Cup Series crew chief Rodney Childers championed and celebrated Kasey Kahne following the veteran’s admirable return at Rockingham Speedway.
Kahne, 45, had retired from the NASCAR Cup series in 2018, and many thought that this would see the end of this legend’s time in these races. Even the bookmakers on the best online sportsbooks couldn’t have predicted Kahne’s return to the stock car wheel, nevermind perform how he did in this supposed one-off return. However, this place seems to hold a special place in the Washingtonian’s heart.
With the fastest 10-lap average in practice, qualifying in the top 5, and seemingly at the top of his game, Kahne had a legitimate chance of winning at the Rockingham Speedway this Easter Weekend. Whilst he has always been fast, it came as a surprise to many involved in the sport to see him perform so well in the run-up to the race after being out of the car for so long.
The Crash
Despite this impressive performance in the lead-up to this Xfinity Series weekend, Kahne eventually ended the race in 15th place after he got caught up in a wreck mid-race with Katherine Legge and William Sawalich. Even with his fourth-place start, the 8-time Xfinity Series winner got caught up in this crash on Lap 53 in Turn 1. The collision saw Kahne fall a lap down but made this up via the free pass in Stage 3, eventually leading to his 15th-place finish. Had he not been involved in such a collision, who knows what the veteran champion could have achieved at the weekend?
Rockingham’s return
The buzz around the Rockingham Speedway was real and not just because adoring fans caught sight of Kahne on his return. The speedway itself was making an iconic return as a host for the national series event for the first time in 12 years. 2012 and 2013 saw the revival of the track last time around, with the truck series races following its last Cup series in 2004 before that. Attendance had waned and legal battles had moved events away from the track, but this Easter weekend saw attendances of 16,000 on Good Friday and a whopping 25,000 on Easter Saturday come out to see the NASCAR event. The repaved track impacted the racers, but it certainly added to the excitement of the race for spectators. The return of ‘the Rock’ alongside NASCAR’s introduction of the in-season tournament in 2025 poses a rosy future for the sport.
What’s next for Kahne?
Kahne’s history with this track, following his second place in the 2004 Cup Series and his win in the 2012 Truck Series races, shows his love of Rockingham. However, he remained coy about any information regarding potential longer-term returns to the NASCAR circuit following the race this weekend. Whilst he mentioned that he has created a good relationship with this group now and that he could see potential for further races down the road, he admitted that the race at the weekend was a lot for him.
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With fans, I’m sure, desperate to see the veteran return to the field on a more regular basis, Kahne commented after the race saying that he wished things had gone differently but that it was good to get back in this type of car and experience the whole weekend as part of NASCAR again for the first time in a while due to it being so different to the sprint car competing he has been doing of late. He said that things happened quickly in this kind of racing, but that he hasn’t ruled out a longer-term return completely. Who knows where this will end up, but I think all NASCAR fans can agree that, despite it being good to see Kahne back for Rockingham, it would be equally as pleasing to see him return to the track on a longer-term basis.
