Ben Kennedy was off to a strong start in his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at the legendary Talladega Superspeedway, posting the fastest practice lap and running in the top five for much of the event. However, contact from another competitor on lap 65 sent the Heater.com Chevrolet into the wall in a series of hard impacts, ultimately ending Kennedy’s day and resulting in a 28th-place finish.
Kennedy’s weekend at Talladega Superspeedway started off in the same fashion as the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, with the No. 31 leading the first and only practice session of the weekend with a lap time close to 189 miles per hour. Taking the green flag from the 13th position, Kennedy had already worked his way into the top 10 by the first caution of the day on lap 13. Restarting ninth after a fuel-only pit stop, Kennedy quickly worked his way up to the sixth spot, holding the position through lap 44. After making a green-flag pit stop for right-side tires and fuel, Kennedy was scored in the fourth spot by the time pit stops had cycled through. A caution on lap 57 reset the field with Kennedy in fourth place, but he was unable to find a hole to move from the outside line to the inside, costing him two positions. Kennedy’s fast Chevy Silverado rebounded quickly and looked capable of breaking back into the top five when the competitor behind him bobbled and hit the rear of his truck, sending the No. 31 into the outside wall and resulting in two hard impacts. With his Heater.com Chevy severely crippled, Kennedy was forced to retire from the race 29 laps early, relegating him to a 28th-place finish.
TSM PR
- IROC Returns July 19-20 at Lime Rock Park - April 19, 2024
- RCR Race Preview: Talladega Superspeedway - April 19, 2024
- The perfect sweep: Julien Rehberg makes an incredible debut in the Rookie Trophy - April 19, 2024