JW: Hey Kasey! Thanks for taking the time to chat with me; much appreciated. To start off our conversation, I have to ask you how your 2023 season went for you as a driver? How would you rate your campaign?
 
KK: In my opinion, not that great. I feel like there were times when we were really competitive. Overall, the consistency is not where it needs to be. Not as good as I would like. I expect more from myself. I want to make that consistency much better going into next season. There have been a few different things thrown at me since I got back into a sprint car full-time. You either fight through the tough times, learn from them, and keep going—or not. I have chosen to keep going. I still really enjoy driving. I love owning a couple of teams. The love of driving is still there. We are building up our team for the upcoming season and my guys [team] are behind me and super excited to get going in 2024.
  
JW: You have now become a six-time World of Outlaws Champion as car owner with Brad Sweet wining his fifth straight title [Daryn Pittman in 2013]. Did you ever think that you would become one of the most successful car owners with the World of Outlaws when your team started off the first ever season back in 2006 with Joey Saldana as your first driver?
 
KK: When we started, those were the goals! Ultimately, [we] figured out how to win a lot of races and then championships. It happened right away with Joey [Saldana] winning a lot of races for KKR. But, the initial championship took a lot more time to win the first one with Daryn [Pittman], then the five straight with Brad [Sweet] is pretty remarkable. The entire NAPA team with Brad [Sweet], I mean… It’s super hard to do. There is so much that is thrown at you during an entire season. For Brad and the team to win five straight, to run at that top level, to be that consistent, is something that is far from easy. It took us [KKR] a while to figure it out, but our team has done it. 
 
JW: You are still chasing your first ever World of Outlaws feature win. This list is small with only 152 drivers to ever win at least one event amongst the thousands that have tried over the years. Is that still something that comes to your mind as one of your top goals as a driver?
 
KK: Truthfully, just to win anything anymore would feel good at this point. There are years where you are winning some races and being competitive, but for a little while now in the last couple of years, it’s been a lot harder. To win at Husets [Speedway] this year was really cool. We have run up front a few times this year, four or five times in the top three. We had some good runs in the top five and top ten also. But, it’s not near enough for what you want to do as a driver. But, for sure, it would be great if it happened. 
 
JW: A lot of people probably don’t know this, but you changed the name of the game when it came to advertising, PR, and sponsorship for sprint car racing with how your team from 2006 onwards. You must take a lot of pride with the unique branding that your team has developed, from the consistent number and name fonts, distinctive paint schemes, left side armguards, merchandise, too many to name. How important is it for you to push the envelope year after year when it comes to pushing forth the PR, communications, and marketing side of KKR?
 
KK: Absolutely. We started that from the very beginning. That was something that I always wanted to have. We have our own numbers. We have our own unique-looking cars. It’s changed a little over the years, but we also have our own bodies too. We have always tried to have that clean look for our cars, teams - and overall branding. Everyone that has worked at KKR over the years has done a great job of keeping those parts of racing just the way I want them. I have heard from a lot of people over the years really praise us on how clean our style is. I feel like today there are a lot more teams out there. There weren’t as many teams 15 years ago that did the same thing that we have done here at KKR. There are a lot more today that do and it’s really cool to see where the sport has grown and the direction it’s going in.  
  
JW: There has been a lot of moving parts going on in the sprint car world the past year in half, which has now brought us to what we see going into 2024 between High Limit and the World of Outlaws. Obviously, I don’t need to explain to you that you have a driver who is a part of the ownership of the High Limit Series and will be competing full time with the series. However, what are your current thoughts on two national touring sprint car series between High Limit and the Outlaws?
 
KK: I feel like the sport has grown. It’s in a really good space right now. I’m excited about what High Limit is bringing to the table. The way they are looking at it, the way they have started, along with a lot of different aspects. I think they are entering the right way. They did a great job with their midweek shows this past year. They have learned from them and have a lot more ideas they want to try out in 2024. I wanted to get behind it 100 percent. They really appreciate the owners and teams that are supporting them. That goes a long way for me. It will continue to grow a lot more in the coming years, I believe. I’m excited with how High Limit is entering into 2024.
  
JW: It was announced the other week that you will be participating in the High Limit Series full-time next year. Considering you have been doing a pick-and-choose schedule in the past year to allow you and your team to have the freedom of your own schedule, what made you decide to go full-time with High Limit? Was having your driver (Brad Sweet) who is a part owner of the series a major factor in choosing the full-time route, or was it after looking at the different schedules presented for next year that you thought it would be a better fit for you?
 
KK: A bit of both, if I’m being honest. The High Limit schedule fits me better as a driver and a person. You don’t have to race every single weekend all summer long, or from February/March to November straight. There are plenty of open weekends where you can go and race, or you can go to the beach! It’s up to you on what you want to do. I love that, man. We are so dedicated and put so much into sprint car racing over the years. It’s all you can do; nothing else or you’re out. This new approach just makes so much more sense to me. I like it from an owner's standpoint and a driver's standpoint for myself in 2024, than just supporting Brad [Sweet]. The reason we went to go out and hired him initially was his dedication to racing, whether it was a midget, sprint car, or non-wing—didn’t matter. He was trying to race anything and everything. Flying all over and doing whatever he could to drive for car owners. I like that. That’s still Brad today. When he puts his mind to something, he is a bit crazy. He works hard at it. He wants to make sure it happens. Brad put his mind to winning World of Outlaw championships. It took him four or five years out on the tour full-time to figure it out, then he rattled off five straight championships. I like what he is doing. He learned by starting out and promoting races, then took over Chico [Silver Dollar Speedway], and now he is building up a series with Kyle [Larson] and FloSports. I wanted to get behind that! I feel there is a really big opportunity there.  
  
JW: You have been a major player within the World of Outlaws brand. Both KKR and the Outlaws go hand in hand. With the massive growth in the sport, do you see an opportunity to bring back the #4 car on a full-time basis with the Outlaws, to allow you to continually grow the brand of KKR with a series that is credit to your growth within sprint car racing?
 
KK: At the time, I really liked it when we had that program. But, we also had the right people and enough people to pull it off at the time. On the teams, we had Cody [Darrah], Brad [Sweet], and Daryn [Pittman]—three great drivers that were fully committed and nice to be around. We also had three great teams. Three guys on each team that were very committed, into it, and excellent at their job. It worked at that time. We have four or five guys right now at KKR, and we are still looking for one more to make 2024 work for us. Then the money side as well. You have to look at what it costs and what it takes to make it happen - it’s expensive. But, if you can perform, there is an opportunity now. I think that opportunity is growing with High Limit and other competitions that are coming onto the scene for the sport. I like what I see in the coming years. A lot of things have to come together for a third car to return between the right driver, sponsorship, and the right people coming on board. I like having two cars right now, but you never know what happens in the future. 
 
JW: Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me and give some insights to the fans. As we round off our chat, I would like to know what is one of your main goals as we get ready for the 2024 season of racing?
 
KK: I’m looking forward to it! I have put in a lot of time over the past couple of years. I do feel as a driver I have made some strides forward and made some gains and I’m looking forward to getting the season started. As a team [KKR], we have two great teams with great people to go out and perform. For me, I want to focus on consistency. I feel like I’m super inconsistent with results the last two years with results, so consistency with being in the top ten is a huge goal for me. Be consistent and learn as a team when we are doing well and when we are struggling, to look at what we are doing on both sides. Build on and learn from each performance. If we can do that, it will put us in a position to compete in the top five and even win some races. We are also going to some new tracks for everyone on the High Limit schedule in 2024, which will be a good opportunity to help out and take advantage of some good results.