Reuters Nate Fair Wed, October 7, 2026 at 6:52 PM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spire Motorsports has signed Kasey Kahne to pilot the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR FedEx Freight Truck Series for full-time racing in 2027. The 46-year-old legend, who retired in 2018 due to health issues, will kick off his season on Feb. 19 at Daytona International Speedway. This is not a one-off stunt; it is a full championship run.
Most drivers dream of winning one race in the Truck Series. Kahne won five of his six career starts. That is an 83 percent win rate that simply does not exist anywhere else in the sport. Per Yahoo Sports , his only non-win was a second-place finish, giving him an extraordinary average finish of 1.2. Charlotte Motor Speedway hosted He in May of 2015 when he secured Chevrolet's 200th Truck win. To go from a 14th-place finish in a one-off race at Rockingham in 2025 to a full-time ride just two years later shows his pace is still elite.
Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson called the move "one of the coolest announcements we've been able to make." He noted that Kahne is not only a legendary driver but shares a long history with the team. The organization fully trusts that Spire retains his enduring competitive nature and desire to win. These are not empty words from a team owner who usually just looks for a paycheck driver.
Kahne has been racing dirt cars since he left NASCAR full time in 2018. He even won a World of Outlaws sprint car race in May 2026 at Williams Grove Speedway. The Truck Series offers races that are far shorter than the Cup Series, which helps manage the chronic dehydration issues that forced his exit a decade ago. Kahne himself admitted that when Jeff Dickerson first asked him about running trucks for Spire Motorsports, "I didn't think he was serious."
He kept up with the sport enough to know that Spire wins races. He watched Kyle Busch's wins this year and followed Rajah Caruth last year. He saw Corey Day and Carson Hocevar win at Texas. Reuniting with Chevrolet and returning to NASCAR in a fun way seemed possible once He realized that Spire has a really good truck. The timing is perfect because he has the health to handle the shorter races and the skill to dominate them.
This is the boldest move in NASCAR since the 2018 season ended. A career featuring crown-jewel victories at the Coca-Cola 600 and the Brickyard 400 led to Kahne being named one of NASCAR's "75 Greatest Drivers" in 2023. He has 18 Cup wins and eight O'Reilly Auto Parts Series wins. Now he adds a full-time Truck title chase to that resume. The prospect of returning to pavement racing and rejoining a long-standing project filled him with excitement. As the team's winning capability began sounding appealing, he expressed gratitude for the chance to return.
Spire Motorsports confirmed this deal on Wednesday. The 46-year-old will drive the No. 77 Chevrolet Silverado RST. With five wins in six career Truck starts, Kahne has the best record in the series by a massive margin. He is as passionate and competitive as ever at 46. The Truck Series just got a whole lot more interesting for the 2027 season.
Source: Sport
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