Former Hendrick driver back in NASCAR after seven years

Kasey Kahne has not competed in a NASCAR race since 2018, when he did not run the final 11 races of his lone season with Leavine Family Racing due to health concerns. But that is set to change in April.

Richard Childress Racing have confirmed that Kahne is set to drive a third entry for the team as the Xfinity Series makes its way back to Rockingham Speedway for the first time in more than two decades on Saturday, April 19. He is set to join full-time drivers Jesse Love and Austin Hill in the team's lineup that weekend.

Kahne is set to drive the No. 33 Chevrolet, which is set to be sponsored by HendrickCars.com, in the 250-lap Rockingham 250 at the four-turn, 1.017-mile (1.637-kilometer) Rockingham, North Carolina oval.

Kasey Kahne returns to NASCAR

Kahne, who has remained active in various forms of motorsport since stepping away from NASCAR in September 2018, won the Truck Series race at "The Rock" for Turner Motorsports in 2012, but the track has not hosted an Xfinity Series race since 2004.

The 44-year-old Enumclaw, Washington native has not competed in an Xfinity Series race since 2017, when he competed at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway for JR Motorsports. He has eight career Xfinity Series victories to his name, with the most recent coming at Daytona in 2014.

Kahne, a 15-year Cup Series veteran and 18-time race winner at the Cup level, spent the final six seasons of his career as a full-time driver at Hendrick Motorsports from 2012 to 2017 before he was replaced by William Byron ahead of the 2018 season, so it is only fitting that HendrickCars.com has signed on as the sponsor of his No. 33 Chevrolet for April's race.

Kahne has never competed for Richard Childress Racing in a NASCAR race.

The Rockingham 250 is set to be broadcast live on the CW Network from Rockingham Speedway beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 19.