Ben Kennedy No. 96 Weber Chevrolet Camaro Bristol Recap

Returning to Bristol Motor Speedway for his first NXS start, site of his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win, Kennedy used Thursday’s two practice sessions to get a feel for the handling of his No. 96 Weber Chevrolet Camaro. Finishing the first session 22nd and the final session 19th, Kennedy went on to grab a 24th starting spot in rain-shortened qualifying for the Food City 300.

Early on in the 300-lap event, Kennedy was fighting loose on throttle and a Chevy that was tight on exit no matter which lane he ran. Trying to hang on to an ill-handling racecar, Kennedy finished stage one 22nd, one lap down. Crew chief Charles Denike called Kennedy down pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel and a both a track bar and air pressure adjustment. Lining up 24th for the restart, Kennedy reported throughout the ensuing run that his Weber Chevrolet Camaro was loose on entry but felt like all four tires were on top of the track sliding around. He went on to finish stage two 22nd, two laps down. Once again, Kennedy hit pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. However, a missing lug nut on the right rear forced Kennedy to come back down pit road and restart at the rear of the field. Losing two laps due to restarting deep in the pack and a long green flag run, Denike took the opportunity for Kennedy to take the wave around when the caution came out on lap 217, getting one of his laps back.

Restarting 25th, Kennedy fought his way to just outside the top-20 when the caution came out for the final time on lap 285. Kennedy hit pit road for four fresh tires and a chassis adjustment from the 20th position. With the race going green for the final 8 laps, Kennedy went on to finish 19th, three laps down.

Quote

“I think we definitely made some progress throughout the night on the Weber Chevrolet. We fought handling issues from the start, but Bristol (Motor Speedway) is just one of those tracks that it’s so easy to get behind. I’m proud of the Weber guys though for working hard all night to put us in a position to make up some ground in the end.”

Additional Notes

– Kennedy’s next race with GMS Racing will be at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, September 2nd.

GMS Racing PR