Kasey Kahne knows where he’s going in 2012, Hendrick Motorsports, but he doesn’t have 2011 nailed down yet.
Hendrick Motorsports officially announced that Kahne would drive the #5 Chevrolet after HMS’ commitment to Mark Martin ends in 2011. “Mark wants to drive that car and that’s where we are headed, right now,” Hendrick said.
The problem facing Hendrick is that he’s limited to four Sprint Cup car teams under current NASCAR rules. That means Kahne who will be leaving Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of this year can not drive for HMS, which also has Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt,Jr in its’ three other cars, unless one driver leaves.
So that leaves the important question, where does Kasey Kahne go? Hendrick says he’ll find that answer, but he doesn’t have one yet.
“There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that this is a commitment I would make to Kasey, put the burden on my shoulders, because I see him as a future star and a guy that will be racing here a long time winning championships and races,” Hendrick said.
Referring to four-car cap he added, “we’re going to figure out ’11. If it was under the old regime, I have a building over here and I would have five teams, but I can’t do that.”
The Kahne situation is bit like Juan Pablo Montoya-Jenson Button-Frank Williams situation back in 1999. Although Kahne is established and Montoya wasn’t eleven years ago. Frank Williams had no place for Montoya on his Formula One team so he shipped the Colombian to Chip Ganassi to run in CART.
There are many possible scenarios to put Kahne in a car. Here are a few.
Kahne might go to Stewart Haas Racing which not only buys chassis and engines from HMS and has a number of former key HMS employees including Tony Stewart’s crew chief, Darian Grubb.
Then there’s a possibility of JR Motorsports, 25 per cent owned by Hendrick, with co-owners Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kelley Earnhardt and Tony Eury, Sr. The team currently has a two-car Nationwide Series entry, but NASCAR might consider that the offending “fifth” HMs car.
Another scenario floating around is, reading Hendrick’s quote, carefully, “that where we are headed right now,” means Martin and he could revise the contract. They could ask the loyal Martin “to take a bullet for the team,” to step aside and permit Kahne to waste no time and up to speed in the #5 and put Martin with Stewart Haas Racing.
In any event we know, definitely, that Kahne will be in an HMS no later than 2012 but don’t know, definitely where he’ll be in 2011.
Hendrick Motorsports officially announced that Kahne would drive the #5 Chevrolet after HMS’ commitment to Mark Martin ends in 2011. “Mark wants to drive that car and that’s where we are headed, right now,” Hendrick said.
The problem facing Hendrick is that he’s limited to four Sprint Cup car teams under current NASCAR rules. That means Kahne who will be leaving Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of this year can not drive for HMS, which also has Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt,Jr in its’ three other cars, unless one driver leaves.
So that leaves the important question, where does Kasey Kahne go? Hendrick says he’ll find that answer, but he doesn’t have one yet.
“There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that this is a commitment I would make to Kasey, put the burden on my shoulders, because I see him as a future star and a guy that will be racing here a long time winning championships and races,” Hendrick said.
Referring to four-car cap he added, “we’re going to figure out ’11. If it was under the old regime, I have a building over here and I would have five teams, but I can’t do that.”
The Kahne situation is bit like Juan Pablo Montoya-Jenson Button-Frank Williams situation back in 1999. Although Kahne is established and Montoya wasn’t eleven years ago. Frank Williams had no place for Montoya on his Formula One team so he shipped the Colombian to Chip Ganassi to run in CART.
There are many possible scenarios to put Kahne in a car. Here are a few.
Kahne might go to Stewart Haas Racing which not only buys chassis and engines from HMS and has a number of former key HMS employees including Tony Stewart’s crew chief, Darian Grubb.
Then there’s a possibility of JR Motorsports, 25 per cent owned by Hendrick, with co-owners Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Kelley Earnhardt and Tony Eury, Sr. The team currently has a two-car Nationwide Series entry, but NASCAR might consider that the offending “fifth” HMs car.
Another scenario floating around is, reading Hendrick’s quote, carefully, “that where we are headed right now,” means Martin and he could revise the contract. They could ask the loyal Martin “to take a bullet for the team,” to step aside and permit Kahne to waste no time and up to speed in the #5 and put Martin with Stewart Haas Racing.
In any event we know, definitely, that Kahne will be in an HMS no later than 2012 but don’t know, definitely where he’ll be in 2011.