Kahne's star off track rises higher than on track

Despite an otherwise disappointing season, Kasey Kahne may receive some lucrative news from Budweiser in the next few weeks. Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR

Fans of the Budweiser car should slow down. No matter what you've heard, things likely won't be that much different for the 2008 season. That's because the handsome Kasey Kahne and his No. 9 Dodge are expected to be sponsored by Bud next year. Kahne has even been known to drink a Bud or two every now and then.

The young driver is already a star of several commercials -- the ones for Allstate Insurance and Vitaminwater are especially enjoyable as Kahne shows he knows how to make fun of himself. He's also been named to People magazine's "America's Top 50 Bachelors" list. But his fame will undoubtedly grow if he joins Bud, whose PR machine helped turn Dale Earnhardt Jr. into one of the most recognizable faces in America.

The big question for the Bud fans, who came tantalizing close at times with Dale Jr., is can we win a championship with Kasey? At first glance, the possible switch moves the beer brand even further down the NASCAR standings. In fact, a case could be made that Kahne is the biggest disappointment of the 2007 season. The question might be rephrased -- can we win a race with Kasey?

In '06, Kahne appeared to blossom into a star. He won six races and six poles, claiming 12 top-fives and 19 top-10s. He made the Chase and finished eighth in the points.

After 24 races in '07, Kahne is 23rd in the points with two poles and no wins. He has only three top-10s all season. Last weekend in Bristol was definitely the highlight of his '07 season. On Friday, he won the Busch race and the Cup pole. Saturday night, he finished second in the Cup race, his first top-five of the season. It also moved him up four spots in the standings. Kahne led 305 of 500 laps, after leading only 63 laps in all the other races this season.

In just his fourth Cup season, Kahne is already a veteran of the NASCAR rollercoaster. For starters, he replaced the legendary Bill Elliott as pilot of the No. 9 car. Elliott was only selected NASCAR's Most Popular Driver a record 16 times.

Despite having big shoes to fill, Kahne excelled in his first year. He was the Cup Rookie of the Year, posting 13 top-fives and finishing 13th in the points. But in '05, Kahne took a step backward and finished 23rd in the standings, despite earning his first career Cup victory.

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