Kasey Kahne officially ends NASCAR retirement for full-time Spire Truck ride

In 2027, Kasey Kahne will return to full-time NASCAR competition in the Truck Series, joining forces with Spire Motorsports to drive the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado.

Kahne hasn’t been full-time in any level of NASCAR since the 2018 Cup season, when he had to abruptly step out of the car due to chronic dehydration issues, which was exacerbated by the lengthy three- to four-hour Cup races.

However, the 46-year-old is back full-time, signing a deal with Spire Motorsports to chase the Truck Series title in 2027, which feature far shorter races than the premier division.

“This is one of the coolest announcements we’ve been able to make,” said Spire Motorsports so-Owner Jeff Dickerson. “Kasey is not only a legendary driver but is someone that Spire shares a long history with. Having him in one of our trucks running for a championship means a lot to our organization and we fully trust that he has the same competitive nature and drive to win that he’s always had.”

Kahne is a winner at all three national levels in an impressive career that features 18 Cup wins in 529 starts, and eight O’Reilly wins in 216 starts. But Kahne’s Truck Series stats are at a whole other level, making just six Truck starts in his career and winning five of them.

His only loss was still a runner-up finish, leaving Kahne with an extraordinary average finish of 1.2 in Trucks. He hasn’t made a start in the Truck series since 2015.

“When Jeff (Dickerson) first asked me about running trucks for Spire Motorsports, I didn’t think he was serious,” said Kahne. “To be out of the sport for as long as I was and to have the opportunity to race for a strong FedEx Freight Truck Series team, or even full time in NASCAR again, was a bit of a surprise. The thought of a return to pavement racing and involvement in something that I was a part of for so long was exciting. It started sounding pretty good and I’m thankful for the opportunity to come back with a team that knows how to win.”

Among his 31 NASCAR national-series victories, Kahne is a three-time winner of the Coca-Cola 600 and earned his final Cup win in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.

Since pulling back from NASCAR, Kahne has gone dirt racing in both the World of Outlaws and High Limit Racing sprint car divisions. He even made a one-off NASCAR O’Reilly start at Rockingham just last year, driving for Richard Childress Racing. He started fourth, and still earned a top 15 finish despite early damage.

Sprint CarKasey Kahne is as passionate and competitive as ever at Knoxville Nationals

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