Following months of speculation regarding his immediate future, Kahne has finally set his plans for 2011 before entering his multi-year deal to drive the #5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.
Back in April, Hendrick announced the signing of the 30-year-old, but question marks remained on where he would drive next year, as he had already committed to leave Richard Petty Motorsports at the end of this season.
Red Bull is currently in its fourth full season at NASCAR's top level, winning for the first time a year ago at Michigan with Brian Vickers, then going on to make the Chase for the first time.
This year the team has not enjoyed the same level of success and a number of drivers had taken the wheel of its #83 car after Vickers was diagnosed with blood clots last May.
"This opportunity places me with an established, competitive team that has proven they can win races and make the Chase," Kahne said about his new deal with Red Bull. "I have great respect for Red Bull, so to have the opportunity to drive for Red Bull Racing Team in 2011 is a great fit for me, both personally and professionally.
"It feels good to be able to finally put this to rest and focus my energy on finishing the season strong for the 9 team and our sponsors."
Despite Rick Hendrick initially saying that Kahne would drive for a Chevy team in 2011, he will end racing a Toyota Camry for Red Bull, where it is still uncertain which driver he will be replacing.
The team currently runs Scott Speed in their #82 car, while Brian Vickers is expected to return next year to the #83 Camry, if his treatment for blood clots proves successful.
The team has not announced any plans to run a third car for Kahne.
"We were fortunate to have the opportunity to hire a very talented driver for the 2011 season and we took it," said Red Bull's Jay Frye. "This is a unique situation that doesn't happen every day. Kasey is a perfect fit for our company, team and Red Bull."
Following Hendrick Motorsports' announcement of Kahne's deal for 2012 speculation mounted regarding Mark Martin, who was already signed to drive the #5 car in 2011.
Stewart-Haas Racing was believed to be the favorite choice for Kahne before joining Hendrick but the team is only in its second full year in the Sprint Cup series.
Veteran Mark Martin will race the #5 Chevrolet for Hendrick for the last time next year, before handing the drive to Kahne in 2012, as the team had initially announced last April.
"Kasey is going to a competitive organization that made the Chase last season and has great leadership and resources," said Rick Hendrick. "Of everything we looked at, he and I agree it's the best opportunity for him to be successful in 2011, which was always our number-one priority.
"The process went on longer than any of us anticipated, but I'm glad that we took our time to make sure it was right. And although I'm not looking forward to racing against him next year, I'm comfortable knowing this is the best situation for Kasey."
A decision regarding Scott Speed's future with Red Bull Racing is expected at the end of the month. The former Formula 1 racer currently ranks 27th in the driver standings and is in his second full season in the Sprint Cup series.
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