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Kasey Kahne, Macri Team Were Perfect From Start To Finish On Way To Magical WoO Win
By JACK O’CONNOR
Heading into last Friday’s Morgan Cup opener at Williams Grove Speedway, Kasey Kahne fired up a Sprint Car against the World of Outlaws 227 times over the past 29 years, but had not been able to taste victory lane with the Greatest Show On Dirt.
However, in start 228, the Enumclaw, WA driver perhaps found himself in the best position he’s ever been in to capture that elusive checkered flag. In his third race subbing for the injured Anthony Macri aboard the Macri Motorsports No. 39M, Kahne put together a near perfect night leading up to the 25-lap feature, turning the fastest lap in qualifying, winning a heat race and finishing second in the dash.
The perfection continued after the green flag dropped, and when all was said and done, Kahne finally got to feel the confetti rain down on him to the delight of most fans packed into the half-mile facility.
For nearly an hour after the race, Kahne, still in his fire suit, signed autographs and took pictures for every fan that wanted one all while trying to process the magnitude of what he achieved.
“I can’t describe the amount of joy I felt when I came off turn four and saw that checkered flag flying,” Kahne said back at the team trailer.
“I was like, ‘Holy smokes, finally.’ I’ve tried a lot over the years, but it was just a series I wasn’t able to figure out how to win in. It’s always tough, and I don’t do it enough. Then when I do it more, it doesn’t help. It’s kind of crazy how racing works.
“I don’t know if a lot of people saw this coming. I’m very fortunate to get to drive for Macri Motorsports and be part of this with (crew chief) Joe Mooney, (Anthony) Macri and the whole family. Couldn’t ask for a better situation to be in.”
Over his 15-year NASCAR Cup Series career, the 46-year-old, named one of the sport’s 75 greatest drivers in 2023, had the privilege of winning events like the Coca-Cola 600 and the Brickyard 400. He’s going to hold the Outlaws win in high regard with those accomplishments.
“I’ve been fortunate to have some great wins over the years,” Kahne said. “To add another one to the list is unbelievable, especially since it’s the World Of Outlaws and it came at a place like Williams Grove, which is one of the tougher places to get around. This was a fun win for me, and something that I’m going to think about for a long time.”
As for Macri, watching Kahne deliver for he and Mooney, who previously worked at Kasey Kahne Racing, produced similar feelings.
“It’s special in a different kind of way,” the Dillsburg, PA driver said. “I really haven’t tried to put it into words yet. Kasey has been trying a long time to get an Outlaws win, so to get him that win in our car is pretty badass.”
While the record books will show Kahne led flag to flag, those sitting in the grandstands or watching the broadcast knew it wasn’t a cakewalk for him as he had to methodically pick off slower cars while keeping David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild at bay.
“I felt really good in the beginning, but everything changed once I caught traffic,” he said.
“I kept pulling the wing back to get more drive and then I’d get more in my left rear. I was just trying to put together the best laps I could, but the track was fairly blocked so it wasn’t super simple.
“Then I saw David (Gravel) and later Sheldon (Haudenschild). The last thing I wanted to do was blow a corner. I didn’t hit every corner perfect, but I didn’t allow them to get massive runs on me. Fortunately, everything worked out.”
Kahne made his debut with the Macri team at Lincoln Speedway May 2, finishing 11th. He then finished ninth against the Outlaws in last Tuesday’s Gettysburg Clash prior to the series’ two-day trip to Williams Grove.
That May 2 start at Lincoln was his first in a 410 Sprint since last July, when he stepped out of the driver’s seat to focus on the team owner role with driver Brad Sweet and now, Daison Pursley. However, he had a desire to get back behind the wheel, and was working on putting a machine together until he received a call from the Macri team.
Given how Macri seems to be able to show up to any facility in the country and be fast, Kahne was not going to pass up the opportunity to drive the No. 39M.
“I stepped out to help the NAPA team the best I could,” he said. “I’ve still been doing that this year, but I’ve been working with the guys at the shop building a couple cars and we were getting ready to go racing. Then I got a call from Joe and Macri Motorsports, and I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I’ll go racing a little sooner.’ There was no way I was going to turn down driving a car like this.”
Macri, meanwhile, has enjoyed working with Kahne, describing him as “a super cool, down-to-earth guy.” He also believes having Kahne in the seat will benefit he and Mooney when he returns.
“It’s been fun spending time with him; not many people get that opportunity,” he said. “Me being able to stand on the trailer and watch what the car is doing, I can correlate to how I may feel and it may be different to what Joe thinks. We’re just trying to take advantage of everything we can at the moment.”
Kahne is slated to run three more events in the Macri car; this Saturday’s Keith Kauffman Classic at Port Royal Speedway, next Tuesday’s High Limit Racing stop at Grandview Speedway and the three-day Bob Weikert Memorial weekend with High Limit at Port Royal.
“It absolutely took me time to get comfortable in the seat,” he said. “We’ve learned little things to change on the car that would help me, but for the most part, it’s the same as they would be. That’s all on Joe; I show up shocked the next day because he’s already got it changed. I keep feeling better each time we hit the track, so I’m looking forward to the next few weeks.”
Macri has been sidelined since early last month after suffering compression fractures in his T4 and T5 vertebrae in a flip at Williams Grove. Macri, who was wearing a back brace, doesn’t have a timeline for a return. However, he goes back for follow up x-rays next week.
