Kenzie Ruston battled back from a lap down at lap 38 to finish fourth in the Pensacola 150 at Five Flags Speedway. Ruston cut a left rear tire under one of the races early yellow flags. The flat would force the Ben Kennedy Racing team to make an unscheduled stop, and trap Ruston a lap down.
With a yellow flag at Lap 40, Ruston was the recipient of the Free Pass, and regained her lost lap, restarting in eighteenth. Ruston marched steadily forward, fighting her way through the field to score the teams first top-5 finish of the season.
Despite the top-5 finish, Ruston was disappointed with the end result. “We had a winning car guys,” said Ruston after the race. “It’s disappointing to have one get away because of bad luck. I feel like this is the second time this year we have had the winning car, and have just had bad breaks.”
Crew Chief Mike Fritts said, “It was a heck of a drive. Kenzie was the fastest car on the track, and proved it by driving back through the field. We couldn’t be more proud to have her as our driver. It takes real talent to pass that many cars; Kenzie never quits on us, and we won’t quit on her.”
The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East is back in action next Saturday night, June 21 at Langley Speedway in Hampton, VA. Last season, Ben Kennedy had the dominant car, but suffered some late race misfortune that robbed the team of what would have been their third win of 2013.
“The best car we had all season was at Langley,” said Fritts. “Langley is one of those tracks that fits perfectly with Kenzie’s driving style. I know if we give her the kind of car we gave her this weekend, she can take it to Victory Lane.”
Ben Kennedy Racing PR
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