In a triumphant return, NASCAR went back to its roots with a two-day race weekend at the famed Rockingham Speedway. After a 21-year hiatus, the Xfinity Series roared back to life at the 0.94-mile D-shaped oval, drawing passionate fans who packed the stands.
Among the weekend’s biggest stories was 45-year-old former Cup Series full-timer Kasey Kahne, who made his long-awaited comeback to NASCAR after seven years away. Kahne capped off the day with a respectable 15th-place finish and was all smiles after scratching that racing itch.
But when asked about his NASCAR future, the veteran kept things grounded and honest.
After Rockingham Returns, Kasey Kahne Opens Up About His NASCAR Future
An 18-time Cup Series winner, Kahne hadn’t raced in NASCAR since 2018. Saturday marked his first Xfinity start since 2017 and his first time back behind the wheel at Rockingham in over a decade.
While he’s never won a Cup or Xfinity race at “The Rock,” he did capture a Truck Series win there in 2012. So when the opportunity came up to return, he jumped at it—no hesitation.
But Kahne’s day didn’t go quite as planned. What started as a feel-good comeback took a turn when an early wreck collected the No. 33 Chevy. Still, despite some front-end damage, Kahne ran competitively and brought the car home in 15th.
After the race, he reflected on the experience and whether he’d consider another NASCAR start.
“I enjoyed it, I definitely enjoyed it,” he said. “I really looked forward to it and put a lot into it. It was really fun working with the RCR group, going up to their shop again, just being part of a NASCAR team like that was really cool. And all the people at RCR were great.”
Kahne clearly soaked it all in, but he didn’t sugarcoat his outlook on a possible return.
“So, I mean, I enjoyed it, but I don’t know about more in the future. But I’m really glad I did this, and I wish it would have went much different. But I think we were very competitive and had a shot at being somewhere in that top five.”
Driving the No. 33 RCR Chevy with backing from HendrickCars.com, Kahne looked strong from the start—qualifying P4. But his run was derailed around Lap 52 after William Sawalich made contact while trying to pass the No. 53. The move sent Katherine Legge spinning directly into Kahne, who had nowhere to go and slammed into the No. 53 head-on.
Even with the early chaos, Kahne’s return gave fans a fun throwback—and maybe, just maybe, left the door cracked open for one more run.