Why Did Kasey Kahne Leave NASCAR? The Driver's Return Shines Focus on His Hiatus

For those who aren't particularly familiar with the ins and outs of NASCAR racing, it may seem like a fairly sedentary sport. After all, you're sitting in one place for the duration of a race and driving in circles. It's not exactly representative of the pinnacle of fitness and endurance, right?

Wrong.

This reality was highlighted by NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne after his abrupt withdrawal from the industry. Now that he's back and stretching his legs over the pedals again, what do we know about why he would choose to leave the sport he loves so dearly?

It has to do with the physical demand for drivers, which is far more significant than many people realize.

Kasey Kahne was at the height of his career in 2018. He was a strong competitor and seemed to be on a trajectory to become one of the next season's big stars. And in 2023, he was named one of NASCAR's "Top 75 Drivers" of all time. But suddenly, he walked away from NASCAR altogether. Aug. 17, 2018, Kasey spoke to the media at the Bristol Motor Speedway to announce that he was retiring.

So why did he leave?

According to The Tennessean, his decision had to do with what the races were taking out of him physically. At the time, he shared that three factors led to his desire to retire: dehydration and the physical strain of racing, being burned out by a hectic schedule, and a desire to do more dirt-track racing.

He explained to reporters, “Where I got so bad was the week after week after week through the summer with the work I would put in during the week and then getting right back in the car."

Kasey added, "My body just never was able to get back to where it needed to be. By the time those hot races in July, August, and September came, I was just in a bad place."

However, he's back in the racing saddle. At least, for now.

Fans were thrilled to discover that Kasey was hitting the track again in 2025, driving the pace car at the Xfinity Series at Rockingham Speedway in May.

After the race, a clearly elated Kasey told reporters, "That was definitely a handful once the car was tore up. I think we were an easy top-five car prior to that, maybe even better. But yeah, once the front end was tore off the right side, and then just the damage, it was just a battle from that point on," via Newsweek.

When asked about his health, Kasey mused that it was a hot race, but, he said, "As far as my health, I'm in a good place right now because I don't do this all the time."

He added, "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. I think going into this, it's good."

So is the star driver coming back for good? It's a possibility. Kasey told reporters that it was just a one-off thing. However, he's not ruling out the possibility of a future return. At least part-time.

He shared, "I don't think the whole full-time thing would work anymore, but you just never know. I didn’t even think a one-off would work a few years ago. So, it’s pretty cool to be a part of it. I’ve been looking forward to this weekend coming up for the last couple of months," via The Tennessean.

While that's not exactly a resounding confirmation, it's not a "no" either.