After what became a contemptuous relationship between NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kasey Kahne and his Richard Petty Motorsports team, the entities have parted ways. RPM announced late Wednesday it was immediately releasing Kahne, whose contract was done at the end of the season.
Aric Almirola will drive the No. 9 Budweiser Ford this weekend in Martinsville, Va. and the team is still trying to finalize a driver lineup for the rest of the year. Kahne has not commented.
Frustrations seemed to boil over Saturday night at the Charlotte Motor Speedway when Kahne's Ford experienced brake problems for the third time in recent weeks. Instead of sticking around while the team repaired the car, Kahne left the track. After the crew repaired the car, driver J.J. Yeley took over driving duties and the team said only that Kahne left because he was ill.
Early the next morning, Kahne ran in his Kasey Kahne Foundation Charity 5-Kilometer run and finished in 22 minutes -- still insisting that he had been ill the night before.
Already having decided he would not renew a contract with RPM, Kahne made news early this season when he announced his 2012 plans -- two years early. He will replace Mark Martin in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet in 2012 and recently confirmed that he will drive for Red Bull Racing next year.
The Red Bull team announced Thursday that Kahne would be in the No. 83 Toyota at Martinsville.
Richard Petty Motorsports is the latest evolution of the only Sprint Cup Series team Kahne has ever known. He was hired by Ray Evernham in 2004 to help lead the former champion crew chief's Evernham Motorsports young Dodge operation. The two had great success together, with Kahne capturing the 2004 Cup Rookie of the Year honors. He won a series best six races in 2006 and finished a career best eighth in the championship.
Kahne, 30, of Enumclaw, Wa., also qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2009 with what was now Gillett Evernham Motorsports. That team merged with Petty Enterprises prior to the 2009 season to become Richard Petty Motorsports, which merged with Yates Racing to create its current four-car line up for 2010.
Since the recent mergers, however, the team has struggled. Kahne scored the team's only two wins last year -- at Sears Point, Calif. and Atlanta, but has suffered through a disappointing 2010.
He missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup this year and has only seven top-five finishes through the first 31 races. He's had only one top-10 finish since September including five races where he finished 28th or worse.
His 38th place finish at Charlotte dropped him to 21st in the standings, putting him on pace for his worst ranking since a 23rd place final showing in 2005.
No comments:
Post a Comment