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Kasey Kahne will not drive for Hendrick Motorsports next season after he was released from the final year of his contract on Monday. The Brickyard 400 winner will continue to drive the No. 5 through the rest of the 2017 season, including the playoffs.

There had been speculation that perhaps the win and playoff position may have been enough to save Kahne's job, but don't expect this news to hinder his team's championship aspirations.

"We won six races together and I'm coming off of one of the biggest wins of my career at the Brickyard, which has given the (No.) 5 team a lot of momentum heading into the playoffs," Kahne said. "We still have a lot of racing left in 2017 and finishing strong is our top priority. I look forward to what the next chapter in my career holds."

After early success in his career driving for Ray Evernham, Kahne moved over to Team Hendrick in 2012. Over the course of his tenure in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Kahne owns 18 wins, 174 top-10 finishes and 27 starts from the pole.

Although Rick Hendrick has not announced a successor for the coveted spot just yet, one name to consider is full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series driver William Byron. Byron has been extremely impressive thus far, with three wins under his belt as he pursues a series championship. He signed a multi-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports in 2016 and makes the most sense to join the Cup Series team in the future.

Hendrick Motorsports recently slotted driver Alex Bowman into Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 for next season. Another young driver locked in on the team is Chase Elliott who took over for legendary driver Jeff Gordon. That leaves 41-year-old seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and the No. 5 as possible landing spots for the young Byron.

If Hendrick feels that Byron still needs more time, the team could turn to established veterans without homes for next season such as Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch. Both drivers were informed that their respective teams, Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing, would not pick up their contracts for next year.

As for Kahne, there aren't a ton of options out there for him at the moment. With Paul Menard leaving Richard Childress Racing for Wood Brothers Racing, there is a chance that he could go there if NASCAR fills the team's third entry. There has also been speculation that Danica Patrick could be out at Stewart-Haas Racing due to lack of sponsorship, but even that may never come to fruition.

"He's a tremendous teammate and person, and he has been totally dedicated to our program since day one," Hendrick said in a statement Monday. "I've always believed that he's a special talent, and I know he will thrive in the right situation. 

Kahne's current teammates took to Twitter to wish him the best.

The Associated Press contributed information used in this report