Kasey Kahne returning to full-time NASCAR competition

NASCAR Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne. USA TODAY Sports

Report: Kasey Kahne returning to full-time NASCAR competition in 2027

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Oct 2, 2026 9:04 PM ET

Kasey Kahne hasn't competed full-time in a NASCAR series since 2018, but that will change next year.

Kahne, 46, is set to contest a full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign with Spire Motorsports in 2027, according to a Friday report from Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic.

Bianchi reported the deal as "in progress."

Kahne last raced in NASCAR in 2025, driving a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR O'Reilly Series race at Rockingham Speedway.

Kahne retired from full-time NASCAR competition before completing the 2018 Cup Series season due to health reasons. He has since become a staple of sprint car racing.

NEWS: Kasey Kahne set to end NASCAR retirement, join Spire Motorsports' Truck Series team for full-time campaign in 2027, sources tell @TheAthletic.https://t.co/b17Qmb6zDR
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) October 2, 2026

A look at Kasey Kahne's career

In the early 2000s, Kahne was one of the most highly touted young drivers of his era. He won 18 Cup Series races over 15 seasons and 529 starts and is also an eight-time O'Reilly Series winner.

Kahne's Truck Series experience is limited, but you can't deny that he's had success in the series. In six Truck Series starts, Kahne has won five times — no, that's not a typo — and he has an average finish of 1.2. Of the 825 laps he's contested in the series, he's led 328 of them, a percentage of 39.76 percent.

The 2027 NASCAR Truck Series season will begin at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 19.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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