Former NASCAR driver reacts to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s desire to see more of Kasey Kahne
Former two-time Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kenny Wallace recently expressed their desire to witness more of the former NASCAR Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne. Despite stepping away from full-time racing in 2018, Kahne's part-time return to stock-car racing has sparked immense excitement among fans.
Kahne returned to the Xfinity Series through Saturday's (April 19) North Carolina Education Lottery 250 presented by Black's Tire at Rockingham Speedway. The track holds significant value for the driver, as Kahne made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut there in 2002, driving the #98 Ford for Robert Yates Racing. Despite getting involved in an accident with Katherine Legge, Kahne finished the race in 14th place.
Reflecting upon the #33 Richard Childress Racing driver's performance after his long hiatus, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants Kahne to compete more frequently and tweeted:
"I hope @kaseykahne runs several more pavement ovals. I want us all to live forever!"
Continuing the thread, Kenny Wallace wrote:
"Isn’t this the truth . I finally had to admit to myself that I was not as fast as the kids now that I am 61😂"
Kasey Kahne was among the top 10 drivers early in the race before making contact with Legge, which led to significant damage for both cars. Meanwhile, two-time Daytona 500 champion Dale Jr.'s JR Motorsports driver Sammy Smith was awarded first place after RCR driver Jesse Love was disqualified in the post-race inspection.
However, it was a tough day for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team. Only Smith finished inside the top 10 drivers. Connor Zilisch in P13, Carson Kvapil in P16, and defending champion Justin Allgaier finished in P13, P16, and P21, respectively.
“Love to hear it in full”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. recalled his memories of watching NASCAR in the good old days
Dale Earnhardt Jr. reminisced about the golden days of watching Cup Series races at his house. He claimed there was a special segment where commentators like Ken Squier announced the entire starting line-up of the race before waving the green flag.
Dale Jr. mentioned Squier used to announce the entire lineup by playing music in the background and creating tension for the audience and drivers. He shared his fond memories of the golden days via an X post, and the thread was started by a fan asking now-commentator Mike Joy if he could announce the lineup.
Joy explained to the fan that the practice was no longer required, as all the information about the race was available online, along with detailed statistics. Dale Earnhardt Jr. jumped on the same thread and expressed his true feelings about Ken, writing:
"I still love to hear it in full. Ken reading the full Daytona 500 lineup with urgency with a music track underneath. It made you feel like every single driver barely made it into the field by the skin of their teeth, and when the green drop all hell was gonna break loose."
Ken Squier was a part of the Daytona 500 broadcasting team for 19 consecutive years, from 1979 to 1997. The latter passed away two years ago in 2023 and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame for his work.