SCCA (KANSAS) - KAHNE TO RUN SPEED GT

Not one, but two NASCAR Nextel Cup stars will drive in the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT race at Lowe's Motor Speedway this month. Woodhouse Performance have announced that Evernham Motorsports driver Kasey Kahne will drive the No. 13 Dodge Viper in Charlotte. This follows the announcement in March that defending NEXTEL Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson will drive a Cadillac CTS-V at the same event.

Kahne, driver of the No. 9 Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge for Evernham Motorsports, has competed in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series for the last three years. He has accumulated seven-career NEXTEL Cup Series wins, 30 top-five and 42 top-10 finishes and earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2004. Last season, he won six races and secured a spot in NASCAR's Chase for the NEXTEL Cup. He finished eighth in the driver point standings, completing his most successful year to date. Kahne is one of NASCAR's most well-known drivers and is considered a superstar in the series.

"This is a neat opportunity to better myself as a road course racer," Kahne said. "With the upcoming races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen, it gives me a chance to learn more about this style of driving. I appreciate Ray Evernham giving me the opportunity to participate and have some fun at the same time."

Currently competing in its fifth season of SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT, Woodhouse Performance runs the No. 99 Kenda Tire/Pro MPI Dodge Viper of Jeff Courtney and the No. 13 Kicker/Woodhouse Performance Dodge Viper of Brian Smith, who will step aside at Charlotte to let Kahne take the wheel. For Team Owner Bob Woodhouse, the benefits of having Kahne in the car stretch beyond the Woodhouse Performance team.

"A lot of NASCAR fans have no clue what the SCCA SPEED World Challenge series is," Woodhouse said. "Having Kasey in the series gives them a chance to learn. On the flip side, World Challenge competitors get to learn from the masters, how they make a really great show."

"To have Jimmie Johnson and now Kasey Kahne racing with us at Charlotte is fantastic," SCCA Pro Racing President Bob Wildberger said. "When two NASCAR Nextel Cup stars want to go SCCA SPEED World Challenge racing, it speaks volumes about the excitement and competitiveness of our series. I think the fans at Lowe's Motor Speedway are going to get a real thrill watching Jimmie and Kasey go head-to-head with our series regulars."

The SCCA SPEED World Challenge GT Championship will take to the banks of Lowe's Motor Speedway for CTC Pole Night, Thursday, May 24, part of the Coca-Cola 600 weekend. Teams will have two morning practice sessions on the oval modified with chicanes on the front and back straight, before qualifying at 12:15 p.m. (EDT). The 50-minute race, Round Four on the ten-race schedule, will go green at 8:45 p.m. following NASCAR Nextel Cup Qualifying.

The race will air on SPEED, Saturday, June 2 at 4:00 p.m. (EDT), with rebroadcasts on Sunday, June 3 at 4:00 a.m. and Wednesday June 6 at 2:00 p.m.