Kasey Kahne just announced (and this is not a surprise) that he is stepping away from NASCAR full time after this year.

https://twitter.com/kaseykahne/status/1030068665620811777

Short quote from the linked announcement:

"I need to sepnd more time doing the things I enjoy and love and that's spending time with Tanner [his son] and my sprint car teams."

Rules. Hope Kyle Larson heads this same direction. 

I'm not sure it's "rules" based.  Kasey has been a bit meh at best with his desire at NASCAR the last I'd say two to three years (that's not me saying that, that's him and people around him). I think he legitimately is at the age where he's just ready to move on to spend more time with family, sprint cars and things he FULLY enjoys doing.  I know that he became a bit disillusioned the last year or two at Hendrick bc he felt disconnected from the team and process (specifically mentioned he had to make an appointment to go to the Hendrick shop and see his cars, talk to crew, etc.). It's just time to move on for him I think. 

Good for Kasey! I'm sure alot of us go to a job every day we're not passionate about. To be able to get out and trully do what you love has to be amazing!

[raises hand]

Agreed, awesome for Kasey to be at a time in his life where he can step away and fully enjoy the rest of his life with passion!

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Love it. Picture a pipeline routed from dirt track open wheel racing directly to nascar. We have already started to clamp the opening at the bottom. Now we have placed a strainer attached to the other end of the pipe, and guys like Tony, Dave Blaney & Kasey are being sifted out & returned back to sprint car racing. The rest of the mindless dregs can remain in the pipe.

Kyle, you are next. Come home. 

I hope you guys realize that all of the money these guys have put into sprint car racing has come from nascar. Stop racing in nascar and stop getting the millions of dollars to fund "fun." I like to think that Kasey has put away plenty of money to live out the rest of his days without having to be a walmart greeter at age 60, but I doubt he's got the money to run 2 full time WoO teams and a 3rd part time for much longer. I would guess KKR down to one full time team in the next year or two. 

For everyone saying they want Larson to come back and run the WoO full time, he doesnt have the money to do it right now. I hope he stays in nascar as long as he is competitive and become a Tony or a Jeff figure where he can become worth $50 million+ and can then put in for a long term WoO career. 

Totally agree. I don't watch a minute of NAPCAR but I do follow Kyle's results and watch some of his interviews on YouTube etc. and you can see a very obvious difference between his interviews at NAPCAR events and those at sprint car events. He seemed 10 times happier winning at Lincoln than he did winning any NAPCAR event. I don't blame him for cashing those checks. If I were him, I would too but he is in his element when he's in a sprint car slamming the cushion. No doubt.

I dont know how well his business does but he does have the Factory Kahne Shock Company. That and if he was semi smart with investing, etc. I'm sure he'll be fine.

Willie, Kasey's cousin, owns FK Shocks.  I'm not saying Kasey doesn't have a financial interest or a % ownership but it's Willie's deal.  But he's been in Nascar, what almost 15 years?  If he does good with investing (his bro-in-law is a financial advisor) he should be set. 

Gotcha, yeah I have a feeling Kasey had something to do with getting that started

Happy for Kasey and happy for sprint car racing. I wouldn't be too worried about Kasey's finances going forward. Guys like Kasey and Tony aren't foolish enough to squander their own money on their race teams. They let their sponsors do that. And both have many very loyal sponsors, and can sell product for them. Sure they have an investment in it.....but their investments are designd to make them money, not cost them money. They've earned what they have, and because of what they earned they enjoy an advantage over most race teams and race team owners. And of course it would be great to see many more owners with the same wealth, passion and backgrounds as Kasey and Tony. The sport needs an abundance of guys like that, not just a few.

Mark my words, there will come a day (sooner rather than later) that you will have to buy your Knoxville Nationals 4 day tickets by June 1st or they will be sold out. This event will continue to grow while Nascar goes down...way down.  Sprint Car racing is headed towards another glory days type of time period.  Families are bringing their kids and younger generations are getting hooked.  And why wouldnt they when they can go in the pits right after an A main and meet their favorite drivers.  Sometimes they even get some racing junk.  My kid about killed me because we couldnt stand and wait long enough for the bent up Lucas Wolfe side panel from his top wing.  I heard it did go to a young kid though.  

Larson tweeted back to Kasey Kahne; "....2019 World of Outlaws sounds pretty cool!"

I'd love to see that.

Exactly.... few of us like NASCAR, but everybody likes the $$$$

Ricky Stenhouse Jr should come back to sprint car racing as well.  And I'm not bashing him because of the perfomances on his napcar team he's on.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr should come back to sprint car racing as well.  And I'm not bashing him because of the perfomances on his napcar team he's on.

Wonder what this means for Piittman and Sweet  if it will be three cars or if one will be let go or if he will be just owner and part time racer something like Stewart.

Surely his sponsors pay alot of the bills but without the Nascar checks no amount of money already banked can support three full time Outlaw cars.

Just throwing this out there to ponder. Badlands motor speedway.