Kenzie Ruston’s last trip to Iowa Speedway yielded a seventh place finish, this time around she plans to bring home a victory. Ruston started the 2014 NASCAR K&N Pro Series Season with a bang, leading laps at New Smyrna, and challenging for the win at Daytona. Ruston posted two top 10 finishes to begin the season; in the last three races her best finish has been 12th at Greenville Pickens.
“It’s been frustrating to say the least,” said Ruston. “We’ve just been in the middle of too many things that weren’t our fault. Greenville was really a disappointment because we had a strong car there, certainly a top 5 car. I felt like as the race went on in Richmond we were going to have a good finish because our car was good all weekend on long runs. Unfortunately, we got collected in a wreck in Turn 3 on lap 31 and it ended our day.”
Ben Kennedy finished twelfth and fourteenth respectively last season at the two Iowa Speedway races. When asked about racing on a track designed by Rusty Wallace, Ben had this to say: “Iowa was designed a lot like Richmond, yet it has it’s own unique characteristics. You have to get the car down and stable in the track, yet get it to go over the bump in Turns 1 and 2 without getting unsettled. The progressive banking makes it a fast track and yields some good three-wide racing.”
When asked what makes Iowa Speedway so special, Kennedy said, “The fans at Iowa Speedway are incredible. Every person that I’ve met at the track has been extremely dedicated to the sport and they show up in large numbers. It’s a really cool atmosphere and to see how many fans come out for a K&N Pro Series race is incredible.
“We were strong in August at Iowa Speedway,” said Mike Fritts. “We had a sway bar break early in the race while we were running seventh. We went a lap down, got the lap back, and then just ran out of time to get back to the front.” When asked about the major challenges presented by the track, Fritts said: “finding a way to get through the bumps and not hurt the momentum of the car through the corner is the key. The track has aged a lot, it has a ton of character, which makes for great racing, you just really have to hit the setup perfect or it can be a tough day.”
Iowa Speedway is a special stop on the schedule for Kenzie Ruston. “Iowa Speedway is the closest track on our schedule to being my home track,” said Ruston. “I have a few more friends and family members who are able to make the trip out for those two races, so I feel a little more driven to perform well for them.”
Kenzie Ruston will be at Casey’s General Store in Ankeny, IA, from 4pm to 6pm for an autograph session and media availability. Additionally, Kenzie will join fellow NASCAR Next drivers on Friday night for an Iowa Cubs baseball game, with a fan meet and greet before the game.
Ben Kennedy Racing PR
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