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“I’M DOING THE SAME<br />
THING I’VE ALWAYS DONE —<br />
RACING TO WIN.”<br />
—KASEY KAHNE<br />
FAN-TASTIC:<br />
KASEY KAHNE<br />
WHEN IT COMES TO RACING,<br />
No. 9 Dodge driver Kasey<br />
Kahne has the speed thing<br />
down. But the “act like a star”<br />
thing? Kasey has a long way to go.<br />
When he goes out before a race to<br />
get introduced to the crowd, fans<br />
scream for autographs. Most Nextel<br />
Cup drivers know what to do here —<br />
give a friendly wave and keep walking.<br />
Not Kasey, 2004 Raybestos Rookie of<br />
the Year. He stops and signs. And after<br />
the race, he’ll do it again, for as long<br />
as it takes. Kahne’s good nature pays<br />
dividends: Last season his collectibles<br />
were the most popular of any rookie<br />
since Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2000.<br />
“I have to admit I wasn’t prepared<br />
for all this attention,” says Kahne,<br />
whose car is co-sponsored by the<br />
<strong>UAW</strong>-Daimler<strong>Chrysler</strong> National Training<br />
Center. “I want to treat the fans as<br />
they want to be treated. Give them<br />
time — and treat them right.”<br />
Kahne’s star appeal took off in<br />
his rookie year as he just missed the<br />
Top 10 in the Chase for the Nextel<br />
Cup Championship, winding up at<br />
No. 13. He had 13 Top 5 finishes,<br />
including five as runner-up. At the<br />
start of last season, Kahne could<br />
walk around out of his firesuit unrecognized.<br />
But soon, he couldn’t even<br />
show up in street clothes outside the<br />
track without a <strong>com</strong>motion. With<br />
piercing blue eyes and a youthful face,<br />
Kahne elicits both squeals from<br />
teenage girls and<br />
maternal “aws”<br />
from 40-something<br />
moms. True to his<br />
“fans are first”<br />
credo, he gives<br />
them all what he<br />
feels is proper,<br />
respectful attention<br />
from a guy<br />
who didn’t let his<br />
selection as one of<br />
People magazine’s<br />
Kasey Kahne, driver of the No. 9<br />
Evernham Motorsports Dodge, during<br />
practice at Homestead Miami Speedway.<br />
“50 Hottest Bachelors” go to his head.<br />
This season, Kahne has every reason<br />
to believe that he’ll not only<br />
crack the Top 10, but contend for<br />
the championship. “It’s good that I<br />
had the season I had, at the age [24]<br />
that I had it,” Kahne says, when<br />
reminded that most drivers wait far<br />
longer for similar results, if they<br />
enjoy them at all. “It helped our<br />
team build confidence. It’s going to<br />
pay dividends for our future.”<br />
Kahne started out racing at dirt<br />
tracks in his native Washington<br />
state at age 14, after begging his<br />
parents to let him try. His brother<br />
Kale and cousin Cole were his<br />
crew. Today, Kale drives Kasey’s<br />
Kasey Kahne’s pit crew gets pumped<br />
at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.<br />
16 www.uawdcx.<strong>com</strong>
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