Kasey Kahne to join Hendrick Motorsports

CONCORD, N.C. (April 14, 2010) – Beginning with the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, Kasey Kahne will drive the No. 5 Chevrolets of Hendrick Motorsports after signing a long-term contract with the organization.
Mark Martin, 51, the current driver of Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 team, will complete the 2010 and 2011 seasons. When Kahne takes over in 2012, he will join teammates Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Hendrick’s four-car stable.

“In Kasey, we saw an opportunity to cement a big piece of our future,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “He possesses incredible talent and a tremendous dedication to his craft, and we know he’ll be a great fit within our company.

“Kasey has earned the respect of his future teammates by the way he’s handled himself on and off the racetrack, and we know he’ll be a contributor to the success of Hendrick Motorsports for many years to come. To have someone of his caliber join our team is an unbelievable opportunity for us.”

Kahne, who turned 30 on April 10, is an 11-time Sprint Cup race winner. Now in the midst of his seventh full-time season at NASCAR’s elite level, the Enumclaw, Wash., native also has earned 16 pole positions, 43 top-five finishes and 79 top-10s on the tour.

“I have a comfort level with Mr. Hendrick, my future teammates and the culture of the organization,” said Kahne, whose contract with Hendrick Motorsports will run through the 2015 Sprint Cup season. “For me, it’s the right fit on every level, and I think it gives me a great chance to win races and compete for championships.

“Determining the next step in my career has been an important process, and I’m excited and relieved to have the decision made and announced. Now it’s my responsibility to put all of my energy into winning races and having a successful 2010 with my current team and our sponsors.”

Although 2012 and beyond has been solidified, Kahne is not scheduled to drive a Hendrick Motorsports entry in 2011 due to NASCAR’s four-car limit. While who he will race for has not yet been determined, Kahne intends to drive a full Sprint Cup Series schedule next season.

“If this opportunity was going to happen, I knew having some unanswered questions would be part of the scenario at this stage,” Kahne acknowledged. “Hendrick Motorsports has a commitment to Mark Martin that they want to fulfill, and that’s important. It’s part of what attracts me to the team.”

Kerry and Reed sit down and talk about his Nationwide Series schedule for this year, his Cup experience, the value of pit crews, his crew chief, Green-White-Checkered “wreck-fests”, paybacks, and Texas.

Richard Petty Motorsports And Kasey Kahne To Part Ways In 2011
04.13.2010

Concord, N.C. (April 13, 2010) – Richard Petty Motorsports announced today that driver Kasey Kahne has informed the team he will not renew his contract at the conclusion of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Kahne, driver the No. 9 Budweiser Ford Fusion, has been with RPM since entering NASCAR’s premier series in 2004.

“Kasey is a very talented driver and I have enjoyed watching him race. We all wish him nothing but the best and hope he succeeds in anything he chooses to do,” said team owner Richard Petty.
“Drivers like Kasey Kahne are the very reason we got into this sport. Kasey has helped us get to where we are today,” George Gillett, owner of Richard Petty Motorsports said. “We wish him well in his future however we have the rest of this season to race together and we’re looking forward to a successful remainder of the year.”

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NASCAR.com is reporting that Kasey is headed for Hendrick Motorsports #5 car for 2012 with internet rumors saying he’ll drive for Stewart-Haas Racing next year as they are Hendrick related, and he and Tony are good friends.

Kerry caught up with A.J. Allmendinger at Phoenix before his first career pole run and chatted about the following.   The new spoiler on the Cup cars, Green-White-Checkered finishes, driving for The King Richard Petty, what kinda “tech guy” is he, and his thoughts on Texas coming up this weekend.

JR Motorsports Enacts Driver Change for No. 88 Team
Jamie McMurray to drive No. 88 Chevrolet in select races

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 13, 2010) – JR Motorsports will undergo a driver change to its No. 88 NASCAR Nationwide Series team effective this weekend when the series races at Texas Motor Speedway, general manager and co-owner Kelley Earnhardt announced today.

The organization has released 25-year-old Kelly Bires from his contractual driving duties of the No. 88 Chevrolet. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/McDonalds Chevrolet for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, has agreed to a deal that puts him in the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevy for nine races. Those races include the six upcoming Nationwide Series events – Texas (April 17), Talladega (April 24), Richmond (April 30), Darlington (May 7), Dover (May 15) and Charlotte (May 30) – plus Chicagoland (July 9), Atlanta (Sept. 4) and the return trip to Charlotte (Oct. 15). Hellmann’s will be the primary sponsor in all but two of those races, and the Suave Men brand will be featured on the No. 88 at Chicagoland Speedway.

A native of Joplin, Mo., McMurray is the reigning Daytona 500 champion. He is a seven-time winner in the Nationwide Series with 27 top-fives, 59 top-10s, and three pole awards. No driver decisions for the No. 88 have been determined beyond McMurray’s nine races.

“We are extremely appreciative of Kelly Bires and wish him the best,” Kelley Earnhardt said. “Internally, it was evident the chemistry that is imperative for us to succeed in this highly competitive industry was simply not there. That is the fault of no one person. We owe it to our fans and sponsors to make necessary adjustments in an effort to put our best product on the track, and we’ll continue evaluating our progress until we are confident that our full potential is being reached.”

Under the direction of crew chief Tony Eury Sr., the No. 88 team has finished third in the Nationwide Series point standings each of the past two seasons, accumulating six total victories. In six races this season, the team has one top-10 finish (seventh at Auto Club Speedway). Bires competed in six races for JRM dating back to last November at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He raced the No. 88 in five of the six Nationwide Series events this year, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. driving the season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

The alteration to the No. 88 team does not change plans for the No. 7 team, which presently is to run the full Nationwide Series schedule with multiple drivers. Landon Cassill began a part-time stint last weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, becoming the third driver this season to get behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolets prepared by crew chief and co-owner Tony Eury Jr. He will race the car this weekend at Texas. Danica Patrick has 10 of her scheduled 13 races remaining on the 2010 slate. Scott Wimmer recently completed a two-race commitment and posted season-best finishes of 10th at Bristol Motor Speedway and seventh at Nashville Superspeedway. Driving vacancies left on the No. 7 schedule are still to be determined.