.m. Times and drivers are subject to change. (Kentucky PR)

July 21, 2005

Kahne lawyers ask Judge to dismiss suit, Ford argues Kahne "cashed in": Lawyers for NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne asked a federal judge Wednesday to dismiss a breach-of-contract lawsuit filed by Ford Motor Co., saying Kahne never agreed to race for the automaker exclusively. Ford claims Kahne signed a contract that obligated him to drive Fords and appear in promotional activities. The lawsuit alleges Kahne left Ford to join a Dodge team owned by Ray Evernham in 2003, when he was racing in the NASCAR Busch Series. But Kahne's attorney David Baum told U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland in Detroit that the contract was merely an "agreement to agree" on a "mutually acceptable racing series with a reasonably competitive team." Baum said it was not an enforceable contract for Kahne to exclusively race for Ford. Ford Racing spokesman Kevin Kennedy said under the plan that had been laid out, Kahne would have made a run for the Busch Series title with Ford in 2004 and then raced Nextel Cup full-time in 2005. He said Kahne already had been negotiating with Evernham when he demanded that Ford put move him up to Nextel. "He wasn't negotiating in good faith on a mutually acceptable situation," Kennedy said. "He was already working to get out of the contract." Ford also made a motion Wednesday to add an unjust enrichment claim against Kahne along with the breach-of-contract claim. Jenkins argued that Kahne has "cashed in" on the value of the development deal he had with Ford, and the company should be compensated for it. "He had four years of training because of Ford," Kennedy said. "He was an unknown. At the point it appears he was going somewhere, he breaches the contract."  (Detroit Free Press)

July 19, 2005

Kahne seeks to have Ford suit thrown out: Attorneys for Kasey Kahne asked a federal judge to throw out Ford's breach-of-contract lawsuit against the NASCAR driver, one of his lawyers said Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Robert Cleland in Detroit was to hear arguments on the request Wednesday, attorney David Baum said from New York. Ford sued Kahne in Wayne County Circuit Court in July 2004, the county where the Michigan automaker is headquartered. The company claimed he signed a contract that obligated him to drive Fords for Robert Yates Racing and appear in promotional activities. But in October 2003, the suit alleged, Kahne bolted Ford and joined a Dodge team owned by Ray Evernham. The lawsuit was transferred to federal court shortly after it was filed because the parties are from different states, Baum said. Kahne lives in Huntersville, N.C. Ford has called the suit "unfortunate," and said it believes in honoring contracts. NASCAR views its teams as independents and drivers as contracted workers hired by each team. Disputes are worked out among each other, with NASCAR having no influence in the results.(MLive.com)

July 14, 2005

Jarrett and Kahne makes UPS a Amazon 10 year delivery: To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Amazon.com, NASCAR drivers Kasey Kahne (left) and Dale Jarret makes surprise personal delivery to Amanda Pierce (not shown) at her office in Charlotte, NC., Tues., July 12, 2005. Celebrities from different entertainment fields are participating in Amazon.com's Special Delivery program from July 7 - 16. Kahne and Jarret accompanied UPS driver Jeff Starnes (not pictured) for the delivery of the "NASCAR Chronicle". (Davis Turner/U.S. Newswire) (Photo)

June 29, 2005

Evernham and Allstate: Evernham Motorsports says Allstate has signed a multiyear agreement making the insurance company an associate sponsor of the organization's Nextel Cup entries. Kasey Kahne, who drives Evernham's No. 9 Dodge, will appear in televised advertising for the company as part of the deal. Financial terms were not announced. (NASCAR Scene Plus)

June 20, 2005

Kahne's Illegal Adjustable Spring Air Dam: NASCAR says the part, an adjustable spring-loaded air dam, was found during Friday's pre-qualifying inspection. Vice president for corporate communications Jim Hunter says the part never made it onto the track. "A penalty will be forthcoming - I don't know what," said Hunter. "The rulebook says it cannot be adjusted, so it did not conform to our rules." Kahne, who qualified fourth, finished 18th in Sunday's race. He and the team face a loss of points and fines. (TSN)

Kahne in trouble, front end: Speed Channel's Bob Dillner reports the big story in the garage area after this race has to do with the No. 9 team.  NASCAR has confiscated the front end of that car. We are told the 9 team had a spring-loaded valance on that car, and the bottom line is that is illegal. I am told that we are going to expect to hear some big-time fines and penalties and also a possible points deduction for that team on Monday or Tuesday when that announcement is made. (Fox Sports)

June 8 2005

Kahne and Mayfield testing: Mayfield and the No. 19 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger team are scheduled to test at Carolina Motorsports Park, in Kershaw, S.C., next Thursday, April 16. The team will use the test to prepare for the June 26 roadcourse race at Infineon Raceway. (Evernham Motorsports)

