NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Burton Feels Kahne’s Pain
Kasey Kahne is running his first race for Red Bull this weekend...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted October 23, 2010   Martinsville, VA
Kasey Kahne, driver of the #83 Red Bull Toyota, stands in the garage prior to practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)
If there’s anyone in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage who understands what Kasey Kahne is going through this weekend at Martinsville Speedway, it’s Jeff Burton.

On Wednesday, Kahne was released from embattled Richard Petty Motorsports, his home for nearly seven seasons. Less than 48 hours later, he was behind the wheel of the No. 83 Red Bull Racing Toyota.

Predictably, Friday was a mixture of relief and struggle for Kahne.

In his first appearance in a new car with a new team and a new crew and a new crew chief, Kahne qualified 33rd, while new Red Bull teammate Scott Speed was 14th. Saturday morning, Kahne was 37th in the opening round of practice, while Speed was 15th.

The comparatively poor results are hardly a surprise, given the rush in which Kahne was moved into the No. 83.

Burton knows all about that.

Once the rising star at Roush Fenway Racing’s Burton’s relationship with the team soured in 2004, their ninth season together. After 22 races, Burton left Roush Fenway, where he was replaced by Carl Edwards, and joined Richard Childress Racing, his home to this day.

Given the history, Burton has some sympathy for what Kahne is going through this weekend.

“The best thing is when practice and you can get in the car and now start focusing on the performance,” Burton said Friday morning at Martinsville. “The questions begin to go away and the thought process is beginning to go away about the transition. Now, it is no longer a transition, you are doing it. It is a real stressful time.”

But while the quick change is tough for everyone, it does give both Red Bull and Kahne a significant leg up on 2011, according to Burton.

“I honestly believe that for the Red Bull group in particular, it is a great opportunity for them to start working. I’m not sure how it benefits the other group (RPM), but for the Red Bull group, it certainly puts them in position to get five races under their belt and go into the Daytona 500 without the buzz,” said Burton.

“Now you are going into the Daytona 500, you are already a race team. You are already a group. You are already together and I think that makes that transition a lot easier for Kasey. ... I think it is a big, big advantage for those guys.”

“It’s a challenge, the whole situation,” said Kahne after the first practice Saturday morning. “Just feeling it out ... it’s a totally different feel than I’m used.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.

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