A former NASCAR championship contender is returning for the full 2027 season, according to a new report from The Athletic. Kasey Kahne is back.
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Jordan Bianchi reported on Friday — the day of the week closely associated with the veteran racer — that Kahne is coming out of retirement. Bianchi's sources, speaking under condition of anonymity, say that he is closing in on a deal with Spire Motorsports to pilot one of the team's full-time entries in the Craftsman Truck Series.
Kahne, 46, has not competed in a full NASCAR season since 2017. He only made 25 starts in 2018 after abruptly retiring due to health concerns, which included dehydration and heat exhaustion.
Once he walked away from NASCAR, he shifted his focus to sprint car racing. He competed full-time in both the World of Outlaws and High Limit Racing.
The Washington state native achieved success when healthy. He made 529 starts in the Cup Series while driving for Ray Evernham, Richard Petty Motorsports, Red Bull Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and Leavine Family Racing. He won 18 races, including three Coca-Cola 600s and one Brickyard 400.
Kahne also made 215 starts in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and six starts in the Craftsman Truck Series before walking away from the sport. He delivered eight O'Reilly Series wins and five Truck Series wins.
He then returned in 2025 for one O'Reilly Series start at Rockingham. He drove for Richard Childress Racing and finished 14th.
Kahne will now return to NASCAR once again, according to The Athletic, and he will give Spire Motorsports the opportunity to compete for a drivers' championship.
The NASCAR team has fielded full-time entries in the Truck Series this season, but none have featured a full-time driver. Eighteen different competitors have made Truck Series starts for Spire Motorsports this season, and two celebrated wins.
The late Kyle Busch, who passed away on May 21, won at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Dover Motor Speedway. Carson Hocevar won at Texas Motor Speedway.
