kasey kahne

My hero is Kasey Kahne. He is a 24 year old Nascar Nextel Cup driver. He has been racing since 1994 when he was 14 years old. That's a total of 10 years.

Kasey first started out racing in sprints and midgets. In 1996 he won 11 of the 14 Mini-Sprint events to earn the Hannigan (WA) Speedway Championship as well as the Northwest Mini Sprints championship. In 1998 Kasey began running full-sized sprint cars and won 12 events in his first season. The following year he made a very important career choice, when Steve Lewis offered Kasey a ride in his sprint, midget and Sivler Crown car. Steve Lewis had people like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart drive it. Kasey's talent was somewhat unbieveable because in his first full two seasons he won 11 of the 14 mini-sprint features and two championships. Also in his first season on both asphalt and dirt tracks he gained enough wins to get the USAC Silver Crown Rookie of The Year, finishing 10th in the points standings and both USAC Midget Series Champion winning 9 events and named tthe Arizona Sport Shirts National Midget Driver-of-The-Year honors. From 1998-2002 Kasey competed with the World of Outlaws, All-Star Circuit of Champions, Gumout Racing Series and Northern Sprint Tour Winged Sprint car series. He won the famed "Night Before the 500" classic at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 200 and in 2001 becoming the first driver since Jeff Gordon did it in 1989 and 1990. In October of 2001 he earned two victories in one night in both the USAC Midget series and Sprint Car Series. Also in the 2001 season of The USAC Midget Series, Kasey, in only eleven starts scored 10 top-five finishes with four wins and second-consecutive Belleville Midget Nationals. In 2002 Kasey got his break to come onto the Nascar circuit when he signed with the legendary car owner Robert Yates and ran a limited schedule in the Busch Grand National Divison. In the 2002 season when he drove for Yates he scored a NBS career high finish of 10th at the Michigan International on August 17. With his impressive first season he earned a full time ride with Akins Motorsports. In 2003 Kasey became the first Washington Native to win back-to-back titles in the Jim Raper Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway, which is in Alger Washignton. On August 15, 2003 Kasey scored his first pole at the Michigan International Speedway. Kasey's big win in the Busch Series came on November 15, 2003 in the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Beginning this year, 2004, Kasey got his biggest break of all when he was offered to drive Bill Elliott's # 9 dodge for Ray Evernham, who was once the crew chief for Jeff Gordon. He has had an impressive first season scoring 13 top-five finishes, 14 top-ten finishes, finshing runner-up FIVE times and has 4 poles. He has yet to win this year but he is very determined to get the exculsive first win in Nascar's top Division and I think he'll get it very very soon!!

Kasey lives in Huntersville, North Carolina but his hometown is Enumclaw, Washington. He was born on April 10, 1980. He is of course still living now and he will be racing for a very long time.

Kasey is my hero because he has such unbieveable talent and he gives sooo much back to his fans. For instance there will be an autograph session with him and he won't leave until every fan has gotten an autograph from him or a picture with him. There's one quote that he said that made him be my hero even more and it was:" We race to finish the race -- and if we get an opportunity -- to win the race. I'll just keep on doing the same thing. I've never really learned how to points race, like you've heard some guys do.If my car is good enough to pass the car in front of me I'm going to pass him. If it's not good enough I'm still going to try to pass him." That's what make people like him more because he is genuine and kind. He always sticks around for the fans to sign autographs and take pictures.

Kasey has basically changed my life because while I always watched racing I never really got into it until he came along and he gave me something to cheer about. I look forward to every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday when the races are on. It makes me happy and its my hobby. Until Kasey came to Nascar I used to just fall alseep through the middle of the race but now I watch the whole thing because he makes it more interesting. He is a rookie in the Cup series but he doesn't drive like one....he drives like a pro! Kasey is extremely talented and I will support him for as long as he races and even when he's done racing. That's my hero and he rocks!!