Fort Lewis welcomes Kasey Kahne

By Meg Wochnick | The Olympian • Published June 23, 2008

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FORT LEWIS - The excitement and hype began well before Kasey Kahne arrived at Fort Lewis on Monday.

And even though Kahne admits he has never been to Fort Lewis, he made it clear that he wanted to return.

Kahne, one of the hottest drivers on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, made a special, private visit with Fort Lewis soldiers and families Monday. More than 250 fans waited anxiously for a photo opportunity with the 28-year-old outside the Fort Lewis PX.

The pride of Enumclaw came to Fort Lewis just one day after finishing 33rd at the Toyota/SaveMart 350 in Somona, Calif.

“Having this opportunity to meet soldiers was neat,” Kahne said. “I was surprised the people I met knew NASCAR so well. I liked listening to them a lot and seeing where they’ve been and what they’ve gone through.”

Kahne has quickly turned into a well-known NASCAR figure. Already this season, Kahne has won three of the past four NASCAR races and currently is ninth in the Sprint Cup standings with 1,958 points.

Read more of this story in Tuesday’s Olympian.