Kasey Kahne to miss Brickyard 400 because of heat exhaustion from Darlington

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer
Kahne finished 24th at Darlington. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)
Kahne finished 24th at Darlington. (AP Photo/Terry Renna, File)

Kasey Kahne’s 2017 Brickyard 400 win could end up being the last time he drives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Cup Series.

Kahne will miss Sunday’s race at IMS according to his Leavine Family Racing team. Kahne was treated for heat exhaustion after last weekend’s race at Darlington.

“Several days later, Kahne opted to consult with several physicians who recommended that he sit out from this weekend’s events at Indianapolis until further testing and evaluations are completed,” a team statement said. The team also did not guarantee that Kahne would return to the car at Las Vegas and said an announcement about its plans for the No. 95 car would be provided in an update next week.

Kahne said earlier this summer that the 2018 season would be his last as a full-time NASCAR driver.

Kahne is now officially out of the playoffs

Kahne wasn’t going to make the NASCAR playoffs in 2018. But he had a lottery-like shot at Indy on Sunday. If he won the race he would have been the final driver to qualify for the 16-driver playoff field. Now he won’t.

He’s currently 27th in the points standings.

When you need a driver, call Regan Smith

Smith can now add the No. 95 car to the list of cars he’s driven in the Cup Series in a substitute role. Smith has driven the No. 88 for Hendrick Motorsports, the Nos. 14 and 41 for Stewart-Haas Racing, the No. 42 for Chip Ganassi Racing and the No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports as a sub since 2012.

Going back a bit further in the 2012 season, the No. 95 will be the ninth different car Smith has driven in either a temporary or (semi) permanent capacity when he takes the green flag on Sunday.

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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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