Kasey Kahne 2014 Review
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By Richard Tix
Season Grade: C+
"2014 will mark Kasey's third season at Hendrick Motorsports and in my mind the season he needs to show he is worth his spot at Hendrick. Regardless of how he runs on the track Kasey has been a great guy to have in marketing (same with Jr). Also, season after season it seems like we talk about how fast he is, but at the end of the year it never seems to show in the standings." -Season Preview
Sure enough I thought 2014 would be the season where Kasey had to prove it. Then the season ended after what I would call a lack luster season and Hendrick gives him a three year extension. Great news for Kahne going forward but confusing to some of the rest of us.
The fact is, Kahne had a down season when you look at it. However, he snuck in a late season victory at Atlanta to make the Chase. All that mattered in 2014 was getting in the Chase. It didn't matter how you got there, but that you made it. Maybe that is what Rick Hendrick was thinking when he offered the extension to Kahne.
Or maybe, Rick was thinking Kahne is still in the prime of his career and is a great marketing tool for the four car team? Either way, the pressure will be on Kahne to compete at a high level for the next few years. Something that does concerns me is that Kahne only had one top 10 in the Chase and only 4 top 15's. Its not a great way to end a season when speaking about momentum. He also posted a new career low average finish position while with Hendrick. The one plus side is he does have a four season streak going with at least one win, and he has at least one win in 8 of his 11 full time season's. So, he has the talent to win, but is it enough to be as dominate as some other Hendrick drivers have been? Time will tell, but he will have the opportunity in the next four years to show us that Rick Hendrick made a smart decision.
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