Catchfence

Kasey Kahne - Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images

No. 9 Budweiser Armed Forces Ford Fusion

Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway

• Kasey Kahne and the No. 9 Budweiser Ford team will run the special Budweiser Armed Forces paint scheme for the second time this season in Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The red-camouflage paint scheme is a part of Budweiser’s “Proud to Serve Those Who Serve” promotion with wholesalers across the country that benefits the USO’s Operation Enduring Care program. Kahne drove the Budweiser Armed Forces Ford to a 12^th-place finish earlier this year at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

• Budweiser will make a special announcement with Kahne at 3:40 p.m. on Friday in the Daytona International Speedway infield media center’s press conference room.

• In 13 starts at Daytona International Speedway, Kahne has scored four top-10 finishes. His best finish at the 2.5-mile track is seventh, a result he’s scored three times, with the most recent being July 5, 2008. Last year he finished 15^th in the 400-mile race.

• In February, Kahne scored his first-ever restrictor-plate win in one of the qualifying races for the Daytona 500. Kahne started the season-opening event from the fourth position, led four laps and finished 30^th after a wreck sidelined the No. 9 Budweiser Ford late in the race.

• Tonight Kahne will drive the No. 4 Budweiser sprint car in Kasey’s King of Sedalia Presented by Budweiser, a World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series race at the Missouri State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, Mo. The event is the third leg of the four-race, Kahne-promoted Showdown for the Bud Crown. It was originally scheduled for June 16, but rain postponed the race.

• Last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kahne started second and led 110 laps before the No. 9 Budweiser Ford’s engine expired, leaving him with a 36^th-place finish.

• With 17 races completed, Kahne and the No. 9 team have scored one pole award, four top fives and five top-10 finishes. His average starting position is 10.6 and his average finish is 19.7. Kahne is currently 20^th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, 174 markers out of 12th position, the cut-off point for the Chase for the Championship.

• Follow along each weekend with Kahne and the team on Twitter. Check out @kaseykahne for behind-the-scenes information straight from the driver of the No. 9 Budweiser Ford. Get live updates from the track each weekend from @kk9team, the PR team for Kahne. Also, follow @RPMotorsports for additional information about the Richard Petty Motorsports organization.

• Become a fan of Budweiser on Facebook. Exclusive information on Kasey and the No. 9 Budweiser Ford Team can be found on the Budweiser Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/Budweiser.

Kasey Kahne discusses racing at Daytona and running the Budweiser Armed Forces paint scheme:

How will the handling be different during this race than in the Daytona 500? “Handling is big in the 500, but this race is hot and the track has been hot for months. Some people will be able to go faster and be on the throttle more than others. You’ll be lifting (off the throttle) no matter what. This track will be real slippery. You just really need to work on getting the car to drive around the corner and turn and not be too loose.”

What is the key to restrictor-plate racing? “You have to make the right decisions, but a lot of it is luck. You have to depend on other cars to help you get to the front. You’re really at the mercy of the cars behind you, and for whatever reason, I haven’t been able to make it work at the end and win one of these things. There are so many things out of your control when it comes to plate racing, so you better hit all the marks on everything you can control, or you can really dig yourself a hole.”

What does it mean to you to run the Budweiser Armed Forces paint scheme this weekend? “I am definitely looking forward to it. We unveiled the car at Fort Hood and there were a lot of people excited about it. As a driver, I am excited about it. To have the camouflage and be able to represent the Armed Forces and what they do for us is great.”

– Elevation Group of Companies for Budweiser Racing, Press Release