Kennedy to run paint scheme on Super Late Model and NASCAR K&N Pro Series cars 

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (May 8, 2012)- Ben Kennedy Racing is pleased to announce their partnership with Slack Auto Parts Company for the next two upcoming races at Gresham Motorsports Park.

Slack Auto Parts and Ben Kennedy Racing will begin their partnership this weekend during the Super Late Model Race event at Gresham Motorsports Park. Slack Auto Parts will be the primary sponsor on the car, promoting the Slack Auto Parts 150 at Gresham Motorsports Park on Saturday June 9, 2012.  The Slack Auto Parts 150 is a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East event featuring many drivers who are the future stars of the sport.

“The Slack Auto Parts Company is very excited to be the primary sponsor of the #96 Chevrolet driven by

Ben Kennedy.” Said owner, Henry Slack, “Ben is one of the top drivers in this action packed series and we know he will represent us well.”

In the parts business since 1928, Slack Auto Parts strives to provide the best service, with the best prices on the most recognized brand names in the industry. With locations all over Northeast Georgia, there is most likely a Slack Auto Parts in your community. For more information about Slack Auto Parts, please visit www.slackautoparts.com.

”I am really excited to be returning to Gresham Motorsports Park for my third K&N Pro Series East race”, explains Kennedy, “I am also very excited to have Slack Auto Parts on board for the race and would like to thank them and our fans for their support. We look forward to the weekend and hope to perform well with the #96 Slack Auto Parts Chevrolet.”

Ben’s consistent finishes thus far have him sitting second in points, just four points behind teammate

Chase Elliott. Ben Kennedy Racing is located in Daytona Beach, FL. They will be running a full time

K&N Pro Series East schedule and some select races in the K&N Pro Series West.

After partnering with the Bill Elliott Racing Team earlier this year Kennedy has added several late model races to his schedule. Kennedy has competed in five late model features this year with the BER team and earned two top five and four top ten finishes. Kennedy is a full time student at the University of Florida, and resides in Daytona Beach.

Ben Kennedy will be driving the Slack Auto Parts Chevrolet in the Racing Radios 100, May 12^th at Gresham Motorsports Park.

Contact:

Mike Davis

Ben Kennedy Racing

ABOUT BEN KENNEDY

Ben’s racing roots go back three generations, and now the 19 year old, Ben Kennedy is making his own mark in a sport virtually synonymous with his family. Kennedy, the great grandson of NASCAR® founder, William France Sr., and son of International Speedway Corporation CEO, Lesa France Kennedy has already garnered championships in the Pro-Truck classes and a Super Late Model track championship in his rookie season in Florida.

A quick glance at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers reminds us how long it has been since a young, promising talent has emerged on the scene.

Joey Logano was the last one to come into the Cup Series highly anticipated, although with expectations he hasn’t lived up to. I don’t think that necessarily is his fault, though. It’s a combination of factors.

But the bigger problem is where will the next, fresh blood come from?

It didn’t come from Reed Sorenson or Casey Atwood, both of whom never lived up to the expectations that were hung on them when they first arrived, and to some degree, Casey Mears. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Logano has struggled since he stepped into a Cup car. He is on the hot seat this season and could lose his ride at the end of the year.

I look at these guys and wonder why they failed. Logano was supposed to be the next NASCAR superstar to break all the records, but he hasn’t come close to even getting that effort off of the ground. Logano was moved up too quickly and didn’t prove himself in the Nationwide Series long enough. Sure, he won several races and broke the record for the youngest to win at that level, but he also had the benefit of superior equipment.

For young kids, the advantage of the best equipment actually can be a detriment down the road. I’ve seen a lot of young drivers go out to their local short track and kick everyone’s ass because Daddy puts lots of money in their racing program. But oftentimes, they’re only up against one or two truly competitive cars each weekend. “My kid’s a superstar,” these parents tell themselves and their kid, puffing that child up and making him feel like he’s on the top of the world … until he reaches the national level.

Things are just different in Trucks, Nationwide and the Cup Series, so young drivers need to be prepared for what lies ahead. I’m not suggesting we put them in crappy cars and turn them loose to race, but I do question if some are developing confidence that they shouldn’t, because it’s really more car than driver. Some are showing great promise but under false pretenses.

Part of the responsibility lies with the racing community as a whole. I’d like to see NASCAR mandate these guys run the NASCAR Camping World Truck or Nationwide Series for three or four years before moving up to Cup. We might see less high-profile disappointments this way. Guys like Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth won a lot of races in Nationwide before moving up to Cup, and they weren’t 20 or 21 years old like so many of today’s drivers.

The young age of many of today’s “next superstars” also factors into the equation. The pressures of Cup racing on a driver are tremendous. They’ve got sponsors, fans and team owners bearing down on them all the time demanding performance and PR savvy. Oh, and by the way, they are expected to make the Chase and keep their names in the headlines. That is too much to ask most 21 year olds, especially when they’re trying to learn on the fly how to race with some of the world’s best drivers.

