{"id":5118,"date":"2016-08-17T23:47:14","date_gmt":"2016-08-18T04:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=5118"},"modified":"2016-08-20T13:09:11","modified_gmt":"2016-08-20T18:09:11","slug":"late-race-pass-propels-ben-kennedy-to-first-career-nascar-camping-world-truck-series-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2016\/08\/17\/late-race-pass-propels-ben-kennedy-to-first-career-nascar-camping-world-truck-series-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Late-race pass propels Ben Kennedy to first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Chris Knight, NASCAR Wire Service<\/strong><\/p>\n

BRISTOL, Tenn. \u2013 Ben Kennedy<\/strong> stole the lead from William Byron with 20 laps to go in Wednesday night\u2019s UNOH 200 and later withstood an intense six-lap shootout with Brett Moffitt to the finish line to earn his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series<\/a> victory at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n

\"Ben

Ben Kennedy, driver of the #33 Jacob Chevrolet, poses with the winners sticker after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

With his triumph in his 63rd career series start, Kennedy, the great-grandson of NASCAR Founder Bill France Sr., became the first France family member to win a NASCAR national series race.<\/p>\n

“I can\u2019t put it into words,” said Kennedy, the son of International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa France Kennedy. “Someone asked me earlier today what it\u2019s like going to Bristol for your first time and to win here is just so cool. I\u2019m speechless. The guys gave me an awesome truck. Everyone at GMS Racing, Jacob Companies, the fans in the stands, everybody watching on TV, gosh this is just the coolest day of my life.”<\/p>\n

With two laps to go, Moffitt, driving the No. 11 Toyota Tundra \u2013 the truck piloted earlier this season by Kennedy \u2013 gave the Daytona Beach, Florida native a shot in the bumper, but Kennedy refused to be rattled and stretched his lead to 0.274-seconds at the checkered flag.<\/p>\n

“I was just thinking go as fast as possible on this last lap,” Kennedy said. “I knew Brett was putting pressure on me from behind. I appreciate him racing me clean. This is just so cool. These guys deserve it. They work so hard.”<\/p>\n

\"Ben

Ben Kennedy, driver of the #33 Jacob Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Moffitt, who earned a career-best second-place finish, didn\u2019t have quite enough for Kennedy\u2019s No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado when it counted most.<\/p>\n

“We had a good truck, a strong truck all day,” Moffitt said. “We ran top-five, top-10 most of it. He had just enough to get away from us on that last restart. After that, we got to him once but couldn\u2019t get around.”<\/p>\n

Although Bristol has been widely known for its bump-and-run racing, Moffitt, continuing to fill-in for the recovering Matt Tifft, said he tried once, but couldn\u2019t get to Kennedy to try again.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m going to race people the way I want to be raced,” he said. “It is Bristol, so if you need to move someone, you got to move them. I just wasn\u2019t quite good enough in the center to get to him. He slipped up a few times and I was able to get to his bumper once, but didn\u2019t get to him hard enough. I was really waiting for him to make a mistake so I could shove my nose in there, but he executed when he needed to. He hit his marks and I just wasn\u2019t able to get to him.”<\/p>\n

\"Ben

Ben Kennedy, driver of the #33 Jacob Chevrolet, does a burnout after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

With the victory, Kennedy virtually secures a spot in the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase with three races remaining in the regular season.<\/p>\n

“We put this deal together (with GMS Racing) a couple months ago and I never imagined \u2013 I never would have imagined going into this race that we would be here today,” Kennedy said. “I thought we were a top-15 truck or a top-10 truck, but to actually be here in Victory Lane means the world to me.”<\/p>\n

Note: \u00a0Additional race photos are posted below race results.<\/em><\/p>\n

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – UNOH 200
\nBristol Motor Speedway
\nBristol, Tennessee
\nWednesday, August 17, 2016<\/p>\n

