ROCKINGHAM, N.C. -- Kasey Kahne has set his expectations for his first NASCAR start at Rockingham Speedway since 2012.
Kahne hasn't made a national NASCAR series start since 2018, so he isn't under any illusions about his prospects. He doesn't expect to return to the Xfinity Series and deliver a winning performance, but he certainly believes he can be competitive.
After all, Richard Childress Racing regularly brings fast cars to the events that make up the Xfinity Series schedule.
"I feel like to be out as long as I have and come back and just do everything perfect and win would be very tough," Kahne told media members on Friday. "These guys do it every weekend. They're very good at it, and they put a lot of time into it year after year.
"So I think that'd be very tough to do, but I think we can be very competitive, run in the top 10 throughout the race. And who knows what happens after that?"
Kahne chose a fitting weekend to make his return to the race track. He, his sponsors, and Richard Childress Racing chose an event featuring 50 minutes of practice.
Xfinity Series cars head out for practice, including Kasey Kahne in the No. 33. @Rockingham1965 pic.twitter.com/05PiCSmwfs
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) April 18, 2025
This allows him to get comfortable in the Xfinity Series car once again while making laps around a track where he has celebrated a win in the Truck Series. Kahne also missed out on a Cup Series win at Rockingham by a mere 0.010 seconds.
This expanded practice session doesn't mean that Kahne will automatically be in contention on Saturday evening as he drives the No. 33 Chevrolet, especially with the track being recently repaved. Yet, it gives him a solid foundation to build on.
"I think it's pretty open," Kahne added, "but I do want to just really enjoy this weekend, race hard, get every single thing I can out of the car, and enjoy it with the team."
This Xfinity race is a one-off for Kahne, who continues to put his focus on his sprint car team. But what happens if he goes out, runs well, and flirts with a top-five finish? Would this set up another start later in the year?
This is something he would certainly consider. His health is in a good spot, so he doesn't feel that a 250-lap event would wear him out too much. At this point, the decision could come down to sponsors and his comfort behind the wheel.
"This has been as kind of excited, happy I've been this year, whether it's sprint car racing or pavement racing in a little while when it comes to racing. So I've been really looking forward to this race," Kahne said.
"I just really thought, 'See how it goes, see if things click, if it makes sense, If I feel like I've been doing it for 15 years.' Then yeah, I mean, maybe we could get another one in later in the year."