Kenzie Ruston rode the momentum of consecutive top-10 finishes into Langley Speedway Saturday, and recorded her season best finish of third in the Visit Hampton VA 175. The third place finish came eight days after Ruston recorded her first top-5 finish (fourth), of the season, at Five Flags Speedway. The finish moved Ruston to ninth place in the series standings.
“I wanted more tonight,” said Ruston. “I guess wanting more is a good problem to have when you finish third. Two-straight top-5’s after the way our season was going is great. It feels like we are right there on the verge of getting our first win and going to Victory Lane. “ The third place finish also marked Ruston’s third straight top-10 finish.
“That was probably the best race I’ve ever seen Kenzie run,” said Mike Fritts. “She ran third most of the night, she was patient, didn’t abuse the car and that’s really all you can ask of a driver at a track like Langley. That’s a great night for her and for our whole team.”
For Ruston, the third place finish tied her series record, set at Greenville Pickens Speedway, in March of 2013. Ruston still holds the record high finish in a race and in series standings for a female in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.
“I wasn’t thinking about trying to one up my record on the last lap,” said Ruston. “Cameron has raced me clean all season, so I felt I owed him that going in to Turn 3 on the last lap.” Ruston also joked that if it was for the win going into Turn 3 on the last lap, she might have “used just a bit of the front bumper.”
Team Principal Ben Kennedy said: “The race tonight just reiterates why I wanted Kenzie to be in my car and race for the team. Kenzie is a smart driver, and she works really well with the guys on the team. They all support her and enjoy working with her at the track. Kenzie and Mike Fritts work really well together; they have a natural chemistry and that is extremely difficult to find. I know that they are going to be strong in a few weeks when the NASCAR K&N Series visits New Hampshire. I’m excited for what the rest of the season is going to bring.”
When asked about New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Ruston said: “I had a great car last season up there, we had some unfortunate circumstances cost us the finish we deserved. Based on how solid this Ben Kennedy Racing team has been on the flatter tracks this year, I’m confident going up there.”
Ruston looks to extend her top-10 streak to four in a row and her top-5 streak to three in a row when the series competes on Friday, July 11 on the flat New England mile.
Ben Kennedy Racing PR
