ROCKINGHAM — One former NASCAR driver is looking to earn his second checkered flag at the Rock.
Kasey Khane will be behind the wheel of the No. 33 car April 19 for the Xfinity Series race at Rockingham Speedway — NASCAR’s first race at the track in that series in more than two decades — Richard Childress Racing announced Friday.
Khane is no stranger to the Rock, having won the 2012 Craftsman Truck Series race and placing second behind Matt Kenseth in the 2004 Cup Series race.
“I’m excited to get back behind the wheel of a stock car, especially at a place like Rockingham Speedway,” Kahne said in the press release. “Rockingham has been a special track throughout my career. I remember winning the Truck Series race in 2012 when the sport went back there last, so to be a part of the current return is cool.”
Matt Crafton, who placed third in the 2012 truck race and sixth in 2013, will be the only full-time driver in that series to run in the Black’s Tire 200 on April 18. Khane drove in the Xfinity Series (formerly Busch Grand National Series) from 2002-2017, including the last five races at Rockingham finishing: 31st in Spring ‘02; 16th in Fall ‘02; 26th in Spring ‘03; 18th in Fall ‘03; and 26th in 2004. Jamie McMurray, who was at the Rock testing for ARCA in November, won the final four Xfinity races at Rockingham. Click here to read more about McMurray. “Kasey is a great driver and a fierce competitor,” said Richard Childress, chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “Our Xfinity Series program is top notch, and we look forward to watching Kasey race with Austin (Hill) and Jesse (Love) for an exciting return to Rockingham Speedway. With Kasey behind the wheel, we expect the No. 33 to have a shot at winning the race.” According to NASCAR, this will be Kahne’s first start behind the wheel since 2018. “Kasey is a great friend and an incredibly talented driver, and we’re proud to have HendrickCars.com on board with him at Rockingham. It’s going to be exciting to see him return to NASCAR at such a special track and with a great team,” Rick Hendrick, chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group, said in the release. “I have tremendous respect for Richard and everything his organization has accomplished. We look forward to seeing Kasey return to NASCAR in what promises to be a memorable weekend for the sport.” Hendrick was in Richmond County in 2022 to announce the future Hendrick Center for Automotive Training at Richmond Community College. Click here to read that story. Kahne said he is looking forward to being at the organizational test, along with dozens of other race teams, at the Rock on Tuesday, Jan. 28. That test will be open to the public with free admission to the Turn 4 grandstands. Click here to read more about the test next week. Also on Friday, the speedway and promoter Track Enterprises posted that racetherock.com is the only official site to purchase tickets for the races Easter weekend, after being made aware that some resellers are offering tickets at inflated rates. Tickets will also be sold at the track during the test on Jan. 28. Prior to the race weekend, Rockingham will host the return of ThunderFest, featuring meet-and-greets with drivers and music from the Marshall Tucker Band. Click here to read more about ThunderFest.
Click here to read about the Xfinity drivers at the November test.
