Spire Motorsports on Wednesday confirmed that Kasey Kahne will drive their No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado RST full-time in 2027. First reported by The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi, Kahne is preparing for his first full season in the NASCAR FedEx Freight Truck Series (currently the Craftsman Truck Series).
Kasey Kahne drove full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2004 to 2018. He won 18 races, competing for organizations such as Hendrick Motorsports, Evernham Motorsports, Richard Petty Motorsports, Team Red Bull, and Leavine Family Racing. In 2023 Kahne was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.
“When Jeff [Dickerson, Spire co-owner] first asked me about running trucks for Spire Motorsports, I didn’t think he was serious,” said Kahne. “To be out of the sport for as long as I was and to have the opportunity to race for a strong FedEx Freight Truck Series team, or even full time in NASCAR again, was a bit of a surprise. The thought of a return to pavement racing and involvement in something that I was a part of for so long was exciting. It started sounding pretty good and I’m thankful for the opportunity to come back with a team that knows how to win.”
Bringing Back Kasey Kahne
From 2004 to 2015 Kasey Kahne made six starts in the Craftsman Truck Series. Five of those were wins. His one other truck start, at Pocono Raceway in 2010, resulted in a second-place finish. Though it’ll be difficult for Kahne to maintain a 83% winning percentage, Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson believes he has the right driver for the seat.
“This is one of the coolest announcements we’ve been able to make,” Dickerson said. “Kasey is not only a legendary driver but is someone that Spire shares a long history with. Having him in one of our trucks running for a championship means a lot to our organization and we fully trust that he has the same competitive nature and drive to win that he’s always had.”
Kasey Kahne retired from NASCAR competition during the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season, citing issues with dehydration. He was midway through his first season with Leavine Family Racing at 38 years old. Kahne returned to NASCAR for a one-off start in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series last year with Richard Childress Racing. Driving the No. 33 Chevrolet, Kahne finished 14th at Rockingham Speedway. Since his Cup retirement he’s stayed active racing sprint cars on dirt.
Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Truck
The No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado has been a full-time shared ride throughout the 2026 Truck Series season. Carson Hocevar gave the team its lone win this season at Texas Motor Speedway in May. Others to pilot the truck this year include Connor Zilisch, Jesse Love, Parker Kligerman, and James Hinchcliffe among others. The team is sixth in owner points through 20 races.
In 2025 Andrés Pérez de Lara began the season driving the No. 77 truck full-time for Spire Motorsports. When he moved to Niece Motorsports after 17 races, Corey LaJoie stepped in for the final eight races of the season.
Throughout 2026 the No. 77 team has shown top-five speed throughout the Truck Series schedule. In 20 races the truck has seven top-fives: three from Hocevar and one each from Zilisch, Kligerman, Nick Sanchez, and Tristan McKee.
“I kept up with NASCAR enough to know that Spire wins races,” Kahne said. “I saw Kyle Busch’s wins this year, I watched Rajah [Caruth] a lot last year and keep up with what he’s doing. I saw some of Corey Day’s races and Carson [Hocevar] when he won at Texas. I just thought that’s actually a really good truck and this could be a fun way to come back into NASCAR and reunite with Chevrolet, a manufacturer I had some really great moments with over the years.”
