Ben Kennedy Finishes 14th at Martinsville

Ben Kennedy and the No. 11 Local Motors team returned to Martinsville Speedway this weekend, starting from the 10th position and finishing 14th in the Kroger 200. The Daytona Beach, Florida native posted the 11th and 14th fastest times in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice sessions, returning the following morning to earn the 10th starting position for the 200-lap event after advancing to the third and final round of knockout qualifying. After taking the green flag, Kennedy ran inside the top 10 until a lap-42 restart when he was trapped in the outside lane, losing valuable track position. He battled his way back into the top 10 by the halfway point, and the Local Motors team gained him another two positions on pit road during the lap-120 caution period. He fought hard during subsequent restarts, enduring numerous green-flags where he had to work to get down to the inside line. With 26 laps remaining, crew chief Scott Zipadelli called Kennedy to pit road for four new Goodyear tires. Restarting 23rd, Kennedy clawed his way forward, reaching the 11th position by lap 193, when the 12th and final caution of the afternoon was brought out by a multi-truck incident on the frontstretch. In the closing laps, Kennedy slipped to 14th to take the checkered flag at Martinsville Speedway.
 
Start – 10
Finish – 14
Driver Points Position – 9
Laps Led – 0
 
Ben Kennedy Quote:                                            
“Today was a perfect example of how important track position and restarting on the inside line are here at Martinsville Speedway. We had a good truck and the pit crew was on it today. I think we had a truck that was better than our 14th-place finish, but restarting on the high side cost us.”

RHR PR