August 11th, 2010 
T.C. Ever since this story first leaked out over the weekend, there has been a ton of discussion about Kasey Kahne’s move to Red Bull for the 2011 season. While the official announcement from the team answered a few questions for Kahne and Hendrick going forward, it created a bunch more for Red Bull. Looking over what we know about the deal, it appears to me that the only party who is benefiting from this move is Hendrick Motorsports.
Think about it. Hendrick found a way to bring Kahne in when the team was ready for him, supposedly not pay a dime for Kahne’s temporary seat, and keep Mark Martin in the #5 for the remainder of his deal. Put a nice big red bow on it, and you’ve got yourself a nice little package.
Here is why this deal doesn’t really help anyone else out.
First, what exactly is Red Bull getting out of having Kasey Kahne for one season? Red Bull’s GM Jay Frye attempted to compare this deal to when the Vikings brought in Brett Favre, saying the team will benefit from having a proven winner driving for them. That would be all well and good if Red Bull actually had the pieces in place to win. From what they’ve shown all season though, it appears as though that isn’t the case. The #83 team had a very solid 2009 season, winning a race with Brian Vickers and making the Chase, but that success from last year did not equate to continued performance this season. In the 11 races Vickers drove before the blood clots forced him out, his average start and average finish were down significantly from the previous year. He did have two top ten finishes, but he also had four finishes of 29th or worse, including two DNFs. And with Scott Speed’s struggles, and the driver merry-go-round in the #83, it will be very difficult to gain any momentum or make gains for 2011.
I also think it’s important to note what this means for Red Bull’s teams and drivers for the future. If Vickers cannot return and Kahne fills the seat in the #83, where does Red Bull go after 2011? If Speed is released, and Kahne takes his ride, who replaces Speed for 2012? In both cases, Red Bull loses a year of developing a driver and his chemistry with the team for the future. If Red Bull starts a third team specifically for Kahne, what happens to that bunch after Kahne leaves? Is it really worth opening a team for one year, just to shut it down?
For Kahne, the whole reason for him leaving Richard Petty Motorsports was to join a team that would make him a perennial contender. Obviously HMS is an upgrade from RPM; but Red Bull arguably is not. So what good does this deal do for him if he gets in a Red Bull Toyota next year and struggles worse then he did in RPM equipment? With the way the #83 and #82 have performed this season, it’s difficult to believe this team will make the quantum leap into real contention next season. And don’t expect Red Bull to get any support from HMS. While Kahne could certainly use the help, it would be a very bad deal for Hendrick to give Red Bull anything, seeing as how they are competitors and they don’t share a manufacturer. So what Kahne ends up with is a throw away season that is just serving as a place holder until he moves to HMS. Not good for a driver’s confidence or his brand.
It’s also not good that Kahne is essentially under contract with HMS, but is going to work for a team that has ties and partners that conflict badly with those at HMS. Most notably Red Bull vs. Pepsi and Toyota vs. Chevy.
So while I do give kudos to Mr. H. for finally finding a spot for Kahne, and doing it to his advantage, on the other side I think it’s a mistake. This deal just doesn’t make a ton of sense, and it appears it could be another in a long line of questionable calls made by Jay Frye and Red Bull’s management.
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I’ve thought all along this Kasey Kahne going to Hendrick a year early was folly. It will be a throw away for a lot of people and teams. It looks like having marketable driver in the future overtook Rick Hendrick’s racing judgment. Can anyone say Dale Jr. vs. Kyle Busch?
Might this make more sense if Red Bull was considering moving over to Chevrolet? It would give Red Bull and Kasey a full season to acclimate to the change with the full support and info from HMS.
Funny how this scenario doesn’t seem to fit the people person label that often gets given to Hendrick. I’m just glad that Mark stood his ground and I have to agree that he was expected to fold just because he is such a team player.
It’s all just business folks, nothing personal. Isn’t that the mantra that gets spouted and supposedly makes everything all good again? Actually it all boils down to greed and $$$$$$$$$!
Every time Mr. Kahne would mention the word ‘Ford’, you could see him grimace, so staying at RPM was not going to happen. And all along I thought that Mr. Martin in the 5 car would be forced out. So, this move is a little strange to me as well. Do you not believe that some money may have exchanged hands to facilitate this deal? Like you said, this is surely no more than a lateral, if not backward step for Mr. Kahne.
It is true. And I never really thought about all of those things. As for my opinions Pepsi/AMP Energy is a 1000 times better than Red Bull. And even though I am a Ford guy, Chevrolet is way better than Toyota. Still a mistake that NASCAR let them in.
Can someone please tell me why all the fuss about Kasey Kahne? A pretty good driver and has won “some” races, but I just don’t see him worth the hype.
Ahhh, me thinks KK is systematically collecting mfg data. Having done the Dodge, Ford, next Yota and then Bowtie merry go round he will have a black book chock-ful-o insider notes to reference. Ala F1.
Then again, I’d doubt very few of today’s drivers know much @ the mechanicals they sit in!
I agree with previous comments, there is more to this deal than we are aware of. I did not realize all the implications until I read this post.
Good Job
Somehow, I just don’t believe that Kahne will not be receiving a base salary from Hendrick next year. Otherwise, Kahne would have grounds to void his contract with HMS. I bet Red Bull will only have to pay KK purse and points splits, and maybe travel expenses.
Remember back to last year when Hendrick “loaned out” Brad Kesselowski to Penske? Hmmmm…..BK is now going to drive the Penske Miller Lite #2 next year and for 2 years after that. What happened to his future seat with HMS?
