STATESVILLE, N.C. — Kasey Kahne is officially a Bud Man.
During a Tuesday morning press conference, which included the famous Budweiser Clydesdales, Evernham Gillett Motorsports and Anheuser-Busch officially announced the King of Beers will sponsor the No. 9 Dodge wheeled by 2004 Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year Kasey Kahne beginning next season.
Budweiser first sponsored a car in NASCAR’s senior division in 1983 and has been the signature name behind Dale Earnhardt, Jr. since the driver entered Cup racing in 1999. However, when Earnhardt announced he was leaving Dale Earnhardt, Inc., earlier this year, Budweiser also went shopping for a new team and a new spokesperson.
The found Kahne and the Evernham team, which added new partner George Gillett, who owns the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League, earlier this summer.
“Budweiser has a long and storied history with NASCAR and some of its most successful drivers. We’e excited about Kasey’s ability to add to that outstanding lineage,” said Tony Ponturo, vice president, global media and sports marketing, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “Along with team owners George Gillett and Ray Evernham, we feel the pieces are in place for the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge to contend for NASCAR Sprint Cup championships for years to come.”
Kahne, who has not won a Cup race this season after winning a series-leading six times last season, is well aware of Budweiser’s history in the sport, including stints with Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte, Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader among others.
“At first I thought more about the car and the different drivers who have driven that car over the last 15 years or whatever. I thought about that and I wondered, ‘Man, what would I look like in a Bud suit?’,” Kahne said. “Now that it is happening, I’ve been thinking more about the image thing and the fans. Man, Dale, Jr. has so many fans. It’s not even close. It is ridiculous how many fans he has. I think we will have some of those. The nine is going to have more fans because there are Budweiser fans, too.”

“I enjoy beer and I enjoy Budweiser. The more the fans that don’t know Kasey Kahne, watch and see, they will be surprised.” — Kasey Kahne

A baby-faced 27-year-old, many have questioned whether Kahne fits the mold of being a Bud man.
“I’ve had a lot of people say, ‘You don’t look like a Bud guy. You don’t look like you drink beer.’ Well, they just don’t know me very well,” Kahne said. “I enjoy beer and I enjoy Budweiser. The more the fans that don’t know Kasey Kahne, watch and see, they will be surprised.”
Kahne also said there will not be as many appearances on his schedule as he had been led to believe.
“I was very happy with how they treated me and how many bars I have to go to and how many appearances I have to make,” Kahne explained. “We’ve all heard these stories about tons and tons of appearances and Friday night before the race you are at a bar and all these things.
“There is some of that, but it is not what it was made out to be. We’re looking to win races, too, and running the driver crazy the whole time is not the way to do it.”
Kahne is signed with the Evernham Gillett team through the 2010 season.