Kasey Kahne moves past Hendrick Motorsports release, ready for fresh start

When Kasey Kahne got the news from team owner Rick Hendrick last weekend that he won’t be returning to Hendrick Motorsports in 2018, Kahne admits the news initially shook him as he wondered about his future in the Monster Energy Cup Series.

Within a couple of days, Kahne had moved past being released and turned his attention to securing himself a ride in NASCAR’s top division. He then began having conversations with other teams about openings he could fill next season.

“I started basically Sunday night, Monday talked to some different owners, personnel at different teams and just trying to show that I really want to still be in the Cup Series,” Kahne said Friday at Michigan International Speedway, site of Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400. “I want to race here and if there is any opportunity I would love to talk about it, something like that.

“Everybody is nice and talked about their programs and was really cool to have those conversations.”

Hendrick named William Byron, a 19-year-old rookie in the Xfinity Series, to supplant Kahne as driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet. The move was prompted by Kahne struggling on the track along with his team losing its two biggest sponsors at the end of the season.

An advocate Kahne has in his corner is Rick Hendrick, who is working to help land Kahne his next opportunity. Hendrick said he will pay the remainder of Kahne’s contract, which goes through 2018, and Hendrick has had discussions with organizations where Kahne could be a potential fit.

One landing spot could be GMS Racing, which fields multiple teams in the Xfinity and Camping World Series and is considering adding a Cup car. Hendrick already supplies GMS with engines and if the team expanded to Cup it would enter into a technical alliance with Hendrick, which would help ease Kahne’s transition.

“Mr. Hendrick has been really supportive,” Kahne said. “He wants me in a car as well. You know, it didn’t work out in the No. 5, but he wants me in another car and he wants me to be out there racing next year.

“Between all that, I just really think I will be able to come up with something that will be very competitive and be able to be in the Cup Series for a while to come.”

But Kahne faces a complicated free agency market with many teams lacking the appropriate sponsorship. And the 37-year-old isn’t the only notable driver available, with Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth also in limbo.

“There are some really good drivers that don’t have a deal done at this time that will probably end up in cars I would think,” Kahne said. “I still have that mindset and I really hope that something works out to where I can be in a strong car next year and enjoy racing in this series, because I’ve actually enjoyed it for so long and I’ve lived so many of the highs of the Cup Series.”

All the while, in addition to trying to solidify his future plans, Kahne is steadfast on ensuring his final season with Hendrick Motorsports ends positively. He qualified for the 16-driver Cup playoffs with a victory last month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which snapped a personal 102-race winless streak.

Kahne encountered his No. 5 team for the first time since the announcement Monday that he won’t be returning Friday at Michigan. He said the mood among the team was positive and they were ready for the final four regular season races and the 10-race postseason.

“The vibe was good,” Kahne said. “The team was good, just pretty similar to always. We just kind of went to work like always and hope to put together a really strong weekend.”