Kasey Kahne's Bristol Diary: Thursday

By: TriCities Staff | TriCities.com
Published: August 21, 2009

I hope it isn’t raining when you read this!

I’ve seen the forecast for this weekend just like you guys have. It seems like lately if there is a NASCAR race going on, it is going to rain. Despite that, I think we’ll get racing in this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

We were able to get the modified race in Wednesday night. It wasn’t quite what I was hoping for. We had engine problems and didn’t get to finish. It was still fun though. I love those cars and hope all of
you fans who were there enjoyed it.

People asked why I was racing in three series this weekend, and my answer is simple: Bristol. Bristol is one of my favorite tracks. I think just about every driver will say that. It’s a lot of fun.

Today is a busy day for me. I’m running in both series, and we have a great chance of doing well in both. That’s good because we have a lot on the line.

Tonight, I’m racing in the No. 10 McDonald’s Angus Third Pound Burger car for Richard Petty Motorsports. The Braun racing guys build the cars and do the pit stops for us. We finished fifth at Daytona.
They do a really good job.

You won’t have trouble finding us on the track with the McDonald’s orange and the golden arches.

Stanley will donate $500,000 to Children’s Miracle Network if I win. It’s part of the “Racing for a Miracle” program created by Stanley, the Ace Hardware Foundation and Children’s Miracle Network.

“Racing for a Miracle” benefits sick and injured kids by raising funds for the hospitals that provide their care.

They will also donate $1 million if my teammate Elliott Sadler wins Saturday’s Sprint Cup race. You always want to win, but that extra incentive is really kind of cool. I hope we get a chance to donate
some money. It couldn’t be for a better cause. Stanley really stepped up its commitment to kids and to NASCAR, and I hope I can reward everyone.

We also qualify our Budweiser Dodge tonight. It’s important to get a good qualifying run for two reasons. One, starting up front here lessens your chance to fall down a lap or get caught up in an accident.
Second, it gives you a better choice of pit selection.

I’m sure all of you have seen how crowded it gets here on pit lane. If you get a spot that’s easy to get in and get out of, you can pick up some positions on pit lane.

Well, I hope you all have a fun weekend here. Check back tomorrow, and I hope we can tell you about all the money we raised in tonight’s race.