Rick Hendrick is paying both Kasey Kahne and William Byron in 2018 – He has more drivers than cars, what’s the plan?
There’s a lot going on at Hendrick Motorsports these days. They have a lot of drivers and a lot of cars. Hendrick Motorsports is more than just the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. What’s the plan?
What went wrong with the Kahne deal? Where’s Kasey Kahne going to end up? Is William Byron going to run MENCS races in 2017?
The owner of Hendrick Motorsports answers these questions.
Kasey Kahne 2018?
Rick Hendrick opens the talk on Kasey Kahne via a press conference today, “First of all, I have an obligation to Kasey.
I’m paying two drivers
-Rick Hendrick
The NASCAR team owner continued, “So, I’m paying two drivers. And I’m also trying to help Kasey in another situation that we could be involved with, helping another team.”
“Therefore, it’s not as much the money, it’s about the future and building for the future. Getting a fresh start.”
Related: Rick Hendrick didn’t choose William Byron to save money
Rick Hendrick tried to keep Kasey Kahne in the car. A lot of times sponsor don’t want to sign a 1 year deal with a driver. Two primary sponsors of Kasey Kahne are leaving at the conclusion of the 2017 season. Kasey Kahne is a Hendrick Motorsports driver through 2018. That means new sponsors would need to sign a 1 year deal.
Rick gave it a try, “We talked to people, we got close to some deals. We had some deals that drugged out too long. And it wasn’t fair to Kasey, or me.”
“Kasey and I talked constantly about having a deadline to have something done. But when William the way William’s running, you know, to me, I don’t do this for the money. I do this to win and it’s our brand. I’m investing in the future, all the time.”
“I signed William with no sponsors and was going to run him, regardless. That’s been the plan with Chase, with William, Jeff Gordon. I think that’s been the history of our company.”
Will William Byron run 2018 Xfinity races with JR Motorsports?
Rick Hendrick, co-owner of #9 JR Motorsports machine states, “We haven’t really gotten to that point, yet. We talked some about Xfinity next year.”
“There’s two school of thought there. Some people think it’s good to get more track time. Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have said they think the young guys should just stick with what he’s going to drive. It might confuse him when he’s trying to debrief.”
“We’re open. We haven’t made that decision yet. Whether he or Alex, I think Alex has had more time in the cars. So, there is probably an opportunity for him to run some [Xfinity] races.”
Will William Byron run MENCS races this year, 2017?
“William is eligible, going in to run some races. But, we haven’t gotten there yet. It’s just too soon for us to make those decisions.”
Related: William Byron will replace Kasey Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports
“Right now, I want to focus on winning the Xfinity championship with William.”
Links
William Byron
Website | Facebook
Kasey Kahne
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Hendrick Motorsports
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
