MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Kasey Kahne said Wednesday he isn't ruling out a one-off NASCAR Cup Series start as he is set to return to full-time NASCAR competition in 2027.

During a Spire Motorsports press conference to introduce him as the new NASCAR FedEx Freight Truck Series driver, Kahne said his health will never allow him to run a full Cup Series again. However, he said a one-off start isn't off the table.

"I know that, what I've always kind of felt is that, I could maybe pull off a one-off or you know something like that in a Cup car but just where my body went those final couple years, like there'd be no chance to ever do that again full time, and I understand that, and I knew it when I got out," Kahne said Wednesday. "Maybe a one-off or something, but I think to me, this this series, these shorter races, schedule, all of that makes way more sense."

Kahne stepped away from full-time NASCAR Cup Series racing due to issues with heat exhaustion that left him dehydrated and weak at the end of long races and over the course of the season. The issues left him unable to complete the final 11 Cup Series races of 2018, effectively ending his full-time career in the series.

Kahne said the Truck Series works because of the shorter races and the abundance of off-weekends (14 in total in 2027) and night races (11 of 25 races in 2026). 

Should Kahne do a one-off start in 2027, the door is open for him. Spire is set to field a car for Hendrick Motorsports hotshoe Corey Day in several races, setting up the infrastructure for Kahne to possibly make a start.

However, the number of Cup races that could work within the circumstances of his health and what Kahne likes best about Trucks. The Cup Series has only a few night races each season and 27 of the 36 points races are either 400-500 laps or 400-500 miles. 

One possibility could be the NASCAR All-Star Race. NASCAR has yet to release the criteria and format for the upcoming edition of the race, set for May 23, 2027, at North Wilkesboro Speedway. As the 2008 winner of the race, Kahne could be locked into the field. If not, Spire could possibly field a car for him to race in via the Open. 

Neither Spire nor Kahne have said anything more about a possible one-off start.

Should Kahne complete every race in the 2027 NASCAR FedEx Freight Truck Series season, it will be the first season he has completed since 2017. That year, he made the NASCAR Cup Series postseason after earning his final win, to-date, in any NASCAR national series – in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Kahne has 31 national series wins: 18 in the NASCAR Cup Series, eight in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and five in Trucks. His last Truck win was 2015 at Charlotte Motor Speedway while his last NOAPS win was 2014 at Daytona International Speedway.