Danica Patrick: Top 5 Replacement Candidates in 2018
By Asher Fair
Kasey Kahne
Kasey Kahne is like Danica Patrick in that he is driving for one of the top teams in the sport in Hendrick Motorsports, but he has not performed on a high level as of late, as he has just one top 10 finish in the championship standings since he finished in 10th way back in 2009.
The thing is, Kahne, unlike Patrick, has actually performed well over the course of his career, and he has 17 career Cup Series wins to show for it. At 37 years old, a change of scenery to another top-tier team like Stewart-Haas Racing may be the only option to see if he can, in fact, get his career back on the right track.
GreatClips, Kahne’s primary sponsor, announced that they would end their partnership with the team following this season, and one of his other sponsors, Farmer’s Insurance, also announced that they would not renew their deal with the team.
While Kahne is under contract with Hendrick Motorsports through 2018, he himself admitted that he needs to step down if he’s not performing by 2018. Without sponsors heading into 2018, however, he may leave the team after this season. He is currently way down in 22nd place in the championship standings, which would be his lowest finish in the standings since 2005 if it holds, despite having his best career two-race start to a season this season.
Perhaps the four-car Stewart-Haas Racing team would give him a chance to get his career back on the right track. After all, when he first came to the four-car Hendrick Motorsports team in 2012 in his ninth career season, he had his best career season by far, finishing in a career-high 4th place in the standings. Maybe he can replicate that success by coming to Stewart-Haas Racing to drive the #10 Ford.