Could a Cup Series driver win the Brickyard 400, one of the most prestigious races in all of motorsports, and not remember much about how he did so? The answer is a resounding yes. The story of how Kasey Kahne won the 2017 iteration of the event at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an awe-inspiring tale of resilience and sheer willpower. It all began on a hot July day.
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Kahne was in the final years of his racing journey at the time and had already secured many accolades. The one worry in his mind was that he had never won the Brickyard 400 despite coming frustratingly close several times. In 2004 and 2005, he finished fourth and second. By retirement, he had secured an average finish of 13.6 at the track, which was his personal best across the board.
To secure that missing victory on that day, Kahne went on a journey to hell and back. The event had been prolonged by rain, held 14 cautions in it, saw three red flags waved, and featured two overtime restarts. Overall, the race took more than six hours to come to an end. Through it all, Kahne figured out a way to win the war by defeating past heroes like Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson.
Kasey Kahne’s win in the 2017 Brickyard 400 is one of the toughest performances in modern NASCAR. Kasey had the race fall into his lap with a caution as he pitted, then refused to lose through several restarts despite being dehydrated and cramping. Epic way to get a last win pic.twitter.com/nRbDmwnGYe
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) July 23, 2025
Dehydrated and out of breath in the race’s final moments, he juiced the maximum out of his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to pass Keselowski to the overtime line before a wreck led the race to end under the yellow flag. The physical toll that the entire ordeal took on him cannot be understated. They are what eventually led to his retirement from the game in 2018.
He told HendrickMotorsports.com in an interview, “I kind of somewhat blacked out. I’ve seen pictures of victory lane and stuff like that, so I have that in my mind. But overall, I don’t remember much of that race.” It wasn’t until he was back at his motorhome after receiving IVs that he began to realize the weight of what he had accomplished. Even though it was a bit late, he was overjoyed.
He continued, “It was one that I really wanted over the years. It was cool to finally win one.” The race’s 14 cautions and 55 caution laps still stand tall in the Brickyard’s book of records. The race flowed with a speed of 114.384 miles per hour, which is also the slowest recorded Brickyard 400 ever. Ahead of Sunday’s Crown Jewel at the quad oval, Kahne’s story remains one of the most remarkable ones to remember.
