"There’s no room for error": When Kasey Kahne pushed his body and mind to the limit for NASCAR glory

Two years before retiring from the NASCAR Cup Series full-time, Kasey Kahne opened up about the physical and mental demands of racing. Kahne competed in the Cup series for over 15 years and collected 18 wins. But after competing in a three-hour race at speeds topping 190 mph, he said he lost 8 pounds.

Early in his career, he revealed he had dropped as much as 12 pounds. To manage the heat, which could reach 140 degrees in the cockpit, he trained with workouts that replicate those extreme conditions.

In a 2016 interview with WSJ, Kahne shared his workout routine, which included high-intensity runs in hot weather, strength training, and hot yoga in the winter. Training three days a week, while exhausted, helped him practice staying sharp in the late hours of long races. He said.

"Races like that you are worn out mentally and physically, and that’s when you start to make mistakes. No matter how tired I get, I need to be aggressive and make smart choices to avoid a crash."

Kahne added cognitive reaction drills using a Dynavision D2 machine to sharpen focus and reaction speed. He also pointed out the merit of teamwork.

"Lap time is everything. You need to perfect the way you pass people. The other part of the equation is team work. My crew team and I need to be a unit. There's no room for error," Kahne added.

However, Kahne's time in the Cup Series ended earlier than expected. Health concerns and heat exhaustion in the middle of the 2018 season led him to step away from the sport until this year. His final year was with Leavine Family Racing, where he drove the No. 95 Chevrolet.

Kahne returned to the Xfinity Series after eight years this season in Richard Childress Racing's No. 33 Chevy at Rockingham Speedway.

"I don't do the long races" - Kasey Kahne on why he left full-time NASCAR racing

Kasey Kahne made his NASCAR comeback at the 0.94-mile oval in Rockingham, NC, where he made his Xfinity debut in 2002. Kahne qualified fourth but was involved in an early incident with Katherine Legge and William Sawalich during the first stage at 'The Rock.'

The 45-year-old, who had also won a Truck race there in 2012, ultimately finished 14th in the 256-lap race this April.

"I don't do the long races, the (heat). It got worse as soon as the summer months came, and then every week after that just was draining me, those last couple years I did it," Kasey Kahne said (via NASCAR.com).

Kahne had switched to competing in dirt races after NASCAR. He ran in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series for his team, Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR), and moved to High Limit Racing in 2024.