“I don’t really know until then. The pain is day-by-day, depends on the weather or what I do the day before,” he said.
“I’m just trying to hang in there and not be in pain. It’s very boring not being able to lift whatever a gallon of milk weighs.”
However, in start 228, the Enumclaw, WA driver perhaps found himself in the best position he’s ever been in to capture that elusive checkered flag. In his third race subbing for the injured Anthony Macri aboard the Macri Motorsports No. 39M, Kahne put together a near perfect night leading up to the 25-lap feature, turning the fastest lap in qualifying, winning a heat race and finishing second in the dash.
The perfection continued after the green flag dropped, and when all was said and done, Kahne finally got to feel the confetti rain down on him to the delight of most fans packed into the half-mile facility.
For nearly an hour after the race, Kahne, still in his fire suit, signed autographs and took pictures for every fan that wanted one all while trying to process the magnitude of what he achieved.
“I can’t describe the amount of joy I felt when I came off turn four and saw that checkered flag flying,” Kahne said back at the team trailer.
“I was like, ‘Holy smokes, finally.’ I’ve tried a lot over the years, but it was just a series I wasn’t able to figure out how to win in. It’s always tough, and I don’t do it enough. Then when I do it more, it doesn’t help. It’s kind of crazy how racing works.
“I don’t know if a lot of people saw this coming. I’m very fortunate to get to drive for Macri Motorsports and be part of this with (crew chief) Joe Mooney, (Anthony) Macri and the whole family. Couldn’t ask for a better situation to be in.”
Over his 15-year NASCAR Cup Series career, the 46-year-old, named one of the sport’s 75 greatest drivers in 2023, had the privilege of winning events like the Coca-Cola 600 and the Brickyard 400. He’s going to hold the Outlaws win in high regard with those accomplishments.
“I’ve been fortunate to have some great wins over the years,” Kahne said. “To add another one to the list is unbelievable, especially since it’s the World Of Outlaws and it came at a place like Williams Grove, which is one of the tougher places to get around. This was a fun win for me, and something that I’m going to think about for a long time.”
As for Macri, watching Kahne deliver for he and Mooney, who previously worked at Kasey Kahne Racing, produced similar feelings.
“It’s special in a different kind of way,” the Dillsburg, PA driver said. “I really haven’t tried to put it into words yet. Kasey has been trying a long time to get an Outlaws win, so to get him that win in our car is pretty badass.”
While the record books will show Kahne led flag to flag, those sitting in the grandstands or watching the broadcast knew it wasn’t a cakewalk for him as he had to methodically pick off slower cars while keeping David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild at bay.
“I felt really good in the beginning, but everything changed once I caught traffic,” he said.
“I kept pulling the wing back to get more drive and then I’d get more in my left rear. I was just trying to put together the best laps I could, but the track was fairly blocked so it wasn’t super simple.
“Then I saw David (Gravel) and later Sheldon (Haudenschild). The last thing I wanted to do was blow a corner. I didn’t hit every corner perfect, but I didn’t allow them to get massive runs on me. Fortunately, everything worked out.”
Kahne made his debut with the Macri team at Lincoln Speedway May 2, finishing 11th. He then finished ninth against the Outlaws in last Tuesday’s Gettysburg Clash prior to the series’ two-day trip to Williams Grove.
That May 2 start at Lincoln was his first in a 410 Sprint since last July, when he stepped out of the driver’s seat to focus on the team owner role with driver Brad Sweet and now, Daison Pursley. However, he had a desire to get back behind the wheel, and was working on putting a machine together until he received a call from the Macri team.
Given how Macri seems to be able to show up to any facility in the country and be fast, Kahne was not going to pass up the opportunity to drive the No. 39M.
“I stepped out to help the NAPA team the best I could,” he said. “I’ve still been doing that this year, but I’ve been working with the guys at the shop building a couple cars and we were getting ready to go racing. Then I got a call from Joe and Macri Motorsports, and I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I’ll go racing a little sooner.’ There was no way I was going to turn down driving a car like this.”
Macri, meanwhile, has enjoyed working with Kahne, describing him as “a super cool, down-to-earth guy.” He also believes having Kahne in the seat will benefit he and Mooney when he returns.
“It’s been fun spending time with him; not many people get that opportunity,” he said. “Me being able to stand on the trailer and watch what the car is doing, I can correlate to how I may feel and it may be different to what Joe thinks. We’re just trying to take advantage of everything we can at the moment.”
Kahne is slated to run three more events in the Macri car; this Saturday’s Keith Kauffman Classic at Port Royal Speedway, next Tuesday’s High Limit Racing stop at Grandview Speedway and the three-day Bob Weikert Memorial weekend with High Limit at Port Royal.
“It absolutely took me time to get comfortable in the seat,” he said. “We’ve learned little things to change on the car that would help me, but for the most part, it’s the same as they would be. That’s all on Joe; I show up shocked the next day because he’s already got it changed. I keep feeling better each time we hit the track, so I’m looking forward to the next few weeks.”
Macri has been sidelined since early last month after suffering compression fractures in his T4 and T5 vertebrae in a flip at Williams Grove. Macri, who was wearing a back brace, doesn’t have a timeline for a return. However, he goes back for follow up x-rays next week.
“I don’t really know until then. The pain is day-by-day, depends on the weather or what I do the day before,” he said.
“I’m just trying to hang in there and not be in pain. It’s very boring not being able to lift whatever a gallon of milk weighs.”
