It's Official: Kasey Kahne at Red Bull Racing

Kasey Kahne adressed the media in a press conference Friday morning at Martinsville Speedway. He and Jay Frye, Vice President of Red Bull Racing cleared the air about the Richard Petty Motorsports/ Kasey Kahne split.

Kahne confirmed that he was paid up to date by RPM and that his release from them was mutual. Discussion of this began Monday. Also, "Easy" Kenny Francis will remain with the nine car at RPM for the last five races of the 2010 season.

Then began the discussion about the move to Red Bull, "I've been doing the same thing for six and a half years, so everything's different. A big change for me.

"The excitement at Red Bull now... it's nice to be a part of it.

"I've been looking forward to next year for quite some time now. This just gives us a head start on next year." Kasey said.

Indeed, Red Bull is excited to have Kahne, too. Vice President Jay Frye expressed this when he said, "His DNA is a race car driver. We couldn't be more excited ro have him for the final five races and 2011.

"... We want to win races, make the Chase, and win the championship."

Kasey then continued to talk about those who questioned his commitment: "Anyone who questions my commitment doesn't know my love of racing."

"It's about me moving on, and starting with the next year. I'm glad we've done it." he said of the split.

"People can talk. They can say what they want, but I'm definately not a quitter. I've done a lot for that company for a long time." Kahne spent his first six and a half years within the organization. If he hadn't been doing something right, they would have gotten rid of him long ago.

Kasey is disappointed about leaving Budweiser early, but will finish out his appearences for 2010. We still do not have word if Budweiser will continue to sponsor Kasey Kahne Racing driver Joey Saldana.

Next year? Kasey is happy that they will be prepared and has time to get to know the company. He is hoping to win races for Red Bull.

As for Red Bull, Jay Frye says that they are still monitoring Brian Vickers' health and Scott Speed's performance. They also are dealing with the fact that they have three crew chiefs (Kenny Francis signed on to be with Kasey for 2011) and only two cars.

"This went down a lot different than anybody expected, especially myself."

We did not expect this either, Kasey.

Side note: During practice in the 83, Kasey said, "Everything feels good. Forward bite is good. Brakes feel really good!"

Thank you so much to Skirts and Scuffs for giving me this opportunity and for following this coverage all week!

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Kasey Kahne Released from Richard Petty Motorsports

A little before ten o'clock on Wednesday at night, a press release dropped that surprised some and did not surprise others. Indeed, Richard Petty Motorsports released Kasey Kahne from driving the number nine Budweiser Ford Fusion for the remaining five races of the season.

The beginnings of this came last Saturday during the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway when Kahne's braking system seemed to fail (later it was found as a braking fluid issue). The handling of the car was frustrating to Kasey and the nine team, who had been at the top of the board in the final two practices. Kahne and his team began that race with high hopes, which came crashing down when Kasey's car spun in turn four. After limping the ill-handling car to the garage, Kahne got out of his car; he had not felt well before the race.

This is where it all went downhill. An unidentified Richard Petty Motorsports member told Kahne "to start doing his part." Kahne left and never returned to the number nine. JJ Yeley completed the race for him.

The next day, Kasey ran his 5 Kahne to raise money for his Kasey Kahne Foundation. After running in that race, he adressed the media, saying, "I can't control that as a driver. I'm doing my part; I just need the car. I work as hard as anybody out there."

When given the possibility about switching to Red Bull Racing (where he is headed for the 2011 season) early, Kahne thought for a moment and replied with "I don't think so. I doubt it."

Monday morning, Robbie Loomis, Vice President of Competition at Richard Petty Motorsports, adressed the media. He accused the Budweiser driver of not being able to handle adversity and because of that, he was not championship material. Whether Kahne heard this or not, we will never know.

Kahne is headed to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012 after a year at Red Bull Racing. Sure, he is anticipating better equipment and a better season. Can you blame a man for that after the season that he has had? He is winless with three poles and a handful of top-tens. But, he is the only one who has dealt with this braking system.

So, when the press release dropped, it was official; Kasey Kahne is done driving the nine Budweiser For Fusion for RPM. His plans? Red Bull Racing has signed him on to finish out the season in Brian Vickers' 83. Originally, Aric Amirola was to drive the 83, but will now drive the nine for RPM.

It seems as though this mess is over. Or we could only hope, at least.

Photo credit: www.Kaseykahne.com

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"... how can you quit on people if they've already quit on you?"

Richard Petty Motorsports Vice President of Competition Robbie Loomis addressed the happenings between an unidentified member of RPM and Kasey Kahne at Charlotte this weekend on Monday.

He started by trying to say that everyone is putting out 100 percent when everything is going well. However, he goes on to say, "It’s those times when you have bad times, it’s hard to fight through those bad times because you know there’s going to be something different you’re doing next year. Probably the hardest part is to keep your focus and attention on it." Paul Menard, Elliott Sadler and Kasey Kahne are all leaving RPM at the end of the season to pursue better offers. Menard is headed to Childress, Sadler is headed to drive for the Camping World Truck Series or the Nationwide Series for KHI, and Kahne is headed to drive for Red Bull Racing - a yearlong hop before heading to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.

