Folks, NASCAR’s been on a mission lately: bringing back old tracks to the Cup Series. That’s why the iconic Bowman Gray Stadium made a comeback to the Cup Series first time since 1971. And as expected, ‘The Madhouse’ did not disappoint. The grandstands were packed with NASCAR fans enjoying some short-track grassroots racing. And now another iconic track is making a comeback to NASCAR, the Rockingham Speedway. Well, sadly, they don’t have a Cup date, but the Truck and Xfinity races should be just as great!

And since we are on the subject of comebacks. ‘The Rock’s’ revival has brought veteran Kasey Kahne out of slumber. And this has reminded us of the time he raced with an egg at Rockingham. After ending his Cup Series career in 2018, Kahne went back to running Sprint Cars both as a driver and as an owner. For the folks who don’t know, his team is legendary in Sprint cars. Kasey Kahne Racing has five consecutive World of Outlaws titles spanning from 2019 to 2023 with Brad Sweet.

Anyway, over these years, Kahne did not bat an eye at NASCAR. But when he got to know about Rockingham’s return, he could not help but be excited. The track has always been special to Kahne’s career. He’s got wins there in the lower series, but in the Cup, he was just seconds away from one, the last time the Series raced there. And it was all thanks to an egg!

Kasey Kahne, the egg and Rockingham

Before we dive into that story, we need to understand why that race is special for him. Kahne will be piloting the RCR’s #33 car at ‘The Rock’ in the Xfinity Series. This is also the track where he made his Xfinity Series debut in 2002 for Robert Yates Racing. He drove the #98 Ford, however, he could not crack the track at the time, finishing 31st. Also, he could never win at Rockingham in the Busch Series (now called the Xfinity Series).

Then, fast forward to 2004, it was his rookie year in the Cup Series. And the very second race of the season was Rockingham. The stage was set, Kasey Kahne was piloting the iconic #9 car of Bill Elliott with veteran Tommy Baldwin Jr. as his crew chief. Baldwin Jr. was known for his quirky ways, but no one questioned them as he had been successful in getting results. Before he joined Evernham Motorsports in 2004 as the crew chief of Kahne, he got a Daytona 500 win with Ward Burton.

Now, in 2004, Kahne and Baldwin Jr. are entering the Subway 400 after an engine blow-up in the previous race, the Daytona 500. And all eyes were on them since Kahne was the rookie to watch for. And for the weekend, Tommy Baldwin instructed him to carry an egg around for two days to help him understand the pressure needed on the throttle. Basically, putting an egg underneath the throttle and not letting it crack. While this sounds like an unorthodox way to train, it worked!

Kahne started the race in P3. And by the end of it, the race was between Matt Kenseth, Kahne, and Jamie McMurray. Kenseth was leading, but before crossing the checkered flag, Kahne almost ran him down, taking the bottom line. But eventually had to settle for a P2 in a side-by-side finish. And Kahne never got a chance at retribution. Who would have known this would be the last time the Cup Series would run at the Rockingham Speedway?

And now the track is ready for its comeback to NASCAR, and Kasey Kahne is all set!

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Kasey Kahne is pumped for his return!

While the Cup Series never ran again at the track, the Truck Series did make its way there in 2012. And guess who was the winner of the race! Kahne took the checkered flag over James Buescher in P2 and Matt Crafton in P3. So basically, Kahne’s got memories associated with all three series at Rockingham, and that’s what makes this track so dear to him. Which was also the reason why he chose the track to make a comeback to the sport.

Speaking on the same lines, he said, “I always liked the track from that point on and enjoyed racing there. I did [five] Xfinity races, one truck race, and one Cup race, and was competitive every time I was there. The size of the track, the banking, the flatness in spots — everything that Rockingham brings. It’s a cool track that I wanted to race again at.” And Kahne is an eight-time Xfinity Series race winner, so he knows what’s needed to take that checkered flag.

But for now, his goal is to do the best he can do! “I’m doing it to do everything that I can to win the race. That’s not going to be easy by no means; the [drivers] are very good in the Xfinity Series. That will be tough to accomplish, but I want to run all the laps and run as close to the front as I can throughout the entire race. Do everything we can to give it our best effort and be happy when it’s over, that we did everything we could to try and win,” Kahne added.

Folks, what do you think of Kasey Kahne’s return to NASCAR? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.