Hendrick still hasn’t figured out where Kahne will drive in 2011

Hendrick has no news on Kahne’s future

SONOMA, Calif. — Rick Hendrick dismissed a report that Kasey Kahne will drive for Phoenix Racing next season, the gap year before he moves into Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 5 car.

But where Hendrick plans to put Kahne isn’t figured out, either.

“No new news there,” Hendrick said Friday at Infineon Raceway.

Kahne signed with Hendrick Motorsports in April to drive the No. 5 Chevrolet in 2012, after current driver Mark Martin’s contract expires. The deal called for Hendrick to find a place for Kahne next season while he waits for his seat to open.

SI.com reported last week that Hendrick was working on a deal with James Finch to put Kahne in the No. 09 car for 2011. Finch’s Phoenix Racing leans on Hendrick Motorsports for equipment, and last year used Brad Keselowski in several races when Keselowski was a Hendrick developmental driver.

But Hendrick said he’s got nothing in the works with Finch.

“I don’t know where that came from,” Hendrick said. “James Finch is a good friend and a good customer of our engine shop and I don’t know how that got started.

“I’ve had a lot more options than I thought I would and a lot of it is just waiting for the right time and the right deal and … I haven’t been in a hurry. I know we’ve got some good options and there are new deals coming out every day. I get unbelievable calls from people in this garage, but we’re just not ready to pull the trigger.”

Hendrick said in April he’d have the situation resolved in 90 days, which means he’s operating under a mid-July deadline.

Kahne has stayed out of the process and said he trusts Hendrick to figure out how he’ll spend the 2011 gap year.