| | | | | | HOPE FOR THE BEST | Kasey Kahne in 2008 | |
| | By Jeff Owens / FOXSports.com The list of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers who couldn't wait for the 2007 season to end and the calendar to turn is a long one, featuring such high-profile names as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Waltrip and Dale Jarrett.
But none of them were more frustrated at the end of the year than Kasey Kahne, one of NASCAR's young stars yet one of its biggest disappointments in 2007.
Ironically, Kahne can't quite put the most miserable season of his career behind him. Not yet. Kahne faced a misdemeanor battery charge and a civil suit for allegedly shoving a security guard at Homestead-Miami Speedway prior to the season finale. He has a court date in Miami on Jan. 8.
It was just one of many incidents during 2007 that Kahne would like to put behind him. Fortunately — or, maybe, unfortunately, depending on his perspective — the rest were all on the track, where he managed just one top-five finish all season.
Entering the season, Kahne was considered a sure bet to make the Chase for the Nextel Cup after a career-high six wins and his first Chase appearance in 2006.
Instead, he was the biggest victim of a disappointing, transitional year for Evernham Motorsports, now known as Gillett Evernham Motorsports.
That Kahne produced just one top-five finish — a second at Bristol — was shocking enough. But it was the only top-five finish by the entire three-car operation, demonstrating what a shambles the once-proud organization was in most of the year.
Things started with a bad omen even before the green flag fell, with the three Evernham teams being penalized for rules violations during qualifying for the Daytona 500. From there, all three teams got off to terrible starts, with Kahne and teammate Elliott Sadler plummeting in points and third driver Scott Riggs falling all the way out of the top 35, dooming his season.
Riggs, though, didn't have lofty expectations to live up too, and Sadler has grown accustomed to disappointment.
For Kahne, the constant struggles were devastating to a young driver seemingly on the cusp of greatness.
Adding to the frustration was the fact that Kahne's struggles didn't stem entirely from misfortune. While he had his share of wrecks and mechanical problems, he mostly suffered from cars that just weren't fast enough.
While other Dodge drivers — Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman — figured out the Charger and improved as the season went along, Kahne just continued to struggle. Car of Tomorrow or car of today, Dodge Charger or Dodge Avenger, it didn't matter; he was off the pace regardless of the vehicle, and his team had no clue how to fix it.
The question heading into 2008 is whether Kahne can turn things around and return to his 2006 form. Having already proven he has the driving talent to succeed, the answer to that question is up to the revamped Evernham organization.
"That's up to the guys," Kahne said prior to the season finale at Homestead. "It's up to the guys building the cars, engineers and the people at Gillett Evernham. If they want to get things turned around and figure it out, it's up to them."
Clearly frustrated, Kahne sounded as if he didn't have a lot of faith in his team.
"If we keep going this way, we won't get a whole lot better," he said. "We need to re-focus and change some things around — change personnel, teams, people, come up with new ideas on how to make the cars right and kind of start over for next year. That's a good thing. We need to do that."
That was his team's approach heading into the new year. With the backing of new majority team owner George Gillett, things are looking up on the business side of things. Gillett's clout in the sports world helped land Kahne the popular and lucrative Budweiser sponsorship, which will make him one of the sport's most recognizable drivers.
The Budweiser sponsorship will bring more resources, but it will also bring more pressure. Not only will Kahne be expected to replace the popular Dale Earnhardt Jr. off the track and in the marketplace, he must win and contend on it.
A return to contention by Kahne will go a long way toward re-establishing Gillett Evernham as one of the sport's top organizations and help Dodge gain some ground against Ford and Chevy and stay a step ahead of Toyota. It could also help spark fan interest thanks to Kahne's popularity, especially among female fans.
Can Kahne capitalize on such a golden opportunity? Can an organization that struggled so badly in 2007 turn things around and give him a chance in 2008?
Or will Kahne's year-long battle with frustration continue?
| | Posted January 02, 2008 , 11:53 pm EST
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