Retiring Kasey Kahne turned down Stewart-Haas NASCAR team approach
Retiring NASCAR Cup driver Kasey Kahne turned down an approach from leading team Stewart-Haas Racing for 2019


Autosport revealed earlier this month that Kurt Busch and sponsor Monster Energy will be leaving SHR to replace Jamie McMurray at Ganassi next season.
Kahne, who has ended up at the midfield Leavine Family Racing team this season after losing his Hendrick seat, announced on Thursday that he will retire from full-time NASCAR racing despite his current team offering him a new two-year deal.
Multiple sources have confirmed that SHR recently approached Kahne about Busch's seat, but Kahne said he had already made up his mind about retiring.
A spokesperson for Kahne declined to comment on the SHR interest.
In his retirement message on social media, Kahne said he had "thought about this decision for many months, if not longer".

A move to SHR would have placed Kahne with one of the teams dominating the 2018 Cup season.
SHR driver Kevin Harvick (pictured above) leads the series with seven wins while team-mate Clint Bowyer has two wins.
All four SHR drivers - Harvick, Bowyer, Busch and Aric Almirola - are in the top 12 in the series standings and all four should qualify for the playoffs.

Kasey Kahne to retire from full-time NASCAR after 2018
NASCAR Cup champion Truex uncertain about his Furniture Row future

Latest news
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes