Press Teleconference Call with NASCAR Kasey Kahne

Last week NASCAR held a press teleconference with Kasey Kahne and the press.  In the teleconference, Kasey chatted about his upcoming time in the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet with Hendrick Motorsports, working with Kenny Francis, the idea of points swapping, and a few other tidbits.  Check it out...

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On Coming Into the Fold of Hendrick Motorsports:

 

The last year Kasey spent driving for Red Bull, was a year of anticipation of where he was headed.  Finally sitting in the No. 5 car at the Daytona testing it started to feel real.

Kasey Kahne thinks that being in the same garage as the 24 team is "really good."  (He's such an understater!)  He calls it fun to chat with Jeff Gordon and seeing how they sometimes look at the same thing in different ways is enlightening.  He feels that working with Gordon is a great opportunity.

Kasey is pretty excited about coming to Daytona with a team that has a great record at the track and is excited about qualifying.  Kasey Kahne's first impressions of Hendrick Motorsports was "very very impressed," with a lot going on.

With his contract with HMS, he has a short-term form of stability and it's something he hasn't had to date.  Up to this point in time, he's learned a lot and now is the time to take advantage of what he's learned and the situation he's in now.


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On Kenny Francis:

Kasey and Kenny have worked together before and he says that Kenny can see his future there at HMS and he's fitting in well.

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On the 2013 Car

Kasey was testing a 2013 car over at Homestead, and without giving too much away, he said the car drove great and the changes being considered will be exciting.  During testing he was looking for how it handled in single-lap runs, single car runs, group runs, how the different drafting scenarios worked, etc., etc..

He called it fun to drive.

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Kasey Kahne on Point Swapping

Obviously, point swapping is the hot topic this year coming into Daytona with Danica Patrick and Stewart-Haas Racing in association with Tommy Baldwin Racing and Kasey was asked how he felt about it.

He touched on how the Daytona 500 is a huge race to get into and it's a big deal if you don't get into it, or it's a big deal to have something happen where you don't get through one of the dual races.

In other words, you have to do what you need to, to make sure you're in THE race and he's not offended by the process.

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When all is said and done, Kasey Kahne made it clear in the press teleconference he's looking forward to his new team and new car.  He's pretty sure that since he and Francis already have a good communication channel, and great equipment, that they have the potential to have a great year.



I bet fans are looking forward to what Kasey can do on-track in the upcoming 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.

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