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Kasey Kahne returns to full-time NASCAR racing in 2027 with Spire Motorsports‘ No. 77 Truck, and with a résumé that includes 18 Cup wins and five wins in six Truck starts. Denny Hamlin thinks that experience could actually hold him back.
On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin was asked whether anyone could break into the top group in the Truck Series next year. He brought up Kahne, with a catch.
“I actually think his experience will work against him, because he’s been just so disconnected from the sport for so long,” Hamlin said. “Like, the most recent notebooks that those guys will have; Riggs and Honeycutt will have the most legitimate and up-to-date notes, and they’re going to remember what their truck did last year or last race here. Kasey’s not going to have that. So that’s why I think he’s going to be a little bit behind the eight ball on that.”
Riggs and Honeycutt Set the Bar
Hamlin wasn’t questioning Kahne’s driving. His point was about the track-by-track knowledge full-time drivers build week to week.
Kaden Honeycutt won the 2026 Truck Series championship at Homestead, finishing the year with five wins. Layne Riggs finished second in the standings.
Kahne’s Long Road Back
Kahne stepped away from full-time Cup racing in 2018 after health issues made a 36-race schedule too demanding. His last Truck start came in 2015, when he won at Charlotte. He also won eight races in what is now the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
He hasn’t been out of a race car since. Kahne went back to dirt racing, ran a full season in High Limit Racing and earned his first World of Outlaws sprint car win in May 2026. He also returned to NASCAR at Rockingham in April 2025, driving an O’Reilly Series car for Richard Childress Racing. He qualified fourth, got caught up in an early crash and finished 14th.
Why Kahne Said Yes
Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson approached Kahne with the idea earlier this year. Kahne said Spire wants his experience to help it compete right away.
“They’re excited to have someone that has a lot of experience so that we can be fast right away and work to try to be the best team in the Truck Series,” Kahne said.
The shorter Truck races and lighter schedule were also part of the appeal.
Kahne’s 2027 season starts with the Truck opener at Daytona on Friday, Feb. 19. Earlier this fall, Kahne also talked about his time as a Hendrick Motorsports teammate of Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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