June 2 2005

Kahne and Ford Head to Court September: Ford Motor Co., eager to discover and groom future racing talent, took a chance and backed the young driver, and soon Kahne went on to win his first Busch Series race in 2003.  But he was hungry for a chance to race for the Nextel Cup.  Frustrated that Ford wouldn't allow him to race in NASCAR's premier circuit full time, Kahne secretly struck a deal, the automaker says, to drive Dodge-powered cars in fall 2003. In 2005, he won his first NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race, the Chevy American Revolution 400 on May 14, driving a No. 9 Dodge Charger.  Ford is now suing Kahne, 25, for breach of contract. The two sides head for trial in September.  According to court records, the case has become a bitter standoff between one of NASCAR's biggest financial backers and its rising star.  U.S. District Judge Robert H. Cleland summed up the case at a hearing last week: The company "lost a diamond in the rough," who jumped at the chance to make more money before his contract was up and gambled that Ford might sue him.  Kahne's lawyers have blasted Ford repeatedly, noting that Kahne won rookie-of-the-year honors in the 2004 Nextel Cup season with a Dodge team. He earned $4.8 million racing in 2004 and has pocketed $1.7 million this year. (Seattle News)

May 20, 2005

Kahne's Crew Wins Pit Crew Challenge: Kasey Kahne's team won the Nextel Pit Crew Challenge - one of two contests aimed at showcasing the skills of NASCAR's behind-the-scenes players - by beating Jamie McMurray's team in the final round last night.  Kahne's crew - fresh off helping him to his first career victory last weekend - changed four tires and filled the tank with fuel in 16.14 seconds to pocket the $70,000 grand prize.  "Just like Saturday night in Richmond, these guys are on a roll," crew chief Tommy Baldwin said. "These guys put a lot of effort, over two hours a day, to show the world what they are made of." (SalemJournal)

May 16, 2005

Baldwin Wins WYPALL Crew Chief Award: After finishing runner-up in six Nextel Cup races, Kasey Kahne finally took his first trip to Victory Lane this weekend at Richmond International Raceway. Kahne dominated the event, starting from the pole and leading the most laps before taking the seemingly elusive checkered flag. For bringing his driver his first career win in racing’s top series, Tommy Baldwin won the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award. The supporting cast of the Evernham Motorsports Dodge was as much a part of the win as the driver. When the leaders made their final trip down pit road, lap 333, the #9 crew executed a flawless stop, putting Kahne back on the track in the command position. Despite three more caution flags, Kahne stayed on the track and held onto the top spot. “We had a good idea of how long the tires would last in a run,” said Baldwin. “We knew with sixty laps to go, that was it. We were done with the pit stops. We were sticking to our plan. If the caution came out anywhere from (lap) 290 and on, we were staying out the whole run. At lap 353, there was no way were coming in.” The panel of voters; including Mike Harris of the Richmond Times Dispatch, a WYPALL® Wipers representative and Robbie Reiser; all agreed that Baldwin was the top crew chief of the event. “Clearly Baldwin did the best job tonight,” said Harris. “His crew kept Kahne up front with great pit stops and gave him a car to get the job done.” “Tommy (Baldwin) had an awesome weekend,” said Reiser. “His car sat on the pole and ran up front all night. The crew got him (Kahne) off pit road first a few times tonight and put him in position for the win. Tommy had team ready for the race and they finished the job.” With his first WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Race award, Baldwin joins Scott Miller, Bob Osborne, Alan Gustafson and Pete Rondeau in a tie for third place in the WYPALL® Wipers Crew Chief of the Year standings. Doug Richert stays in first place with three wins. Robbie Loomis is in second place with two wins. At the end of the season, the crew chief with the most weekly wins will receive $20,000. For more information, log onto www.wypall.com. (WYPALL PR)

April 21, 2005

Kahne Fastest in Infineon: Two eventful days of NASCAR testing at Infineon Raceway concluded on Wednesday with Kasey Kahne posting the fastest times and another racer, rookie Jose Luis Ramirez, being released from a local hospital following his Turn 4 crash late Tuesday.  Kahne, one of three Nextel Cup series regulars at the test session, piloted his Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge through the 10-turn, 1.99-mile road course in 1 minute, 16.32 seconds, on Wednesday. Carl Edwards (Ford) had the second- fastest time at 1:17.10, while Travis Kvapil (Dodge) rounded out the field with a time of 1:20.00.  "I really like coming out to the road courses and I think we'll have a better effort here than we did last year,'' said Kahne, who finished 31st in his first NASCAR road-course race, at Infineon in 2004. (San Francisco Chronicle)

