Kasey Kahne says his release from Richard Petty Motorsports was a mutual decision and responded to those who believe he walked out on RPM, saying he wasn’t a quitter.
Kasey Kahne Responds To Critics: ‘I’m Not A Quitter’
“People can talk, they can say what they want, but I’m definitely not a quitter,” Kahne said Friday in his first public comments since being released from RPM late Wednesday night. “I’ve done a lot for that company for a long time, and we went our separate ways. That’s the way it is.”
Kahne, wearing Red Bull jacket to signify the first race with his new team, said anyone who questions his commitment doesn’t know him very well (an unnamed RPM official told Kahne he needed to pull his weight around the team, Kahne said after Charlotte).
After a crash on Saturday night, Kahne left the track without finishing the race and said he was sick. The next day, he lashed out at RPM for its continued mechanical failures.
“I don’t think there’s anybody out there who puts as much into it as I do throughout the week,” Kahne said. “I feel like I do everything I need to do to make myself the best I can be. And we kept having problems.
"I was sick to my stomach (on Saturday night at Charlotte). It was time for me to just call it a day, and that's what I did. I'm happy I did it, and ready to go onto this weekend."
Kahne will still honor the balance of his Budweiser contract, which requires him to do personal appearances and meet-and-greets on behalf of his now-former sponsor. But he'll drive Red Bull's No. 83 car for the final five races.
"It's definitely not the way we wanted it to end on either side, but it's the way it ended," Kahne said.
As for next year? Brian Vickers has said he'll be healthy enough to return at Daytona, and Kahne will obviously be the other driver for what Red Bull GM Jay Frye said is a two-car team.
That likely leaves Scott Speed out in the cold. Frye said Speed has an unspecified performance clause in his contract in order to renew for next year. ESPN.com's David Newton reported Speed must finish 16th in the points for the option to kick in, but is currently 28th.
Though crew chief Kenny Francis will stay with RPM for the balance of the season, Kahne said he's excited about the opportunity to get a head start on next season. Kahne will then move to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.
"For me, next year is one year, but it's a short year," Kahne said. "I'm happy to be able to get prepared a little early, learn about the company, the cars, the engines.
"I want to come out and win next year, and the only way to do that is to get off to a good start at the start of the season."
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