Kasey Kahne, No. 9 Budweiser Dodge Charger
Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway
Qualifying for the Daytona 500
Budweiser Racing Team Notes of Interest
Kasey Kahne will make his fourth career start in the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona this weekend.
Kahne qualified for the 30th annual Budweiser Shootout at Daytona by winning the pole for the UAW-Dodge 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2007. Kahne also earned the pole award for the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway in August.
Kahne’s best finish in the Budweiser Shootout is ninth, a position he earned during his first start in the annual race. His best start is fifth, the starting position he randomly selected during the 2007 edition of the Shootout.
Kasey Kahne Discusses Racing in the Budweiser Shootout
How cool is it to be racing in a special event that belongs to your primary sponsor?
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool to be able to be a part of the Shootout and have Budweiser as my sponsor. It’s all pretty exciting. Budweiser is one of the most respected sponsors in all of sports and the entire team is excited to get the season started as the Budweiser team.”
What kind of advantage is there for teams competing in the Budweiser Shootout?
“I think track time is pretty important with these new cars. It’s just a different handling car that’s different to work on and to drive. It’s going to take time and with these new testing rules you need as much time on the track as you can get. So I do think there is an advantage for the teams competing in the Budweiser Shootout.”
What would it mean to win the Shootout now with Budweiser as your sponsor?
“That would obviously be a best-case situation for the team and me. I always want to win but it would be more special to be able to win this race with Budweiser as my sponsor and it being my first race with them. We feel like we had a good test at Daytona and learned some things that will help us for both the Shootout and the 500.”