Kasey Kahne has not had the best of seasons. It has been up and down - one race he will come in second, the next he gets caught in a crash and ends up 33rd with a DNF. After making the Chase last year, sitting 21st in points is not what Kasey had imagined for himself this year. He planned to finish strong at RPM. However, some people within the RPM organization do not believe that Kahne is trying his hardest.

"When you know that [you’re leaving and it’s] in the back of your mind, it gets harder and harder when you’re having adversity to fight through it," Loomis said. "The real champions in life learn how to fight through those things even on the bad days. It’s all part of a growing process for us all."

Loomis suggests that Kasey Kahne is not championship material. If Kahne was not championship material, then why is Hendrick hiring him? Hendrick is made up of Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. In my eyes, all four men are legends within the history of this sport. After 2011, Kahne is headed to the No. 5. There, he will drive with these legends.

"When he gets over there [at Hendrick], with being around Jeff [Gordon] and Jimmie [Johnson], he’ll get to learn a lot through them and how they deal and fight with adversity, too. It was disheartening for all of us. We felt so good going into the race."

Again, Loomis suggests that Kasey does not know how to deal with adversity. If he did not know how to deal with the races that he does not do well, would he still have a ride? I think not.

Robbie Loomis changes the subject after that to say how excited the RPM team is to see A.J. Allmendinger and Paul Menard doing well. But, what about Kasey? What about the equipment problems that he has dealt with all year?

"There are about 12 guys around the car, including guys with AP [brakes], all trying to look at the master cylinders and all that," Loomis said. "Sometimes, you just, I don’t know, it seems like it’s been one of those years. We’ve just had a lot of the troubles fall on him and that car."

But out of the eight cars fielded by RPM and Roush Fenway Racing combined, Kasey is the only driver to have this brake problem. It is unacceptable to think that one out of eight Fords on the track is having this problem and it has not been looked into by anyone other than Kasey and Kenny Francis, his crew chief. RPM should be looking into this and use this information for the future. What if next year A.J. Allmendinger is driving at Charlotte and the brakes fail because of the brake fluid? What would happen then?

Jeff Gluck of sbnation.com made a very good point in his article titled "Aftermath, Charlotte II: Is Kasey Kahne A Quitter?" and that is this: "... how can you quit on people if they've already quit on you?"

The views expressed in this post are those of the author and not necessarily those of the site or its administrators.

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Kasey Kahne and the Frustration of the 2010 Season

After taking part in his charity 5Kahne, Kasey Kahne addressed the media about not finishing the race Saturday night at Charlotte.

Kasey's brakes had failed around Lap 40. His season full of frustration had not helped, either. This is the third brake issue from an RPM car this year, the second in three weeks. When he was involved in a crash later in the race, Kahne took the car into the garage, got out, and never looked back.

"I was just mad," he said. "I came into the race thinking we had a shot to win. We had a good car in practice. It went green, and I was still a little bit tight, but I passed cars and felt really good and then – boom – my brakes are gone."

Indeed, the nine team had a shot at winning this race. They were first in the second practice and fourth in the final practice. Kasey has an average finish of 11.6 at Charlotte - the best out of the non-chasers.

He said it was a joke that he goes to press the brake, it goes all the way to the floor, and doesn't work. I agree. A failure in brakes in a Sprint Cup car should not happen. It is ridiculous to look back and see that Kasey has had this problem three times this year.

Between Roush-Fenway, who also runs Ford Fusions, and Richard Petty Motorsports, Kahne is the only one who has had this problem.


"And that's a good point, but I've never had any issues in my past six years, and if you look at brakes after race, my brake pads are better (less worn) than any one of the other seven or the same as the best ones who don't use much brake. I don't use much brake. So it's just a mess, really."

When Kasey got out of his car after the crash, an unidentified member of Richard Petty Motorsports accused him of not doing his part. Kasey was mad as would be any sane person. Even I as a fan was outraged. How could a person say such a thing to a man that works his hardest day in and day out?

Kasey made a good point saying, "I can't control that as a driver. I'm doing my part; I just need the car. I work as hard as anybody out there."

On top of all that, Kasey was sick, despite anything that anyone said about him using that as an excuse.

Kasey and Kenny Francis, his crew chief, are headed to Red Bull Racing for 2011, before Kahne heads to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012. For this team, the end of the season could not come fast enough.

Think good thoughts for the nine team as they finish out their 2010 season. They tried their hardest and just have not had the luck or equipment.

The views expressed in this post are those of the author and not necessarily those of the site or its administrators.

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Ekstrom to go short-track racing for Red Bull at Richmond

Mattias Ekstrom talks to the media at Sonoma in
June. (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Red Bull driver Mattias Ekstrom will race the No. 83 Red Bull Toyota in Saturday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway.

