Kasey Kahne sign contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports


With Hendrick Motorsports and Kasey Kahne agreeing on a three-year contract extension, what does that mean for Chase Elliott’s future?


Hendrick Motorsports resolved one of the big questions heading into the NASCAR offseason by re-signing Kasey Kahne Thursday, but also creating great speculation about the future of its driver lineup.


The organization announced Kasey Kahne agreed to a three-year contract extension. This will keep Kahne, who joined the team in 2012, with HMS as driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet through the 2018 season.


"I think the world of him both as a driver with championship-level talent and an overall terrific young man," said team principle Rick Hendrick. "Our whole organization has a great deal of respect for how hard he works, the professionalism he displays with our partners and the way he carries himself every day. We're committed to winning races and competing for titles with him for many years to come."


But while Kahne has been competitive the past three years, with five wins and three consecutive Chase for the Sprint Cup berths, the move is surprising.


A free agent at the end of the season it seemed a foregone conclusion Kahne would depart HMS to clear room for budding superstar Chase Elliott, who at age 18 just became the youngest national series champion in NASCAR.


Under contract to HMS, Elliott seemed destined to move to the Sprint Cup Series full-time in 2016. And with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson all under contract, that seemingly made Kahne the obvious odd man out. (Although Johnson's contract expires next season, it's a foregone conclusion he remains with HMS.)


Now, though, with Kahne locked in long-term and HMS already fielding the NASCAR maximum four teams, it raises some questions about Elliott's future.


"(Elliott's) going to run Nationwide again next year and we've announced we're gonna run some Cup races with him in 2015," HMS general manager Doug Duchardt said Thursday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. "I think that's going to be a fun aspect of next year and see how Chase does with that.


"So we'll take a look and see how things are going in '15 and see what the right steps are in the future, but right now we're just going to take a look at 2015 and see how things are progressing."


After next season and going into 2016 is when things get interesting following Thursday's announcement.


If Gordon, 43, decides to retire in the next few years, Elliott would be a natural heir apparent behind the wheel of the No. 24 car. However, a campaign where he won four races and was in championship contention until the second-to-last race of the season, a rejuvenated Gordon, who has continually dismissed questions about retirement.




One option which will not happen is the elevation of Elliott's current Nationwide Series team, JR Motorsports, to Sprint Cup. Because Earnhardt is a co-owner of JRM, any such move would require Earnhardt to leave HMS and drive for his self-owned team per NASCAR's rule on team limits. Earnhardt cannot drive for one multi-car organization while having an invested interest in another.


Furthermore, JRM doesn't have the infrastructure or resources to expand to Sprint Cup and make such a move feasible -- either for Earnhardt to leave HMS outright or as a placeholder for Elliott.


The dilemma HMS faces with too many drivers and too few teams isn't unprecedented. When Earnhardt was a coveted free agent in 2007, Hendrick famously quipped "there is no room at the inn," meaning there wasn't a way to accommodate Earnhardt. Nonetheless, HMS found room by jettisoning Kyle Busch, and Earnhardt was brought aboard despite Hendrick's earlier remarks.


Barring Gordon unexpectedly stepping away, one option is for HMS to farm Elliott out to one of its satellite teams. Stewart-Haas Racing doesn't presently have a vacancy, but there is no telling how Kurt Busch's legal issues will be resolved. There is also the single-car HScott Motorsports, which currently fields just a single car.


"I'm a huge baseball fan, it's like having this prospect in Triple A that's batting .380 and when is he going to come up to the big club and run," said Duchardt of Elliott's eventual ascension to Cup. "But we'll work on that and see where that all heads.


"I understand it's part of the fun and speculation of what could or should be done. I completely understand it. We're going to try to make sure we put him in the best position to be successful when he does come here full time."


No matter how it unfolds, the predicament HMS finds itself is an envious one. Earnhardt, Johnson, Gordon and Kahne won a combined 13 races last season and each qualified for the Chase with all but Kahne legitimate championship contenders. Elliott is considered a can't-miss-prospect with a limitless future.


The only question is whether Elliott's immediate future with HMS or someplace else? And if that opportunity arises within HMS, at who's expense?






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