NASCAR

FOX Sports Exclusive

The Hot Pass: Kahne playing the waiting game

Share This Story

Lee Spencer

Lee Spencer is the senior NASCAR writer for FOXSports.com. She has provided award-winning coverage of auto racing over the last 15 years. Spencer has lent her expertise to both television and radio and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM Radio and the Performance Racing Network.

MORE>>
 
Updated Nov 14, 2009 3:39 AM ET
     
 
There's a half-fleet of red Dodges lined up at Yates Racing, sans noses, sitting idle, waiting to be worked on — or at least that's the assumption. Kasey Kahne is in a similar predicament for 2010.
downlevel description
This video requires the Adobe Flash Player. Download a free version of the player.
Where will his shop be? Who will be on his crew? What's his testing schedule for the offseason? And the bigger question: Will Kahne and crew chief Kenny Francis be in a position to win races or even vie for the championship? Since the announcement of a potential Richard Petty Motorsports/Yates Racing merger two months ago, there has been a lot of speculation about the eventual complexion of the partnership. For Kahne, there are still a lot of unknowns. As far as having a key, an access code or even a tour of the Yates shop, that hasn't happened yet. Kahne has been in the general vicinity of the Roush Fenway/Yates Racing facility in Concord. He's "been to the NASCAR R & D Center" down the street and to the Concord Airport, where the Roush hangars are located. But the Yates Welcome Wagon has yet to extend an invitation to Richard Petty Motorsports' flagship driver. "I've driven by it, and that's it," Kahne said. "As far as next year and testing and all that planning, I don't know. I know that we're trying to win races and do everything possible to win, but as of right now, that deal is not done. To me, there are still a lot of unknowns. "For me to go over there ... I doubt that they want me over there, and I don't know if I should be over there. I don't drive for them yet. I don't know how all that's going to work. I know it's not done. I know that I'm going to have the same team, and that's all that I can ask for is sticking with Kenny Francis and our guys that we have." Kahne said after talking to his crew, "everybody wants to stick together" for next season. But with this week's mass exodus of employees — most of the remaining workers from both the engine and car shop have packed their belongings and exited the premises — how many of the original RPM employees will be retained in the merger remains to be seen. Kahne, who is 10th in the point standings and has two wins, continues to endure another tumultuous season with the company formerly known as Evernham Motorsports. Even though the current company is branded under the iconic Petty name, it can't mask the dysfunction occurring behind the scenes, where management and ownership cannot be reached when questions are asked and decisions need to be made. For Kahne and the No. 9 crew, it's just business as usual as Phoenix. "Same thing that we've done all year when anything out of the ordinary happens there," Kahne said. "They show up ... same group of guys ... and work hard and do everything they can to give me the best car they can give me. "As a team, a driver, a crew chief ... Kenny Francis ... we can only do the things that can benefit us and help us and that's to stay focus on doing what we enjoy doing. That's how our whole team has been so far this weekend. It's nice to have a group of guys like that."

Is three a charm?

Martin Truex Jr. collected his third Cup pole of the season on Friday, which ties him with Jimmie Johnson for the most starts from the first position. Unlike Johnson, however, Truex has not been able to capitalize on his qualifying effort during his lame-duck season at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. In the first 34 races, Truex has yet to post a top-five finish this season. His best effort was sixth at Darlington in May. "We've had like four top-10 finishes this year, and that's no way indicative of how we've run on the racetrack," Truex said. "It's just the way the year has gone. It's been one of those years where we can't seem to do anything right. "We've had decent speed and good cars, but we don't have good finishes to go with it. We've had a lot of weird things happen. We've had a lot of bad luck. But at the end of the day, we just haven't gotten the job done on race day." With three top-10 finishes at Phoenix, Truex is hoping to turn his luck around. He has just two races remaining in the No. 1 Chevrolet before the next chapter of his racing career begins with Michael Waltrip Racing. Truex is "excited" about the prospects for 2010 and is encouraged by the plans his future crew chief, Pat Tryson, is making regarding personnel and cars. Still, after winning two Nationwide Series titles and his first Cup race with crew chief Bono Manion, Truex's departure is bittersweet. "We've been together since 2003, and he's been there every step of the way for all of our success," Truex said. "He's been the guy steering that. So, I have a ton of respect for him and am so thankful for him and for all he's ever done for me. I don't think that'll change."

