TULARE, Calif. — The star power of this weekend’s Rico Abreu Racing 25th annual Trophy Cup presented by Rudeen Racing got a major last-minute boost on Wednesday with the addition of former NASCAR star Kasey Kahne to the entry list.

Kahne, whose NASCAR career recently ended due to health issues stemming from heat exhaustion at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in September, will drive the No. 14 sprinter owned by two-time World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series champion Jason Meyers this weekend at Thunderbowl Raceway.

The car is the same one that Meyers raced at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Thunderbowl Raceway during the World of Outlaws’ first West-Coast swing of the season back in March. Meyers scored top-10 finishes in all three of those races, including a best effort of seventh at Las Vegas on March 1.

The Clovis, Calif., driver and owner noted that even though the deal with Kahne was one he badly wanted to put together, it almost didn’t happen.

“This deal was kind of nip and tuck; it wasn’t actually a go until about two hours ago,” Meyers told SPEED SPORT when reached by phone on Wednesday afternoon. “I actually reached out to him roughly four to six weeks ago because I had decided around Knoxville time this year that my schedule was just too busy and I wasn’t going to run Trophy Cup. … I talked to Tom and Tommy Tarlton at that point because I’ve run that race for them the last five or six years and was slated to run it again for them, but I told them that I didn’t feel like it was in any of our best interests to do it right now and I needed to take this year off.

“With my car that H.P. Myatt and I work on together sitting at home, he had mentioned to me about wanting to run Trophy Cup the last few years … and over lunch one day, he brought up finding someone to put in it,” Meyers continued. “I reminded him that we couldn’t just put anyone in it because you needed to race last year to be in this year’s field; it would have to be someone like Kasey Kahne. He looked at me and said, ‘Well, why don’t you call him?’

“So I called Kasey because I had seen him at Placerville when the Outlaws were out and we chatted and talked a bit. He mentioned what his plans were next year and stuff like that and when Trophy Cup came up he told me he’d ask, but at that point he was still working with the doctors to get back in the Cup Series car. … When it came out two or three weeks later that he wasn’t going to be medically cleared to return to NASCAR, he called me and asked if the offer to drive was still good.”

The deal between Kahne and Meyers brings their careers back together and completes the circle, so to speak, after Kahne gave Meyers a ride in a Kasey Kahne Racing entry during the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte six years ago.

“We kind of scrambled to put everything in place once the doctors told Kasey they didn’t have a solution for him to get back into the Cup car for long periods of time, but it’s really cool for me on several levels,” Meyers explained. “First, this is a really special event that’s for a great cause, with so much of the proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Second, this being the 25th year of the event is special and (promoter) Dave Pusateri has done an amazing job over the years making it great for everyone involved.

“Most of all though, even though Kasey isn’t in the Cup car anymore, he’s still got a busy schedule … so for him to take time out of his life and fly all the way across the country and be part of the event, I think, says a lot and makes it even greater for the fans,” Meyers continued. “Kasey gave me the opportunity to drive for him at the World Finals in 2012 and spared no expense giving me a great car, a great team and a great opportunity to go out and chase a win back then, so on a personal level, this is a great opportunity for me to repay that favor and give him the same opportunity that he gave me.”

Beyond their friendship, however, Meyers recognizes he and Kahne will have a great shot at accomplishing the business at hand: winning a Trophy Cup title together.

“For everyone that participates in our little team that we have, I think this should be a great deal,” said Meyers, a two-time Trophy Cup champion as a driver and former winner of the event as a car owner, as well. “My family is looking forward to going, H.P.’s family is excited and we’re all looking forward to having a lot of fun with it.

“I know Kasey will do a great job with it and I think we’ll have a shot at going to victory lane.”