CHINA GROVE, N.C. (June 14, 2010) – Ladies and Gentleman – meet Alex Kennedy.
Kennedy, 18 years of age, will be making his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in the No. 23 HelpTruckers.com Chevrolet this weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The team had a successful test session at Carolina Motorsports Park last week which showed he was ready to race.
The recent graduate of Aztec (N.M.) High School has been working towards this moment for quite awhile. He recently won the 2009 Road Course World Finals in the Pro Legends Division at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He finished 10th in the K&N East Series last year with one top-five and three top-10s to his credit.
By the age of 14, Kennedy was already competing in Late Models and was featured on an episode of ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” segment about young drivers. Since 2006, Kennedy has progressed to ASA and then ARCA competition. Offering his advice and guidance this weekend will be Steve Plattenberger, crew chief for R3 Motorsports who has aided many a young driver during his 25 years in the sport.
Kennedy is also a National Ambassador for the Dream Factory, Inc. an organization that supports Drive for Dreams. This initiative grants wishes for children who are suffering from chronic illness or disorders. The Dream Factory, Inc. logo will be displayed on the No. 23 Chevrolet’s lower quarter panels.
Track Facts: This will be the first start at the 4.048-mile road course of Road America for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. With 14 twists and turns and two long straightaways, Kennedy won’t be too far behind the eight ball as many of his fellow competitors have never competed there, either.
Chassis Info: R3 Motorsports will utilize Chassis No. 39 which Kennedy used at the CMS test last week. Last year, J.F. Dumoulin drove the car to a seventh-place finish at Montreal. Since then, the car has gone through only slight modifications to enhance its performance.
Come see Kennedy: Fans are invited to stop by the autograph session Friday evening from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. right on pit road.
Kennedy on course: In addition to his wins at both Infineon Raceway and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Legends cars, Kennedy has other road course experience. He finished 10th at Lime Rock (Conn.) Raceway Park in 2008 and fourth there last year in K&N East Series competition. He finished eighth at Watkins Glen (NY) International last year in the same division. In 2008, he finished 11th at Infineon Raceway in the K&N West Series.
About the Drive for Dreams
Alex wants to make sure dreams come true for kids involved with Dream Factory, Inc. Through his racing, Alex has raised awareness of the Dream Factory, Inc. organization all over the United States. “I am so happy to represent this great organization and we are bringing all of the Dream Factory kids along for the ride,” Kennedy said. In 2008, he joined NASCAR star Carl Edwards and game show legend Wink Martindale as a National Ambassador for Dream Factory, Inc
About Dream Factory, Inc.
The Dream Factory is the only children’s wish-granting organization that does not limit its mission to children who have life-threatening illness. The organization believes children with chronic illnesses and disorders also suffer from substantial emotional and physical pain. We strive to provide hope and relief from the trauma and corresponding stress and depression that both the children and their families can endure on a day-to-day basis. Doctors agree that providing a dream can improve the quality of life for these children and extend the life of a critically ill child. Log on to www.dreamfactoryinc.org for more information.
Alex Kennedy quotes
Thoughts on making your first NASCAR Nationwide Series start: “This is a dream come true for me. I’ve wanted to do this for quite awhile and I’m just glad the test went well enough that we all decided to move forward on this. I’m looking forward to racing the other Nationwide guys, learning from them and earning their respect, too. You only get one chance to make your first start in a series, so I want to make sure I do it right. This is going to be a fun weekend.”
Why make your first start at a road course, which is considered more difficult than traditional oval tracks: “Ever since I started in the Legends cars, I’ve always liked the road courses. When you take away the high horsepower needed for the oval tracks, it comes down to driver skills for a road course. You still need the power, but you have to be able to use that to get around the track correctly. I’m very comfortable on road courses.”
What drew you to R3 Motorsports: “As soon as we walked into the shop we were very impressed by the cars, the equipment and the attention to detail they put into everything they were doing there. Steve (Plattenberger) and the rest of the team were great to work with at the test, too. I just hope to show how good their cars and team are this weekend at Road America.”
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