TC Daily Pit Stop: Team Penske Makes Change to Blaney Pit Crew; Return of Rockingham Fueled Kasey Kahne's NASCAR Comeback; Friday's TV Schedule

TC Daily Pit Stop: Friday April 18th, 2025

Apr 18, 2025

Team Penske is swapping Front Changers for Ryan Blaney and Zane Smith pit crews — Photo Credit: John K Harrelson, NKP for Ford Performance

Pit road has been a liability for Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Team Penske group through the opening nine races of the NASCAR Cup Series season, so during the lone off-weekend of the year, Team Penske is making a change.

Keiston France, who had been serving as the Front Changer for Zane Smith and the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports team, will move over to replace Ryan “Skip” Flores as the Front Changer on Blaney’s team.

Flores was part of Blaney’s championship-winning team in 2023.

The former No. 12 pit crew member will slide over to perform the same duties for the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports team. Additionally, Front Row Motorsports will have a new Jack Man in Ryan Selig, who will replace Kapil Fletcher. Selig has been traveling with Team Penske in an “organizational” role, and has served as the Jack Man for the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Truck team and the No. 51 Jeremy Clements Racing NASCAR Xfinity Series team this season.

Rockingham Speedway Return Fueled NASCAR Comeback for Kasey Kahne

Seeing Rockingham Speedway return made Kasey Kahne want to make a NASCAR comeback — Photo Credit: Tyson Gifford | TobyChristie.com

Kasey Kahne is set to make his first NASCAR National Series start in nearly seven years in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Rockingham Speedway, a track that had been dormant for 12 years.

Kahne says the return of the iconic track, which he has a special connection with, as it was the first track he ever drove a Stock Car at, led to him having a desire to return to run a NASCAR race.

“I saw this Rockingham race pop up, and I said, man, that’s a track I know and I’ve enjoyed racing at over the years,” said Kahne in a media availability at a Rockingham Speedway test in January. “I started reaching out and trying to find a way to get back into it and do a race.”