Kasey Kahne
SprintCarUnlimited.com continues its list of the Top 25 Car Owners since 1985 with Kasey Kahne and Kasey Kahne Racing. The No. 4 car owner started his team in the mid-2000s and has been a fixture at the top of the sport ever since.
Accomplishments: Kasey Kahne Racing came to fruition in 2005, and Kahne decided one year later to take his show on the road with the World of Outlaws. Joey Saldana responded with a seven-win season that saw the team finish third in the standings. The winning trend continued throughout Saldana’s tenure with the team. In seven years, he racked up 68 victories, including a Kings Royal title, an Ironman 55 triumph, and two Gold Cup Race of Champions tallies. He also had a 20-win season in 2009 and finished third in the WoO standings. But Saldana wasn’t the only driver to pilot a KKR car over the seven-year time frame. Craig Dollansky had three wins in a second entry in 2009, and Paul McMahan, with some help from Dennis Roth, added five more. Brad Sweet also ran on a limited basis in 2010, with Cody Darrah running four seasons from 2011 through 2014. Darrah was responsible for six wins. Daryn Pittman replaced Saldana in the primary car in 2013 and earned the organization’s first World of Outlaws title in 2013 on the strength of eight wins. Over the next five years, Pittman continued to be a force in the point standings and finished with 47 trips to Victory Lane. As for Sweet, he continues to carry the KKR banner today. Since 2010, he has registered over 50 World of Outlaws wins, two Kings Royal titles, a Knoxville Nationals crown, and captured the 2019 World of Outlaws championship in an epic battle with Donny Schatz that went down to the last race. James McFadden came aboard last year and won races in central Pennsylvania and with the All Star Circuit of Champions.
Did You Know: We all know about the success of Joey Saldana, Daryn Pittman, Brad Sweet, and a few others, but they weren’t the only big names to fall under the Kasey Kahne Racing banner. Jesse Hockett and Jeff Shepard ran some shows, as did Jason Johnson during the 2008 season. The organizations has also had its share of top-flight crew members. Paul Silva, Ricky Warner, and Lee Stauffer also spent some time turning the wrenches on KKR machines.
Why Here: For the better part of 15 seasons, Kasey Kahne Racing has been one of the dominant forces in the sport. Since putting the team together in 2005, Kasey Kahne-owned machines have posted over 180 World of Outlaws wins and 200 victories overall. The organization has also checked off the big races, winning two Kings Royals, a Knoxville Nationals title, as well as the Gold Cup, Silver Cup, and Ironman 55. The team also landed a pair of titles, with the second coming last year. That’s enough to put KKR in a solid top-five spot.
They said it: “The main thing Kasey brought is his passion for Sprint Car racing. It makes it an infectious place to want to go work. There is a stable environment that allows people to really put together a good team. You are only as good as the people around you, and every day I was there, we had some of the best crew guys in the business. That stems from Kasey’s leadership and the environment he provides in the workplace for people who want to work there. No doubt the people he has been able to put together has been one of his strong points, which has made the team so successful.” — Sprint Car driver Daryn Pittman.
“Kasey always provided the teams and the employees everything they needed to be successful. He didn’t just want you to be successful at KKR and on the track, he wanted you to be successful from an individual standpoint. There were guys who left KKR, and he helped or made sure they were successful whether it was getting a job in NASCAR or starting their own business. I think that says a lot about him. He treated a lot of people like a friend or family, and there aren’t too many situations where you can work for someone who not only provides you a good work environment, but who also cares about your success outside of the business. That says a lot about Kasey.” — Former Kasey Kahne Racing crew member and now BAPS Motor Speedway General Manager Kolten Gouse.
READ ABOUT THE OTHER CAR OWNERS IN THE TOP 25
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