NASCAR’s Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports sign three-year extension

Kasey Kahne signed a three-year extension to keep racing for Hendrick Motorsports in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series through the 2018 season, the team said Thursday.

“I think the world of him both as a driver with championship-level talent and an overall terrific young man,” team owner Rick Hendrick said of Kahne in a statement.

Terms of the contract extension were not disclosed. Kahne’s current contract was set to end after next season.

“Thankful to have four more years with @TeamHendrick, couldn’t ask for a better group of people/teammates to work with,” Kahne said on Twitter after the announcement.

Kahne, 34, has spent the last three seasons at Hendrick, whose other drivers are six-time champion Jimmie Johnson, four-time champion Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

A native of Enumclaw, Wash., Kahne qualified for NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup title playoff in each of the last three years but has yet to win a championship. He has 17 career Cup victories.

Kahne this season had one win and 11 top-10 finishes in his No. 5 Chevrolet. In this year’s new Chase format, he was among the four drivers eliminated from the playoff after the second round. He finished 15th in the point standings.

“I’ve found a home at Hendrick Motorsports,” Kahne said in a statement. “It’s the right place for me and I’m looking forward to being here for a long time.”

Hendrick also said LiftMaster, a maker of garage-door openers, signed on to be a primary sponsor of Kahne’s car in three Cup races, and an associate sponsor at other races, for the next three years.

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