A background in short-track racing and dirt-track racing is crucial, and I think divisions like the K&N Pro Series East are crucial. If you saw the K&N race from Richmond on SPEED two weeks ago, you know what I’m talking about. Those kids got after it, and I couldn’t have been more impressed with Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney. Sure, they’re both in good equipment and have fathers who are Cup Series drivers (a past champion in Elliott’s case), but they’re not being brought up too fast. Dave Blaney is one of the best dirt racers ever, and he is bringing Ryan up through the ranks at a slow and steady pace. Martin Truex Jr. seems to be doing the same with his little brother, Ryan.

NASCAR is going in the right direction with the K&N Pro Series because it teaches drivers how to race a full-bodied car and race door-to-door with each other. The Dillon boys honed some of their skills in this division, so they were ready when it came time to move to ARCA and the Truck Series.

Austin or Ty Dillon could be the next superstar. So could James Buescher or Ricky Stenhouse Jr. But most concerning to me isn’t who of the current full-time NASCAR drivers the sport will hang its hat on next; what worries me most is who it will be after them. If we keep moving kids up through the ranks too fast and without enough experience, we may have no one to choose from in a few years. And that would be the biggest letdown of all.

Jimmy Spencer calls it like he sees it on NASCAR Race Hub on SPEED. He retired from driving with two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 12 NASCAR Nationwide and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory, putting him in an elite group of drivers who have logged wins in all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions. In 478 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts, Spencer amassed 28 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. He won back-to-back NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championships in 1986 and 1987 on the heels of 15 victories, becoming the first driver ever to earn consecutive titles in the series. He earned the nickname “Mr. Excitement” for his flamboyant and aggressive driving style early in his racing career.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/05/03/spencer-where-will-come-from/#ixzz1uJcldibe

Elliott will return to Gresham this weekend to race in the 100-lap super late model event on Saturday, May 12.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to have some really solid late model races at Gresham,” Elliott said. “I believe the reason why is because the Aaron’s Dream Machine/Hendrickcars.com team has really worked hard to improve our No. 9 Chevrolets and not just go from one race to the next. This hard work and dedication gives us that competitive edge because we strive to get better each race weekend.”

Elliott has competed in 11 late model events at Gresham in the past three years. He has posted three wins, seven top-five finishes, eight top-10s and also earned three pole positions at the half-mile track. So far this season, the 16-year-old Elliott has earned four wins and seven top-10 finishes in seven late model events.

Most noteworthy this weekend is Mother’s Day on May 13. Elliott’s mother Cindy has played an important role in Elliott’s racing career from the day it started. As a young child, Elliott spent as much time as he could in the garage with his father Bill early on, while Cindy continued to show her son other sports like baseball and golf.

“I do have some ideas for Mother’s Day, so I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Elliott said. “My mom has always and continues to be really supportive of my racing career. It may not have been her first choice on the list for me to do with my career and my life, but she’s supportive of it for sure.”

At the conclusion of late model qualifying that starts at 6:30 p.m. local time on May 12, Elliott will participate in an autograph session on the track before the event starts.

For race updates, please follow @cindyelliott9 on Twitter.

