NASCAR stars set to shine tonight at Skagit Speedway

Published 6:07 am Wednesday, August 29, 2007

NASCAR drivers Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart return tonight to Skagit Speedway to compete in the second annual Kasey Kahne Foundation Sprint Car Challenge.

Kahne, an Enumclaw native who drove sprint cars at the Alger track before moving up the racing ladder, and Stewart are scheduled to go head-to-head in a 360 sprint car competition with many of Skagit’s regular drivers.

“I’m looking forward to heading back to Skagit Speedway with the Kasey Kahne Foundation,” Stewart said. “The race not only gives me a chance to get back in my 360 sprint car, but it benefits a great organization at the same time. Kasey has always supported my charity events at Eldora Speedway (in Rossburg, Ohio), and it means a lot that he’s invited me to participate in this race alongside him. Hopefully, we’ll be able to put on a great show for the fans and help out a lot of deserving kids.”

The non-profit Kasey Kahne Foundation was created by Kahne to raise funds for charitable organizations that care for disadvantaged youths and chronically ill children and their families. Last year’s Kasey Kahne Foundation Sprint Car Challenge drew a sellout crowd, with the proceeds benefiting the foundation.

Stewart walked away from a hard crash during the 2006 event and when asked what it was like to race on the three-tenths mile dirt track, he replied: “I kind of raced there. I ran about three-quarters of a lap of one race there. I ended up upside down.”

Stewart is a two-time NASCAR Nextel Cup champion and he currently ranks second in Nextel Cup points standings. Still, he expects the competition at Skagit to be stiff.

“Grassroots racing has always been like a reset button for me,” Stewart said. “It’s pure, and it reminds you why you got started in this business in the first place. To be in a position that allows me to compete in a sport that I love, and at the same time, help a great charity like the Kasey Kahne Foundation is a good feeling. Kasey and I will definitely have our hands full, though, as the guys that compete in the 360 division at Skagit each week are really tough.”

Stewart makes no apologies for his passion for racing.

“I could go lay on a beach on days off, but that’s just not what I do. I’m a race car driver,” Stewart said. “I like to go racing. If I have a day where I can go do something like that, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to get in a race car.”

Tickets for the second annual Kasey Kahne Foundation Sprint Car Challenge are $25 and are available for purchase at the Skagit Speedway ticket office or by calling 360-724-3567.