NASCAR: Five Possible Landing Spots for Kasey Kahne in 2018

By Asher Fair | Aug 10, 2017

LONG POND, PA - JULY 29: Kasey Kahne, driver of the #5 Great Clips/Shark Week Chevrolet, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton's 400 at Pocono Raceway on July 29, 2017 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

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LOUDON, NH – JULY 14: Kasey Kahne, driver of the #5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

LOUDON, NH – JULY 14: Kasey Kahne, driver of the #5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /

Retirement

While Kasey Kahne is qualified for the playoffs thanks to his victory at the Brickyard 400, his driving has declined over the years. That win ended a 102-race winless streak that dated back to 2014, the most recent season during which he made the playoffs. Had it not been for his Brickyard 400 win a few weeks ago, Kahne would be nowhere near where he needs to be to qualify for the playoffs on points.

Kahne isn’t exactly one of the oldest drivers in the field, but he isn’t young either. He is 37 years old, and his career has been steadily declining, so there is no way that retirement is not at least a viable option for him following the conclusion of the 2017 season. He is also losing multiple sponsors after this season.

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We have seen so far in this silly season that teams are going after younger and more unproven drivers as opposed to older and more proven drivers with more experience. Case in point, the fact that William Byron, 19, is taking over Kahne’s current ride in the #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Byron and Alex Bowman, 24, who is taking over the driving duties of the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet from Dale Earnhardt Jr., 42, will help make Hendrick Motorsports’ average driver age 27 to start next season as opposed to the 35 it was this season. It really has been all about the young guns securing seats for next season this silly season.

Also, Team Penske will add a third car next season, and they opted to put Ryan Blaney, 23, in it as opposed to a more experienced veteran. The young drivers have definitely been getting the nods over the more experienced drivers this offseason, and that may very well continue, thus forcing Kahne to retire from his full-time driver role in the Cup Series.

Next: How silly will silly season get?

Where do you see Kasey Kahne ending up in the 2018 season? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow me on Instagram as well as Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions, and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.