Sunday, April 29 at 2:15 p.m. Eastern

LIVE TIMING & SCORING AND LIVE STREAMING AUDIO RACE COVERAGE AT    Pre-Race Coverage Starts at 2:00 p.m. Eastern WEEKEND SCHEDULE Saturday, April 28     Practice: 12:00-12:45 p.m. Final Practice: 1:15-2:00 p.m. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell: 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 29     Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 at 2:15 p.m. (All Times Eastern)  FACTSHEET RACE: Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 TRACK: Salem Speedway LOCATION: Salem, Indiana WEBSITE:  www.arcaracing.com RACE DISTANCE: 200 Laps / 111 Miles TRACK CONFIGURATION:  0.555-Mile Paved Oval FIRST ARCA RACE: 1955 TOTAL ARCA RACES RUN: 90 QUALIFYING RECORD: Gary Bradberry, 16.785, 119.035 mph, 1994 RACE RECORD: Dakoda Armstrong, 87.630 mph, 2010 NO. OF ARCA RACES WON FROM THE POLE: 27 Versatile ARCA Racing Series To Make 91st Appearance at Salem; Takes off for Talladega  With Daytona and Mobile in the rear view mirror, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will return to some very familiar territory Saturday and Sunday, April 28 and 29 for the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 at Salem Speedway, the 91st ARCA race at Salem since 1955. This puts Salem Speedway in elite territory as no other track in ARCA Racing Series history has hosted the tour more times. From Salem, the versatile tour travels farther south to Talladega Superspeedway where the renowned 2.66-mile superspeedway will host its 50th ARCA race on Friday, May 4.   Chase Elliott to Salem Chase Elliott, the 16-year-old son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bill Elliott, has filed an entry for the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 at Salem. Elliott made his ARCA Racing Series debut in the Aaron’s Chevrolet in early March at Mobile Int’l Speedway, finishing 10th. Elliott tested at Salem on Sunday, April 15. The 2011 Snowball Derby race winner is scheduled to make six ARCA starts this year to also include New Jersey Motorsports Park (7-1-12), Berlin Raceway (8-11-12), Madison Int’l Speedway (8-26-12) and Salem (9-15-12). Elliott comes to Salem under the banner of Hendrick Motorsports. Bill Elliott To Sign Autographs at Salem NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Bill Elliott, who will be at Salem assisting his son Chase, will be signing autographs during the First Harrison Bank On-Track Autograph Session Raceday Sunday from 11:30-12:30 p.m.   Veteran Team Owners Roulo Brothers Bring Two Roulo Brothers Racing, which has fielded winning ARCA teams dating back 25 years-plus, are entered with two for Salem under the Roush Fenway Racing banner. The team’s drivers for Salem are last year’s Messina Rookie of the Year Chris Buescher, the most recent ARCA Racing Series winner at Salem, and Huntington Beach, California rookie Brandon Davis, scheduled to make his Salem debut.   Kimmel Looking for Win at Home Short Track; Celebrating 50th Birthday Day after Race Frank Kimmel is the all-time ARCA winner at Salem Speedway with 9 wins on the storied high-banked, half-mile oval. However, Kimmel, who has 74 series victories total, hasn’t won on the ARCA Racing Series tour since Salem September 2008, which extends his winless streak to 65 races, his longest drought since going winless in the first 52 races of his career (1990-1994). Kimmel, who was born and raised in nearby Clarksville, Indiana, is just five wins shy of Iggy Katona’s all-time win mark of 79. Kimmel is also celebrating his 50th birthday Monday, April 30.   ARCA 60 Year Anniversary/Venturini Motorsports 30 Year Anniversary/Venturini Enters 6 for Salem: Not only is ARCA celebrating its 60th anniversary season in 2012, Venturini Motorsports will be celebrating its 30th consecutive year in ARCA, the longest tenure by any single team. They currently have six cars entered at Salem: No. 15 Ryan Reed (diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes/finished 12th in his series debut at Daytona in February), No. 20 John Blankenship (dirt late model veteran), No. 25 Brennan Poole (won in his series debut with Venturini at Salem last year), No. 35 Nelson Canache (Rookie/Venezuelan), No. 55 Erik Jones (15 years old – youngest driver to ever start an ARCA Racing Series race), Clint King (16 years old – won two poles in 2011 at Madison and Salem).   Diabetic Driver Ryan Reed on the March: Ryan Reed, a teenager, comes to Mobile driving for title winning team Venturini Motorsports despite being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, Despite being told he would never race again, he has still been able to live out his life chasing his dreams.   Alex Bowman Batting 500 in Win Column: Tucson, Arizona rookie Alex Bowman was virtually unknown when he first appeared on the ARCA Racing Series tour in 2011, driving for Venturini Motorsports. It didn’t take him long to turn heads however, winning in his debut at Madison Int’l Speedway. In his only other start in 2011, he also won at Kansas Speedway, giving him wins on short track and an intermediate track. Bowman will be driving the No. 22 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge at Salem. Bowman also earned the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell at Mobile in March, finishing third in the race.   First Series Starts at Salem Drivers preparing to make their career-first ARCA Racing Series attempts/debuts at Salem include Chase Elliott, Ryan Reed, Matt Lofton, Tyler Reddick, John Blankenship, Spencer Gallagher, Mike Senica, Nelson Canache, Nick Tucker, Erik Jones, Zach Ralston, Brandon Davis, Austin Rettig and Larry Barford, Jr.   Youngest to Oldest  While 15-year-old Erik Jones will officially go on record as the youngest driver to ever compete in ARCA Racing Series competition, it’s worth noting that James Hylton will be the oldest on record to compete. Hylton, the 1966 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year, is 77 years old, separating himself with Jones by 62 years. Hylton, who turns 78 in August, is entered in his own No. 48 Radon.com Ford.   Notable Salem Winners  Notable ARCA winners at Salem includeNASCAR Cup champion Bobby Allison, six-time ARCA Racing Series champion Iggy Katona & former ARCA national champions Jack Bowsher, Justin Allgaier, Bill Baird, Tracy Leslie, Nelson Stacy, Ron Hutcherson, Ramo Stott, Dave Dayton, Moose Myers, Marvin Smith, Bob Keselowski, Bob Brevak, Tim Steele and Frank Kimmel. Other notable ARCA/Salem winners include ’52 Indy 500 winner Troy Ruttman, USAC/ARCA stock car veteran Don White and Cup series veteran Ken Schrader.

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Charlotte

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Daytona

Tuesday, July 03, 2012          11:00am – 12:00pm                     Store #860

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