Ben Kennedy and the No. 11 Local Motors team fought hard for their 13th-place result under the lights at Iowa Speedway. Returning to the Newton, Iowa racetrack for the third time in his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career, Kennedy was 12th-fastest in the morning’s single practice session, and he advanced to the final round of knockout qualifying to secure the eighth starting position for the American Ethanol 200. As the sun lowered behind the front grandstands and the green flag dropped, the Daytona Beach, Florida native had his hands full with a tight-handling machine. Crew chief Scott Zipadelli called for four tires, fuel and a series of adjustments during each of the three pit stops. An ill-timed caution on lap 122 caught the No. 11 team as they were leaving the pit stall during a green-flag stop, putting them three laps down to the leader and in the 21st position. With calculated calls, the Zipadelli-led team took the wave-around twice and earned the Lucky Dog to return to the lead lap, and Kennedy drove the Local Motors Toyota to a 13th-place finish.
Start – 8
Finish – 13
Driver Points Position – 10
Laps Led – 0
Ben Kennedy Quote:
“We had a decent run tonight in our Local Motors Toyota Tundra, we just fired off way too tight and made a bunch of balance changes. We were fast there at the end; just kind of struggled in traffic a little bit. It was a long night. We got three laps down (to the leader) and came back to finish on the lead lap. It was a good recovery by our team and good calls were made by Scott Zipadelli (crew chief) on the pit box. We get a couple of weeks off next, and then we go to Kentucky Speedway with the Local Motors Tundra. Onward and upward.”
RHR PR
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