Ben Kennedy, driver of the No. 33 JACOB Companies / Wheelwell Chevrolet, earned an 11th-place finish at Eldora Speedway in the Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby on Wednesday night. The result is Kennedy’s best finish at the Rossburg, Ohio dirt track.
The day started on a low note as Kennedy was first on track for qualifying, and with no working groove he recorded the slowest time of the session and earned an eighth-place start for the second qualifying race. The Daytona Beach, Fla., native quickly moved into the top four in his qualifying race, securing a transfer spot and avoiding the Last Chance Qualifier.
Kennedy started from the 17th position for the 150-lap event and fell back four positions to 21st before the first caution of the night. He reported to crew chief Joey Cohen that the JACOB Companies / Wheelwell Chevrolet struggled on throttle and that he would need help on exit to gain position. Kennedy stayed on track and advanced to the 19th position before the third caution of the night and ensuing red flag period. The tough night continued for the No. 33 team after sustaining minor right front damage in the incident that brought out the red flag. The crew went to work on repairs and Kennedy returned to the track, but came back to pit road under the same caution for tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. The No. 33 restarted from 21st, one lap down, on lap 42 and maintained that position until the fifth caution of the night on lap 62 when Kennedy rejoined the lead lap. The 24-year-old worked his way into 16th position just before the second competition caution of the night on lap 93. The leaders stayed on track as Kennedy pitted for tires, fuel and no adjustments. Throughout the remaining 60 laps and two cautions, he advanced to the 11th position but wasn’t able to crack the top ten before the checkered flag.
BEN KENNEDY QUOTE:
“I’m not sure what to think of racing here at Eldora. Our JACOB Companies / Wheelwell Chevrolet was so strong during practice on Tuesday, but our day didn’t start out so great with qualifying and that put us in position to have to fight during the race. It’s tough for me to know exactly what adjustments are needed and to really understand how the truck is handling because this is so different from what we deal with every other race. Joey did such a great job making sure I got the changes I needed to get closer to the front at the end. The team did an awesome repair job and I’m glad I was able to get a decent finish for them. (Kyle) Larson’s win is big for this organization and it was great to see him finally get a win here, but I’m ready to get to Pocono and redeem myself.”
GMS Racing Press Release.
The day started on a low note as Kennedy was first on track for qualifying, and with no working groove he recorded the slowest time of the session and earned an eighth-place start for the second qualifying race. The Daytona Beach, Fla., native quickly moved into the top four in his qualifying race, securing a transfer spot and avoiding the Last Chance Qualifier.
Kennedy started from the 17th position for the 150-lap event and fell back four positions to 21st before the first caution of the night. He reported to crew chief Joey Cohen that the JACOB Companies / Wheelwell Chevrolet struggled on throttle and that he would need help on exit to gain position. Kennedy stayed on track and advanced to the 19th position before the third caution of the night and ensuing red flag period. The tough night continued for the No. 33 team after sustaining minor right front damage in the incident that brought out the red flag. The crew went to work on repairs and Kennedy returned to the track, but came back to pit road under the same caution for tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. The No. 33 restarted from 21st, one lap down, on lap 42 and maintained that position until the fifth caution of the night on lap 62 when Kennedy rejoined the lead lap. The 24-year-old worked his way into 16th position just before the second competition caution of the night on lap 93. The leaders stayed on track as Kennedy pitted for tires, fuel and no adjustments. Throughout the remaining 60 laps and two cautions, he advanced to the 11th position but wasn’t able to crack the top ten before the checkered flag.
BEN KENNEDY QUOTE:
“I’m not sure what to think of racing here at Eldora. Our JACOB Companies / Wheelwell Chevrolet was so strong during practice on Tuesday, but our day didn’t start out so great with qualifying and that put us in position to have to fight during the race. It’s tough for me to know exactly what adjustments are needed and to really understand how the truck is handling because this is so different from what we deal with every other race. Joey did such a great job making sure I got the changes I needed to get closer to the front at the end. The team did an awesome repair job and I’m glad I was able to get a decent finish for them. (Kyle) Larson’s win is big for this organization and it was great to see him finally get a win here, but I’m ready to get to Pocono and redeem myself.”
GMS Racing Press Release.
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