Truck Series

BEN KENNEDY

Many drivers claim to have racing in their blood, but for 22-year-old Ben Kennedy, driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet Silverado for Turner Scott Motorsports, it couldn’t be more true. The great grandson of NASCAR founder and racing visionary William France Sr., Kennedy’s roots go back three generations to the very heart of the sport.

Beginning his racing career in quarter-midgets in 2006, the young racer later graduated to full-sized stock trucks with crate engines in 2008. Racing on the short tracks of central Florida, Kennedy went on to win Pro-Truck championship titles at both Orlando Speedworld and New Smyrna Speedway in 2009. He followed up his two-championship season by winning the Super Late Model championship at Orlando Speedworld and Rookie of the Year honors in the Bright House Challenge Series in 2010. Kennedy made his touring series debut in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) in 2010 before entering the series full time in 2011.

In 2012, Kennedy made history when he competed in the first NASCAR-sanctioned Euro Racecar Series event, winning the event at Tours Speedway, the first NASCAR race held on an oval in Europe. Kennedy experienced his most successful NKNPSE season to date in 2013, finishing fourth in the Driver Point Standings on the strength of two wins, one pole, three top fives and nine top 10s in addition to being crowned as the series’ Most Popular Driver. He was also named by FoxSports.com as one of the drivers under 25 to watch and was selected for the NASCAR Next program in 2013, an initiative to spotlight the sport’s up-and-coming stars.

Kennedy made his Turner Scott Motorsports debut in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) at Bristol Motor Speedway in August of 2013, running a total of five events and earning a best finish of fourth at Martinsville Speedway in the fall. The Daytona Beach, Fla. native is completing the final semester of his Sports Management degree at the University of Florida while vying for the Rookie of the Year title in his first full-time NCWTS effort.