Kasey Kahne’s stop-gap stint at Red Bull Racing (2010-11)
Join me throughout this year as I take a look at when some of the sport’s biggest stars drove some unusual cars! (Presented in no particular order).
Why? Kasey Kahne, having raced in the 9 car under three different ownership regimes, received his release from the operation late in the 2010 season. Although he was able to sign with Hendrick Motorsports for 2012, he needed a ride for the rest of 2010 and all of 2011. Enter Team Red Bull, who had experienced little success since its inception.
How successful were they? Kahne would post the organization’s second-ever win in 2011 in the penultimate race of the year. This capped an amazing run of five top-fives in seven races, elevating him to fourteenth in points at season’s end.
What was the aftermath? As expected, the Red Bull team shut down following the 2011 finale, disappointed with the team’s on-track performance and off-track impact on sales. Kahne finished a career-best fourth in points in 2012 for Hendrick Motorsports, but would post only above-average results before health issues ended his career in 2018.
Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 8 Allstate commercials out of 10—it took a lot of guts for Kasey to leave the only team he’d driven for in Cup for what was essentially a mid-pack team looking to fold. Also, it allowed him to race for four different manufacturers in four years.
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A MOXOC Media production