Kasey Kahne will leave Hendrick Motorsports in 2018 after six seasons with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team, the team announced Monday (Aug. 7).
No replacement has been named for the No. 5 Chevrolet as of yet.
The 37-year-old won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July and has 18 MENCS wins in 14 seasons over his career. He began his career with Evernham Motorsports in 2004, with six wins in 2006 alone. Kahne followed that up with a drive for Richard Petty Motorsports in 2009 and two years with Red Bull Racing from 2010-2011.
Six of his victories have come at the wheel of the No. 5.
In his debut Hendrick year, Kahne took two wins and 19 top-10 finishes – a career best. He also finished a career-high fourth in the Cup Series standings in 2012.
“I’d like to thank Rick [Hendrick] and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for their hard work and dedication, along with providing me a great opportunity and success over the last six years,” Kahne said in a team release. “We won six races together and I’m coming off of one of the biggest wins of my career at the Brickyard, which has given the [No.] 5 team a lot of momentum heading into the playoffs. We still have a lot of racing left in 2017 and finishing strong is our top priority. I look forward to what the next chapter in my career holds.”
Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson (41) will remain the eldest driver on Hendrick’s roster alongside 21-year-old Chase Elliott and 24-year old Alex Bowman.
“Kasey has worked extremely hard,” Hendrick said. “He’s a tremendous teammate and person, and he has been totally dedicated to our program since day one. I’ve always believed that he’s a special talent, and I know he will thrive in the right situation. We will do everything we can to finish the season as strong as we can.”