| | | | | | | 9 - Kasey Kahne | Huntersville, NC |
| | Primary Sponsor: Budweiser
Manufacturer: Dodge
Car Owner: Ray Evernham
Team: Evernham Motorsports Kasey Kahne earned a spot on an elite list of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series drivers in 2006, after qualifying for the chase his third year in the Cup series. In addition to a series-high six wins, the 26-year-old had 12 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes and started from the Bud Pole six times during the season, more than any other driver. He finished eighth in the final point standings.
In 2004 Ray Evernham chose Kahne to replace legendary Bill Elliott in the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge, and Kahne was thrilled. He had 13 top-five finishes and four poles during his first season with Evernham Motorsports in 2004. He earned the Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year title after finishing 13th in the season point standings. Unknown at the beginning of the season, few had not heard of Kahne’s name or his hard-charging style by the end of it.
Kahne saw his first career NEXTEL Cup Series victory in May, 2005 – a win from the pole at Richmond. He qualified in the top 10 on 15 occasions including two poles at Darlington and Richmond. But Kahne finished a disappointing 23rd place in the season’s final point standings.
But 2006 would be a better year for Kahne, to say the least. Evernham made a change at the end of the 2005 season that may have contributed to Kahne’s success. He teamed Kahne with Kenny Francis, Mike Shiplett and Keith Rodden, and seemed to find chemistry with the Kahne-Francis combination. Francis, a former driver, had played a major role in putting Evernham Motorsports entry in the chase for the two previous years with the No. 19 car. The Kahne-Francis partnership eventually led to a berth in the chase for the championship, and a third year of having a team in the chase for Evernham Motorsports.
In 2006, Kahne also participated in 17 NASCAR Busch Series races, posting wins at Las Vegas and another at California.
Off the track, Kahne serves on the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation formed by President Bush after September 11 to promote volunteerism by Americans. And the Kasey Kahne Foundation raised $300,000 during the year. The foundation was created to raise money for charitable organizations that care for disadvantaged youth and chronically ill children and their families, raised $300,000 during the year | | | | | | |
