"I caught myself doing things": $50M NASCAR legend Kasey Kahne explains scary side-effects of multiple concussions on Dale Jr.'s podcast

Former Hendrick Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne shared his experience suffering from concussions after races. Kahne recalled catching himself do unusual things while dealing with the injury, including being unaware of his speed when driving.

Kasey Kahne is a 44-year-old professional stock car racing driver from Enumclaw, Washington. Following his retirement from NASCAR for health reasons in 2018, the driver will compete in the Xfinity Series' return to Rockingham this April.

Ahead of the Rockingham race, Kahne spoke with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the Dale Jr. Download podcast and reflected on his racing career. He told his former HMS teammate about his concussions that led to scary side effects.

"I just know of two concussions. One was in Sprint cars four years ago, five years ago, and learned a lot about it since then. And after that, I was like, 'Man, I bet there was other times and didn't put it together,'" Kahne said.

Kahne cited the 2013 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He was running within the top 10 when his No. 5 Chevrolet hit the wall with 48 laps remaining. Although the crash seemed light, he admitted suffering a concussion, which was evident during an interview after he got out of his car.

One of the side effects was driving long distances at around 25 miles an hour without noticing. Kahne shared,

"I caught myself after that. I would just be driving... just be happy as can be running 25 miles an hour down the road [...] and have no clue,"

He added,

"So I caught myself doing things like that after that one. But I never felt off in the car. But when I look back, I know I had to have been off in the car. But I didn't feel it,"

For his return to racing, Kasey Kahne will drive the No. 33 Chevy Camaro for Richard Childress Racing at Rockingham Speedway. He will run with sponsorship from HendrickCars.com, the automotive dealership business of his former HMS boss, Rick Hendrick.

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Kasey Kahne opened up about decision to leave NASCAR

On the same podcast episode, Kasey Kahne shared the factors that led to his retirement from NASCAR in 2018. He said experiencing heat in a racecar took a toll on him until he couldn't complete a full season anymore.

Kahne told Dale Earnhardt Jr.:

"I needed to get away because of personal health. My body is what it was struggling with those long races. Just went down that path and I couldn't fix it. The longer the seasons went, the harder it got to recover. I mean, by the end, like I was done in practice. First practice at Darlington, I was sopping wet. If I stood in one area, it was a puddle underneath me."

The Washington native last drove in NASCAR with Leavine Family Racing in 2018. He left the sport mid-season after the Darlington race weekend following underwhelming results in previous races.

During his 18-year NASCAR Cup Series career, Kahne amassed 18 races driving for teams like Hendrick Motorsports and Evernham Motorsports. He notably won one Brickyard 400 and three Coca-Cola 600 races.