Kasey Kahne will make his return to full-time competition in a racing series, although it won’t be NASCAR.
On Wednesday, Kasey Kahne Racing announced that Kahne, 41, will run the full 2022 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series schedule in the No. 9 KKR car.
For Kahne, this is a chance for him to realize his childhood dream of being a full-time sprint car competitor.
“I started KKR 16 years ago to keep a connection to my racing roots. I’m incredibly proud of our two successful teams made up of the most dedicated guys in the pit area and have enjoyed being hands-on, and even getting behind the wheel for some races,” Kahne said in a team press release. “The World of Outlaws puts the top competitors in the sport, with the most grueling schedule; traveling to tracks nationwide, night-in and night-out. I’ve realized through my commitments as a team owner that I still want to race and challenge myself at this level. I am grateful to have propelled into the NASCAR ranks as quickly as I did, but sprint car racing has been a dream of mine since I was a kid, and this is the first chance I’ve had to dedicate myself to it full-time.”
Kahne also did a sit down interview with World of Outlaws about the move, which was posted to their social channels on Wednesday:
Consider that childhood dream achieved. ?@KaseyKahne will officially be a ????-???? driver with the World of Outlaws @NosEnergyDrink Sprint Car Series in 2022!
????? ? https://t.co/HtR4ghEmCc pic.twitter.com/hhGexcRn12
— World of Outlaws (@WorldofOutlaws) December 22, 2021
The 18-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner, who competed in 32 World of Outlaws events in 2021, will have sponsorship from Karavan Trailers, who have supported KKR for years. But the team has also added Fuel Me as a sponsor on Kahne’s No. 9 machine, and they’ll also serve as the official fuel supplier of Kasey Kahne Racing.
“Fuel Me is honored to be the official fuel supplier of Kasey Kahne Racing,” Bill Marr, President of Fuel Me, said. “This partnership is a strong fit for our business, and we look forward to bringing greater awareness to our fuel supply and management platform through this relationship. We are excited to kick off the 2022 season with Kasey and Brad racing for wins and eyeing a fourth consecutive WoO championship for KKR!”
Kasey Kahne Racing has racked up more than 250 wins on the dirt since their debut in 2008, and Brad Sweet has taken the last three World of Outlaws Sprint Car Championships for the organization.
