Kasey Kahne shared a health update following the announcement that he will compete full time in the NASCAR FedEx Freight Truck Series in 2027 for Spire Motorsports.
Spire Motorsports announced that Kahne will be drive the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado RST and will make his debut in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway for the Fresh from Florida 250 and will compete in a full schedule.
Kahne stepped away from the NASCAR Cup Series due to health issues in 2018 when he was not cleared to return to competition after he suffered dehydration and overheating following a race at Darlington. Kahne shared at the time, “To say I’m disappointed after receiving the results that I was not medically cleared for the remainder of the season following a test session at Charlotte Motor Speedway last week is an understatement. It was my hope everything would go well and I would be able to finish out the season strong in the #95 for Leavine Family Racing. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”
“Out of the race car I am perfectly healthy, I feel great, and the doctors have determined that I have no underlying health problems,” he continued. “My body just can’t handle extended periods of time in the race car and we weren’t able to control the sweat ratio to keep me hydrated enough to prevent any permanent damage to my body.”
https://t.co/cjQOxCHWnK
— Kasey Kahne (@kaseykahne) October 9, 2018
Kahne spoke to members of the media following the announcement and provided a health update and why he feels confidence running a full-time schedule in the Truck Series.
“To me the big thing is the short races. I could always make it in the Cup car, you know, halfway point is when it started really kicking in. And as the season went, and there is no breaks, by July, August it keeps adding up. It was a couple years there and then the final one at Darlington. It was just too much built up, could not recover. That’s where my body was.”
“Knowing that these races are shorter, a lot of night races, weekends off in between on some of them. Just a completely different schedule than what we had going on back then 2015, ’16, ’17, ’18. I think that’ll fit me really well. Also, there’s more ways to stay cool these days than there was back then as well. Just working hard to make sure I stay cool and the trucks as cooled as it can be. I think all of that stuff will help throughout the season and make it possible.”
Kahne also noted that he learned his limits during the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race with Richard Childress Racing at Rockingham last year.
“I did that O’Reilly race last year at Rockingham. It got pretty warm there. I definitely, by the end of that race, was really feeling it. That was a 150-lapper on a hot day. So I learned a lot about it, about kind of myself there and where I was. And then Sprint Car races. I’ve stayed racing in my Sprint Car, not near as much as I did at times, but I think I’ve raced 30 times this year, 35 times. I just feel really good in a shorter distance type race. So I’ll be good to go.”
Kasey Kahne gives a health update after he’s announced a #NASCAR return to the Truck Series in 2027 with Spire Motorsports.
Kahne was forced into retirement after 2018 with dehydration issues during Cup races. https://t.co/2RumzRQop6
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) October 7, 2026
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