LINCOLN, Ala. — Kasey Kahne announced in August his plans to retire at the end of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but his final season was cut short.
Struggling with health problems this season — particularly severe dehydration and trouble regulating his heart rate and body temperature while racing — Kahne announced Tuesday that he has not been medically cleared to finish the season.
“Out of the race car I am perfectly healthy, I feel great, and the doctors have determined that I have no underlying health problems,” the 38-year-old explained on Twitter.
“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.”
After 17 years in NASCAR — 15 of which were in the Cup Series — Kahne’s stock car racing career is officially over, and his peers are devastated for him.
“It’s unfortunate that he is not able to come back,” Chase Elliott said at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday. They were teammates in the 2016 and 2017 seasons at Hendrick Motorsports, where Kahne raced for six years before moving to Leavine Family Racing in 2018.
“I hate that he couldn’t do it on his own terms and decide that for himself.”
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Although Kahne experienced some issues with dehydration and spiked heart rate in 2017, he explained in September that it’s been much more consistent this season.
His problems intensified at the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Speedway. Kahne said he was so dehydrated he could barely keep his eyes open during the race and was physically sick afterward. He initially missed the following race — the regular season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he was the defending race winner — because he was still recovering from the severe heat exhaustion. But he has not raced in the No. 95 Chevrolet since Darlington.
After learning Kahne was done for the season, his former teammate, Dale Earnhardt Jr. applauded him on for making “a smart decision based on his doctors advice”.
In 15 Cup Series seasons, Kahne accumulated 18 wins in 529 starts. His last victory was the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2017, and he also won NASCAR’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, three times (2006, 2008, 2012).
Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. echoed the bittersweet reactions and said he texted Kahne after he heard the news.
“I told him I was praying for his future and hopefully everything gets a lot better,” Wallace said Friday at Talladega Superspeedway. “Kudos to him for sticking up for his health and not being selfish. I would be selfish about it and be wanting to drive.”
But Kahne is only done racing in NASCAR.
He still plans to compete in sprint car races — where he’s also a team owner — and his health isn’t a concern because the events are shorter and the cockpits are open.
“I was just working out with him (Thursday) some, and I know he really wanted to finish out the year and try and get a good, solid run to the end for his retirement,” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said Friday. “I think he’s gonna be pretty happy running sprint cars.”
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Article source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2018/10/14/kasey-kahne-health-problems-early-retirement-cup-series/1635945002/