April 11, 2005

Kahne and Mayfield to share duties:  Unilever Foods and Evernham Motorsports announced today that Kasey Kahne and Jeremy Mayfield will share driving duties of the No. 6 Hungry DriversDodge Charger for the next three events on the NASCAR Busch Series schedule including Texas, Phoenix and Talladega. Mayfield will drive the No. 6 Dodge in Texas while Kahne will take over for Phoenix and Talladega.  After evaluating the No. 6 Hungry Drivers team's performance after the first four races of the NASCAR Busch Series season, Ray Evernham, President and CEO of Evernham Motorsports, felt it was necessary to make a driver change in order to bolster the team's performance.  "We have made significant gains with our Busch program over the last couple of weeks and we owe a lot of that to Kasey and Jeremy," said Evernham. "Their driving experience and abilities have been instrumental in helping us pinpoint areas that needed to be improved. This is a new team and I feel confident that having them in the seat for a few more races will help get this team to the level of competitiveness that it needs to be performing at each weekend." (Evernham Racing PR)

March 28, 2005

McDonalds and Evernham Sponsorship: McDonald's announced today the company has entered into a partnership agreement with Evernham Motorsports in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The agreement calls for McDonald's to be an associate sponsor on the No. 9 Evernham Motorsports Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge Charger driven by 2004 Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year Kasey Kahne and the No. 91 Evernham Motorsports Dodge Charger that will be driven by NASCAR champion Bill Elliott at selected Nextel Cup events. The agreement includes a two-race McDonald's primary sponsorship on Elliott's car. The Bill Elliott Racing entry will carry the McDonald's paint scheme at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn (June 19 ) and California Speedway in Fontana (Sept. 5). "McDonald's is thrilled to partner with Evernham Motorsports, which is one of the premier teams in the popular Nextel cup Series," said John Lewicki, McDonald's senior director of alliance marketing. "Being aligned with a quality owner in Ray Evernham along with a legend in Bill Elliott and an young star in Kasey Kahne, will only enhance the McDonald's brand with NASACAR's loyal fan following. This is a great fit since McDonald's, Evernham Motorsports and Bill Elliott Racing parallel each other as leaders of their respective industries." Evernham, who carved his legendary status as one of the most successful crew chiefs in NASCAR history before becoming an owner of the high-profile Dodge team, was equally proud of the new association.  (McDonalds Racing PR)

Feb. 16, 2005

Kahne Back in the Dew Scheme: Kasey Kahne, the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series' Rookie of the Year, will take his partnership with Mountain Dew to new heights this season when his first national television commercial for the brand debuts this Sunday and his No. 9 Dodge Charger features a Mountain Dew paint scheme at next week's race at California Speedway. In the TV spot entitled "Change," not only does Kahne's Dodge Charger go through a number of "changes," but he must also vie for the seat behind the wheel of his own race car. The commercial will air during the FOX broadcast of the Daytona 500 this Sunday, February 20. Kahne's Dew allegiance will also show on the track when he competes in a Mountain Dew paint scheme at the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway on Sunday, February 27. Kahne's No. 9 Dodge Charger will showcase the new Mountain Dew graphics that will begin appearing on the brand's product packaging available in stores in March. The last time Kahne's car featured a special Mountain Dew paint scheme he finished second at Michigan International Speedway on June 20, 2004. (NASCAR)

Feb. 11, 2005

Kahne Blown Engine: Kasey Kahne opened up Bud Shootout practice with a blown engine.  Kahne will move to a back up engine, for the remaining of today's practice.  Checkout continuous SpeedTV NASCAR coverage.

Feb. 9, 2005

Younger Kinser Looks To NASCAR, Kahne Owner: The top rookie last season in the World of Outlaws dirt-track sprint car circuit, the 20-year-old son of series champion Steve Kinser made his U.S. Auto Club Silver Crown debut last week in a car owned by Nextel Cup driver Kasey Kahne. Kinser, from Bloomington, Ind., still plans to compete in Outlaws events with his father, but NASCAR clearly is on his mind.  "Let's see where this goes first," he said. The younger Kinser lasted only a few laps before his engine gave out last week in the Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway in his first Silver Crown race. Gordon, Stewart and Newman, who also began their USAC careers in Indiana, used Silver Crown championships as an entry to NASCAR, the world's premier stock car series. (FoxSports)

Feb. 3, 2005:

Kahne Unhurt in Crash: Wednesday marked the first day of testing at California Speedway for Nextel Cup Series drivers in the 2005 season. The day was highlighted by press conferences held for Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Elliott Sadler and Jeremy Mayfield, all former winners at the superspeedway.  High winds were the topic of conversation for Wednesday's testing session as speeds neared 35 mph. Jimmie Johnson said, "It just moves your car that much. If anyone has ever driven anything that big in windy conditions, it's amazing to feel the car buffering around that much."  In testing action, Kasey Kahne's tire ruptured, sending him into the wall. After being reviewed by the doctors, the 2004 Auto Club 500 pole sitter was released in good health, with the only damage coming to the backside of his car.  (NASCAR)

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