NASCAR Chase driver Kasey Kahne was at Carolina Forest on Wednesday.
NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne is fifth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He made an appearance in the Forest Square Shopping Center at Carolina Forest on Wednesday. Asked if he could win NASCAR's Sprint Cup Championship for the first time in his career, Kahne said, "We've never been down to the wire racing for a Cup and had that pressure and everything that comes along with it, until you have that, it's hard to say if you can do it or not, but I would think that we could if we got in that position."
The 32-year old Kahne is one of four Hendrick Motor Sports drivers in the 12-man Chase playoffs. He is just 15 points behind the leader, teammate Jimmie Johnson. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., 7th in the points, and Jeff Gordon, 12th, are the other Hendrick drivers in the playoff mix. While the Hendrick drivers share information, Kahne says, "Everybody is usually on their own, you know, they have their own plan."
Kahne was at Carolina Forest for the grand opening of Ollie's Bargin Outlet, a specialty store for bargain shoppers. Hundreds of race fans were at the store to get an autograph and take a picture with the driver of the number-5 Farmers Insurance Chevy.
The Monster Mile at Dover, Delaware is the next stop in the Chase. Kahne has never won a Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway, "Jimmie's won there a lot so I definitely look at the things he's doing, the feel and the stuff that he looks for, so it's good to have him on our side." Kahne says the key to being successful at Dover is having good grip on the front of the race car and the ability to turn.