Early concession

Jeff Gordon has not been mathematically eliminated from the 2009 Sprint Cup title race yet — but his focus has shifted from the championship to victory lane. "When you are 112 points out of the championship, you aren't really focused on anything other than trying to win the race and get the best finish you can," Gordon said. "A lot has to happen in those points before we are a factor in the championship." Gordon has been consistent at PIR with an average finish of 10.9. It took the four-time champ 17 attempts on the one-miler before he added a Phoenix trophy to his collection. On Friday, Gordon, who was 10th in practice but qualified 14th for the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500, acknowledged he left a little on the track. "We missed it a little bit," Gordon said. "We will go back to work on it, and hopefully we hit it on Sunday."

Numbers game

Ron Hornaday, 51, became the oldest touring champ in NASCAR history on Friday after securing a record fourth truck series title. Hornaday finished fourth in the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix — his 122nd top-five finish in the series.

Say what?

What does NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson do to relax with his crew? "Just two weeks ago maybe, we got together and had a barbeque for all the guys. We had burgers. We played, I called chuckers, some people call it cornhole, that name kind of doesn't sound right to me. We played it, we had a tournament and the guys, we had a big time with their wives and all the guys playing."
Tagged: Michael Waltrip, Jimmie Johnson

More Stories From Lee Spencer

Fantasy Auto Racing


Trending Now

Stories | Photos | Lists | Videos

NASCAR Videos

NASCAR Drive for Diversity Posted: Feb 09, 2012
Meet the new class for NASCAR's 2012 Drive for Diversity Team.

Tire Testing in Texas Posted: Feb 09, 2012
Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, and Greg Biffle talk about testing new ...

Fantasy Auto Racing: Keep 'em garaged Posted: Feb 08, 2012
FOXSports.com's fantasy guru Mike Harmon tells you which drivers to steer clear ...

MORE FOXSPORTS VIDEO »

Fox Sports Store

    itemName itemURL imageSrc price itemDescription
    Jeff Gordon Black Low Rider Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Jeff_Gordon/browse/featuredproduct/603017/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_603000/ff_603017_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Jeff Gordon Black Low Rider Adjustable Hat
    Juan Pablo Montoya Black Black Out Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Juan_Pablo_Montoya/browse/featuredproduct/603057/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_603000/ff_603057_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Juan Pablo Montoya Black Black Out Adjustable Hat
    Joey Logano Orange Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Joey_Logano/browse/featuredproduct/603115/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_603000/ff_603115_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Joey Logano Orange Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat
    Checkered Flag Juan Pablo Montoya Red Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Juan_Pablo_Montoya/browse/featuredproduct/603117/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_603000/ff_603117_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Checkered Flag Juan Pablo Montoya Red Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat
    Dale Earnhardt Jr. Royal Blue Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Dale_Earnhardt_Jr/browse/featuredproduct/616723/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_616000/ff_616723_xl.jpg&w=100 21.95 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Royal Blue Exhaust Flames Adjustable Hat
    Chase Authentics Jeff Burton Holiday Driver T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Jeff_Burton/browse/featuredproduct/731363/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731363_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Jeff Burton Holiday Driver T-Shirt - Black
    Chase Authentics Jeff Burton 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Jeff_Burton/browse/featuredproduct/731374/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731374_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Jeff Burton 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black
    Chase Authentics Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Dale_Earnhardt_Jr/browse/featuredproduct/731376/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731376_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black
    Chase Authentics Kevin Harvick 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Kevin_Harvick/browse/featuredproduct/731378/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731378_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Kevin Harvick 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black
    Chase Authentics Matt Kenseth 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black http://www.foxsportsshop.com/FOX_Matt_Kenseth/browse/featuredproduct/731380/source/prsp_ca http://images.footballfanatics.com/FFImage/thumb.aspx?i=/productImages/_731000/ff_731380_xl.jpg&w=100 23.95 Chase Authentics Matt Kenseth 2012 Driver Schedule T-Shirt - Black
Microsoft© 2012 Microsoft