I think Hendrick had “buyer’s remorse” when he signed Mark Martin through 2011 and tried to use signing Kahne as a way to wedge Martin out of his seat. But Martin called Hendrick’s bluff and is holding him to the contract.
I find it odd that Martin was running really well in the #5 until the Kahne contract got signed. Since then, the #5 has been langishing back in the high teens and low twenties.
Martin hasn’t run all that well all year. He managed to get a few finishes around 5th early in the season after some wacky late-race cautions and GWC finishes, but even in those races he ran around 20th a lot of the day. I think the change to the spoiler hurt him too. Being older, maybe he can’t adapt quite as easily. It seemed to take him a while to adjust to the COT when it first came out, too.
Maybe Kahne is trying to set a record by driving for all four manufacturers within a 4-year period: Dodge last year, Ford this year, then Toyota and Chevrolet.
To think that Rick isn’t paying Kasey anything is laughable. What is really sad though is Rick is making a mockery out of the the 4 car rule in NASCAR and NASCAR, and the reporters who cover the sport, really believe the fans are too stupid to understand that. First we have the SHR deal. Say what you want but Rick has a stake in SHR somewhere down the line. And I mean more than just selling equipment. How many times have we seen Rick go to Victory lane with another team that won with his equipment. Remember Joe Niemichek? Joe won twice with HMS equipment and Rick was nowhere to be found. Rick never visted Victory Lane with DW either, when DW owned his own team and used HMS equipment. Now Rick goes to victory lane with Tony and Ryan.
Now we have Kasey, and NASCAR will once again turn a blind eye to the mockery Rick is pulling. The question is will the reporters demand to see the agreement and watch this situtationi closely or will they play the puppet as they always seem to do and say it’s ok, NASCAR and Rick said it was.
Hmm, I’m betting that Hendrick is subsidizing Kahne’s salary. Red Bull will pay Kahne the same they are paying Speed, Hendrick will pick up the difference. Red Bull gets a top tier driver, that they couldn’t afford otherwise, for a year and only pays him the standard salary.
Your idiotic column illuminates a huge part of what is wrong with nascar these days. Who gives a damn if Hendrick has Pepsi sponsorship and Red Bull is Red Bull. Kasey Kahne doesn’t drive for Hendrick, Pepsi, or Chevrolet, yet. It wasn’t that long ago that drivers, even top drivers, could drive for several different manufacturers and sponsors in a single season, or even in a single weekend between Busch and Winston Cup. Nobody gave a damn. Nobody even brought it up, when Davey Allison drove a Texaco Buick on saturdays and a Texaco Ford on sundays. Bobby Hamilton and Terry Labonte both drove Oldsmobiles, Chevrolets, and Fords in Winston Cup for their respective teams during 1992. Nobody made idiotic and imaginary sponsorship conflicts in 2005 when it appeared that Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray would be driving for their current teams while under contract for a new team a year in advance, even though it didn’t turn out that way.
It seems to me that Brian Vickers and the Red Bull team are also winners, provided Red Bull wants to do everything possible to keep Vickers in its car for the long run. If Vickers cannot race in 2011 but has the prospect of still being able to come back after more time and treatment, Kahne is not a threat to Vickers’ seat since KK is only going to be there for 1 year.
It only seems right Kahne drives a toyota. 2013 Hendrick switches to Toyota. GM will be unable to support nascar.
I have never understood why HMS signed KK for 2012, KK is not great of a driver. Is there no one other good driver who has a contract coming due at the end of 2011?
I don’t think HMS will be paying any of KK salary in 2011, he might be getting a little better deal in 2012 and 2013. Paying KK money in 2011 would probably throw up many red flags, paying him extra money in 2012 and 2013 is a different story. Who is to say how much he is worth, that is between Rick and KK (and agents, lawyers, accounts, etc).
I thought I heard Red Bull is in contract with Toyota thru the end of 2012. So KK getting use to Chevy in 2011 would be out.
As for HMS in cahoots with SHR, isn’t Roush in with another team or two and has been for several years?
TC / Journo: How about an article on what makes it a 4 (or 3 or 2) car team. Is it who owns the drivers contract, car owner, who makes the car, where the car is kept, etc. Then again it might not be that easy to explain.
@ Sharpie
I can just hear the echos of the mass Fan suicide that would take place.
Can you imagine, Jr. in a Toyota? ☺
Martin is having a bad year because Hendrick took every ounce of talent not involved with the 24 and 48 teams and assigned them to the 88 car. Junior’s doing better than last year, Martin far worse.
As for Kahne, do the words “young” and “marketable” mean anything to you? How about words like “Junior?” “Danica?”
Ric: don’t press NASCAR to define what makes a “team.” They might have to explain it in some sort of coherent manner, and that would mess with the business model.
More and more I think of David Poole’s call for some form of franchising.
RE: J #11-”idiotic”? You reference some historical examples of car/team/mfg swapping that us long time follwers are well aware of. I agree that the corporate chains & contracts that link and often prevent potential scenarios. But I can’t quite figure out why you think this column is “idiotic”. Do tell.
My issue is w/ quality talented drivers losing rides to deep pocket drivers or those simply short on talent, but high on marketing appeal. But then that is a whole other column for a whole other day.
I think Kasey’s Agent did a lousy job of negotiating this deal. They should have demanded in writing what Kasey would be doing for the 2011 season & how much he would make.Handshake deals don’t cut it anymore. I’d look for a new agent.