CUP: Feud - Kahne Vs RPM

Sprint Cup

CUP: Feud - Kahne Vs RPM

Kasey Kahne is a lame-duck driver at Richard Petty Motorsports...

Bob Pockrass | http://www.scenedaily.com | Posted October 19, 2010 Charlotte, NC

Nascar Hall of Famer Richard Petty (Left) talks with Kasey Kahne (Right), driver of the #9 Budweiser Ford. (Photo: Getty Images)

Kasey Kahne obviously doesn’t want to be at Richard Petty Motorsports. If he did, he wouldn’t have signed to drive for Red Bull Racing next year before heading to Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.

RPM would love to keep the talented driver, who has 11 career wins with the organization, but since he has signed with another team, it has little incentive to worry too much about what Kahne thinks.

The impasse between the two sides seemed to reach a boiling point Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, leading to our feud of the week.

Kahne was angry that he had brake issues for the second time in three weeks. He and crew chief Kenny Francis suggested that changes be made to the brake fluid, but since no other driver in the Roush Fenway and RPM stables have had similar issues, no change was made.

Kahne, who has three career wins at Charlotte, eventually wrecked because of the brake issues and told his team he wasn’t feeling well enough to get back in the car after repairs were made. That led a team member to question Kahne’s commitment, adding fuel to the fire.

“I was told that I needed to start doing my part, is what one guy told me last night after the race,” Kahne said Sunday. “I told him he needed to start doing his part.”

Kahne and RPM have five races remaining – barring any last-minute moves that could put 2011 RPM driver Marcos Ambrose in for Kahne or Kahne in at Red Bull – and time will tell if they can work together.

RPM competition director Robbie Loomis said Monday that it is difficult for lame-duck drivers to focus when adversity comes their way.

“When you know that [you’re leaving] is in the back of your mind, it gets harder and harder when you’re having adversity to fight through it,” Loomis said. “The real champions in life learn how to fight through those things even on the bad days. It’s all part of a growing process for us all.

“When he gets over there [at Hendrick], with being around Jeff [Gordon] and Jimmie [Johnson], he’ll get to learn a lot through them and how they deal and fight with adversity, too. It was disheartening for all of us. We felt so good going into the race.”

The biggest worry Kahne might have are the brakes on his car. He can’t have problems this week at Martinsville, a short track where brakes are crucial. RPM has had trouble diagnosing the problem because none of the other RPM or Roush Fenway Racing drivers have had such problems.

“I’m going to need brakes,” Kahne said. “If I don’t have brakes next week [at Martinsville], I’ll just go straight through the wall.”

It remains to be seen if Kahne and RPM can keep it together enough to challenge for a win in the last five races. He finished fourth at Auto Club Speedway two weeks ago, but he’s one frustrated driver at this point.

Kasey Kahne had a miserable outing in the Bank of America 500. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

“It’s just a mess, really,” Kahne said. “I lost it [on the radio]. I was just mad. I came into the race thinking we had a shot to win, thinking we had a good car in practice. … It’s not like you have half-brakes, like you can pump them. Your foot goes to the floor. It bottoms out. It’s a joke.”

Loomis said drivers are the leaders of their teams – even when they know they’re leaving.

“It’s real, real hard to keep everybody focused … on the job, and the leader of these teams – whenever you look at the paychecks – has always been the driver,” Loomis said. “I think it’s just really, really hard when they know they’re going in a different direction to still be the motivator and fire everybody up and keep everybody focused on the job at hand.”

Though it might seem best to just part ways, it would be a credit to Kahne and RPM if they can find a way to work together for five more weeks and finish their long relationship on a positive note.

SceneDaily.com • Hermie Sadler to drive for TRG Motorsports at Martinsville