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France family’s Kennedy makes truck debut

The great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., will make his national series debut this Wednesday night at Bristol - a track he has experience on as a driver in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series

Ben Kennedy

Ben Kennedy

Eric Gilbert

Ben Kennedy will want to be considered just another driver attempting to make his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race when Bristol Motor Speedway hosts the UNOH 200 on Wednesday night. The exception is Kennedy is not just another driver.

Kennedy, the great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., will make his national series debut this Wednesday night in his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at BMS.

Kennedy is no stranger to racing at Bristol. His 42 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West starts include two trips to the .533-mile track with finishes of 10th and sixth in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Race winner Ben Kennedy
Race winner Ben Kennedy

Photo by: Jean-Philippe Legrand

His mother is International Speedway Corporation President Lesa France Kennedy. Her son will be the first member of the France family to compete in a NASCAR national series event (NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series). His great grandfather raced stock cars prior to the creation of NASCAR.

Kennedy is a two-time winner this season in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East competition and a winner in the first NASCAR-sanctioned oval race in Europe last year in Tours, France in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series. His NASCAR K&N Pro Series wins came at Five Flags Speedway in April and at Bowman Gray Stadium in June. The latter victory was special in that his grandmother, Betty Jane France, is a Winston-Salem, N.C., native and a Miss Bowman Grey Stadium prior to meeting her future husband Bill France Jr.

Kennedy will make three more starts in the trucks this year. The remaining races on his 2013 schedule are Iowa, Chicagoland and Homestead-Miami Speedways.

Peters set high standards in last year’s Bristol victory

Timothy Peters led all 204 laps en route to victory a year ago at Bristol Motor Speedway. He already has one win this year and he will go for his second consecutive win at the challenging .533-mile track on Wednesday night.

Timothy Peters
Timothy Peters

Photo by: Michael C. Johnson

Peters, who has six career wins in the series in 152 starts, is currently on a streak of five consecutive seasons with at least one win. Peters picked up his first win of the year when he defended his 2012 win at Iowa Speedway, and a Bristol repeat would match his career-best win total in a season of two wins.

In eight previous starts at BMS, Peters also has two top-five and four top-10 finishes in addition to his victory.

Previous Bristol truck winners entered are Kyle Busch and Ron Hornaday Jr. Busch won three consecutive times (2008-10) while Hornaday won back-to-back in 1997-98. Hornaday led all 200 laps in 1997.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, Etc.

Bristol native Nate Monteith looks to make his third career NCWTS start and first since 2009 this week…. Ken Schrader returns to the series this week in his first start since he made history winning the pole at Eldora Speedway earlier this season. Schrader has one Bristol pole in 2004. … Brad Keselowski will do triple-duty this week in Bristol, competing in NASCAR Camping World Truck, NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events.

NASCAR

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