Ben Kennedy made his second start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) on Sunday at Iowa Speedway. The 21-year-old Daytona Beach, Fla. native participated in the one and only practice session of the weekend on Saturday afternoon. Kennedy completed a total of 62 laps during the session to finish 10th on the practice chart. After practice, Kennedy qualified his No. 96 Ben Kennedy Racing (BKR) Chevrolet Silverado in the 22nd position for the Fan Appreciation 200 presented by New Holland. After two pit stops and six cautions, including two attempts at the green/white/checkered finish, Kennedy brought his No. 96 Ben Kennedy Racing Chevrolet Silverado home in the 15th position.
Kennedy took the green flag for the Sunday matinee under the guidance of crew chief Chris Carrier for his second career NCWTS race this season. Kennedy’s first pit stop of the day came at lap 41 after the caution flag flew for an accident in Turn 1. Kennedy radioed to Chris Carrier that his No. 96 BKR Silverado was a little loose on entry after braking. Carrier made the call to put two Goodyear tires on the truck, fill it with Sunoco fuel and make a wedge adjustment to help tighten up the truck. Kennedy gained eight spots on pit road and restarted in the ninth position on lap 44. With varying pit strategies during the most recent caution and a long green-flag run, Kennedy slipped back to the 20th position. Kennedy relayed to Carrier that his truck was tight in the center, and on lap 127 he came down pit road for a scheduled green-flag pit stop. Carrier made the call for fuel, four tires and an adjustment. After the pit stop, Kennedy was in the 18th position with 70 laps remaining. The second caution of the race came out at lap 136 for debris on the backstretch. Kennedy restarted in the 17th position and continued to work his way through the field, surviving four additional restarts to bring his No. 96 BKR Chevy Silverado home in the 15th position.
“First I have to thank my team,” said Kennedy. “They’ve been putting in a lot of hours at the shop and have been instrumental in helping me improve in the truck. We had the raw speed, but it was hard to pass and we needed track position. Everyone is working really hard and providing me with great feedback. Our next race is Chicagoland Speedway, and it will be nice to race two weekends in a row and get in a rhythm.”
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