In June, Ekstrom gave an impressive performance at Infineon Raceway in his first NASCAR race, leading seven laps and finishing 21st. Since then, Ekstrom has tested with Red Bull Racing Team at Gresham Motorsports Park (Ga.) and North Wilkesboro Speedway (N.C.).

"Mattias did a great job in Sonoma and continues to impress at the oval track testing sessions,” said Jay Frye, Red Bull Racing Team Vice President and General Manager. "He has earned this opportunity, showing continued improvement every time he is behind the wheel."

Ekstrom, a Red Bull-supported athlete for the past nine years, claimed his first victory of 2010 in the second round of the DTM Championship on May 23 in Valencia, Spain. He currently sits fifth in the DTM standings and has 14 career victories.

"To do a race on an oval is something different — it's a lot of laps and a lot of car — it's a lot of laps and a lot of cars," Ekstrom said. "Racing in Richmond will be one of the biggest tasks of my life so far, but I feel I am ready for the challenge."

Release courtesy of Red Bull Racing

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Kahne to Red Bull Racing for 2011

In April we learned that Kasey Kahne had signed a deal with Hendrick Motorsports to take over for Mark Martin as driver of the #5. The only problem with the deal was that Mark Martin wasn’t set to retire until after the completion of the 2011 season and Kahne’s contract would not begin with HMS until 2012. 

With Kahne leaving Richard Petty Motorsports at the conclusion of the 2010 season we all started speculating where Kahne would land in 2011. Many, including myself, speculated that Kasey would move to a third team for Stewart-Haas Racing because of their affiliation with Hendrick Motorsports.

Today we “officially” learned that Kahne will pilot one of the Red Bull Racing cars in 2011. What we don’t yet know is which car it will be or who his teammate on the two car team will be. Below you will find the press release from Red Bull Racing, but before you dive into that tell us what you think of the news. 

Who do you think is leaving? Speed or Vickers? Could Vickers need additional time off and this is RBR’s way of keeping his seat open if that’s the case? Does Kasey Kahne look like the Red Bull drinking guy any more than he looks like the Budweiser drinking guy? Is this one year deal unfair to the existing Red Bull Racing drivers or would one of them be leaving even if Kasey wasn’t coming?

Okay, here’s that release:

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Kasey Kahne will drive a Red Bull Racing Team Toyota in 2011, the team announced Tuesday.

“We were fortunate to have the opportunity to hire a very talented driver for the 2011 season and we took it,” said Jay Frye, Red Bull Racing Team Vice President and General Manager. “This is a unique situation that doesn’t happen every day. Kasey is a perfect fit for our company, team and Red Bull.”

Kahne, 30, owns an impressive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series résumé. He has 11 wins, 17 poles, 47 top-five and 84 top-10 finishes and twice was a Chase participant in 2006 and 2009.

“This opportunity places me with an established, competitive team that has proven they can win races and make the Chase,” Kahne said. “I have great respect for Red Bull, so to have the opportunity to drive for Red Bull Racing Team in 2011 is a great fit for me, both personally and professionally. It feels good to be able to finally put this to rest and focus my energy on finishing the season strong for the 9 team and our sponsors.”

“This obviously all happened very quickly,” Frye added. “Over the next month, we will finalize the specific team details.”

Red Bull Racing Team’s final driver lineup for 2011 will be confirmed later this year.

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Crew Chief For The No. 83 Team In The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Penalized For Rule Violation at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 27, 2010) – NASCAR has penalized Jimmy Elledge, crew chief for the No. 83 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, for a rule violation committed last week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Elledge has been fined $25,000 for violating Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4-J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-2.3A (improperly attached weight) of the 2010 NASCAR rule book.

The violation was discovered during practice on July 24.

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The Lugnut Report: Scott Speed Gets Career Best in Dover

Despite winning his first and only Camping World Truck Series race at the Dover International Speedway, the "Monster Mile" is described by Scott Speed as "a thorn in his side."

Just before Dover, though, it was announced by Red Bull Racing that Speed's teammate, Brian Vickers, would be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time due to serious blood clots. Attention now turns to the sophomore Speed to lead RBR.

"I'll never be mature, that's just ridiculous, but certainly as a team we are growing together."

Speed struggled with his No. 82 all weekend and started the Austim 400 29th. His ill handling car had no side bite, something he struggled with most of the race.

Speed's car also took "a while to get going", but he ultimately fell four laps behind the leader and came home 23rd. It's a Cup career best for the California native at Dover.

After the event, Speed said on his Twitter page that it was a reasonable finish for his team and called it an "OK day." He also sent congrats to good friend and Dover winner Kyle Busch.

The finish kept Speed 26th in Series points. Twelve races into the season, the former F1 driver is 249 points behind 12th place Martin Truex, Jr.

After All Star festivities, Speed and the rest of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will remain at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600. In his two career starts at the track, Speed has a best finish of 18th.

Thanks to Racing Reference, NASCAR.com, Motorsport.com, Red Bull Racing, and the Club Speed Twitter page(@ClubSpeed) for the quotes, information, and statistics used in this piece.

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