The biggest silly season story of the summer has come to conclusion with the announcement that Kasey Kahne will drive for Red Bull in 2011.
Earlier this year, Rick Hendrick hired Kahne for 2012, but his contract with RPM expired at the end of this year. Mark Martin, in the No. 5 HMS car’s contract goes through 2011 and he said he had no interest in leaving early.
The only question, which remains is what happens to the temporarily sidelined team No.1 driver, Brian Vickers? The team hasn’t announced when or if it would expand to three cars including ex-Formula 1 driver, Scott Speed.
Jay Frye, GM of Red Bull said “this obviously all happened very quickly. Over the next month, we will finalize the specific team details.”
Kahne said “This opportunity places me with an established, competitive team that has proven they can win races and make the Chase,” Kahne said.
“I have great respect for Red Bull, so to have the opportunity to drive for Red Bull Racing Team in 2011 is a great fit for me, both personally and professionally. It feels good to be able to finally put this to rest and focus my energy on finishing the season strong for the No. 9 team and our sponsors.”
What about Rick Hendrick?
When Rick Hendrick signed Kahne to drive in 2012 he was like that dog which had a car bumper in its’ jaws.
He might have bitten off more than he could chew. Kahne had nowhere to go in 2011 and Mark Martin was unwilling to step out of his car until the end of 2011.
With Kahne announced at Red Bull, Hendrick could take a breath again.
He explained: "The process went on longer than any of us anticipated, but I'm glad that we took our time to make sure it was right. And although I'm not looking forward to racing against him next year, I'm comfortable knowing this is the best situation for Kasey."
In regards to veteran Mark Martin, Hendrick added "We're looking forward to another year with Mark Martin, one of the true class acts in racing, driving for Hendrick Motorsports," Hendrick said.
"There aren't many things in this world I'd rather do than win a championship with him, and that will be our goal with the No. 5 team for the rest of this year and in 2011."
Earlier this year, Rick Hendrick hired Kahne for 2012, but his contract with RPM expired at the end of this year. Mark Martin, in the No. 5 HMS car’s contract goes through 2011 and he said he had no interest in leaving early.
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| Kasey Kahne (Photo: Philippe Champoux/Auto123.com) |
The only question, which remains is what happens to the temporarily sidelined team No.1 driver, Brian Vickers? The team hasn’t announced when or if it would expand to three cars including ex-Formula 1 driver, Scott Speed.
Jay Frye, GM of Red Bull said “this obviously all happened very quickly. Over the next month, we will finalize the specific team details.”
Kahne said “This opportunity places me with an established, competitive team that has proven they can win races and make the Chase,” Kahne said.
“I have great respect for Red Bull, so to have the opportunity to drive for Red Bull Racing Team in 2011 is a great fit for me, both personally and professionally. It feels good to be able to finally put this to rest and focus my energy on finishing the season strong for the No. 9 team and our sponsors.”
What about Rick Hendrick?
When Rick Hendrick signed Kahne to drive in 2012 he was like that dog which had a car bumper in its’ jaws.
He might have bitten off more than he could chew. Kahne had nowhere to go in 2011 and Mark Martin was unwilling to step out of his car until the end of 2011.
With Kahne announced at Red Bull, Hendrick could take a breath again.
He explained: "The process went on longer than any of us anticipated, but I'm glad that we took our time to make sure it was right. And although I'm not looking forward to racing against him next year, I'm comfortable knowing this is the best situation for Kasey."
In regards to veteran Mark Martin, Hendrick added "We're looking forward to another year with Mark Martin, one of the true class acts in racing, driving for Hendrick Motorsports," Hendrick said.
"There aren't many things in this world I'd rather do than win a championship with him, and that will be our goal with the No. 5 team for the rest of this year and in 2011."