"To beat Tony Stewart means a lot" - When Kasey Kahne outdueled a legend for his first NASCAR victory

Back in May 2005, Kasey Kahne claimed his first-ever Cup Series win ahead of one of the most successful NASCAR drivers of that time, Tony Stewart. Following his victory, Kahne shared his thoughts about the win and stated that the victory was of immense importance.

Kahne's victory came against Stewart at the Chevy American Revolution 400 at Richmond Raceway. It was the 11th race of the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. It took place on May 14, 2005, and around 107,000 people watched the race from the grandstands at the raceway.

“Tonight’s just the night. We’ve come so close and always thought when it comes the time, we’re going to win a race. To beat Tony Stewart just means a lot because of how good he is. It’s just awesome to beat that good of a driver,” Kahne said via The Spokesman.

The 400-lap win also meant a huge deal for Kahne's crew chief, Tommy Baldwin, at Evernham Motorsports. Speaking about this, he said,

“This is a big weight off all of our shoulders. Now we can ease up on the tension and really go racing.”

Interestingly, Kasey Kahne was supremely dominant throughout the Chevy American Revolution 400 race at Richmond Raceway in 2005. From claiming the pole position to leading the most number of laps (242 laps), he crossed the finish line 1.674 seconds ahead of Stewart to register his first Cup Series win.

As per reports, Kahne of Evernham Motorsports drove the #9 Dodge entry and won a whopping $257,325 as a winning purse. Stewart, who finished the race in second, drove the #20 entry of Joe Gibbs Racing. Ryan Newman of Penske-Jasper Racing came home in third with his #12 Dodge entry.

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How did Tony Stewart react to Kasey Kahne's victory?

Following Kasey Kahne's stunning and thumping victory at the Chevy American Revolution 400 at the Richmond Raceway in 2005, Tony Stewart congratulated the then-Evernham Motorsports driver and hailed the young Kahne. Speaking about his victory, the JGR driver said,

“The kid has done an awesome job for two years now. He just needed a perfect night, and tonight’s that night. If we were going to run second to anybody … that’s the guy to run second to.”

Kahne raced in the NASCAR Cup Series for over 15 years, where he participated in 529 races. He has 18 race wins, 27 pole positions, and 176 Top 10s to his name. His last Cup Series race was the 2018 Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Kasey Kahne, driver of the #9 Evernham Motorsports Dodge at the Richmond International Raceway - Source: Getty

Besides the Cup Series, the 44-year-old also raced in the Xfinity and the Truck Series with 215 and six races under his belt. As per reports, Kasey Kahne is set to return to the Xfinity Series this year with Richard Childress Racing at Rockingham Speedway.