1. (13) Ben Kennedy, Chevrolet, 200.
\n2. (8) Brett Moffitt, Toyota, 200.
\n3. (12) Daniel Hemric, Ford, 200.
\n4. (6) William Byron #, Toyota, 200.
\n5. (7) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, 200.
\n6. (9) Cole Custer #, Chevrolet, 200.
\n7. (5) Christopher Bell #, Toyota, 200.
\n8. (16) John H Nemechek, Chevrolet, 200.
\n9. (15) Brandon Jones(i), Chevrolet, 200.
\n10. (19) John Wes Townley, Chevrolet, 200.
\n11. (10) Kaz Grala, Chevrolet, 200.
\n12. (14) Spencer Gallagher, Chevrolet, 200.
\n13. (25) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 200.
\n14. (1) Tyler Reddick, Ford, 200.
\n15. (21) Caleb Holman, Toyota, 200.
\n16. (22) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, 200.
\n17. (11) Jesse Little, Toyota, 200.
\n18. (27) Austin Cindric, Ford, 199.
\n19. (18) Austin Hill, Ford, 199.
\n20. (24) Parker Kligerman, Ford, 199.
\n21. (26) Austin Wayne Self #, Toyota, 198.
\n22. (23) Stewart Friesen, Chevrolet, 198.
\n23. (28) Brandon Brown, Chevrolet, 197.
\n24. (3) Cameron Hayley, Toyota, 197.
\n25. (30) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 197.
\n26. (20) Rico Abreu #, Toyota, 194.
\n27. (31) Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 191.
\n28. (32) Bryce Napier, Chevrolet, 191.
\n29. (2) Daniel Suarez(i), Toyota, Accident, 186.
\n30. (4) Ben Rhodes #, Toyota, Engine, 128.
\n31. (29) Tommy Joe Martins, Chevrolet, Power Steering, 71.
\n32. (17) Matt Crafton, Toyota, Engine, 70.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:\u00a0 74.387 mph.
\nTime of Race:\u00a0 01 Hrs, 25 Mins, 59 Secs. Margin of Victory:\u00a0 0.274 Seconds.
\nCaution Flags:\u00a0 9 for 55 laps.
\nLead Changes:\u00a0 7 among 5 drivers.
\nLap Leaders:\u00a0\u00a0 T. Reddick 1; D. Suarez(i) 2-39; C. Bell # 40-135; D. Suarez(i) 136; C. Bell # 137-141; D. Suarez(i) 142-179; W. Byron # 180; B. Kennedy 181-200.
\nLeaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):\u00a0 C. Bell # 2 times for 101 laps; D. Suarez(i) 3 times for 77 laps; B. Kennedy 1 time for 20 laps; T. Reddick 1 time for 1 lap; W. Byron # 1 time for 1 lap.
\nTop 10 in Points: W. Byron # – 349; D. Hemric – 312; J. Sauter – 306; T. Peters – 302; C. Bell # – 296; M. Crafton – 295; B. Kennedy – 287; J. Nemechek – 281; C. Custer # – 273; T. Reddick – 270.<\/p>\n

\"Tyler

Tyler Reddick, driver of the #29 Cooper Standard Ford, leads the field at the start of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Daniel

Daniel Suarez, driver of the #51 ARRIS Toyota, leads the field druing ar restart of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Austin

Austin Hill, driver of the #02 Ford, leads a group of cars during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"William

William Byron, driver of the #9 Liberty University Toyota, leads Brandon Jones, driver of the #171 M&D Building Supply\/Menards Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Tommy

Tommy Joe Martins, driver of the #44 Cross Concrete Construction Chevrolet, leads Daniel Hemric, driver of the #19 Blue Gate Bank Ford, during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"William

William Byron, driver of the #9 Liberty University Toyota, gets into his truck during practice for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ben

Ben Kennedy, driver of the #33 Jacob Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 17, 2016 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/NASCAR via Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Chris Knight, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn. \u2013 Ben Kennedy stole the lead from William Byron with 20 laps to go in Wednesday night\u2019s UNOH 200 and later withstood an intense six-lap shootout with Brett Moffitt to the finish line to earn his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory at Bristol (Tenn.) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5129,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[321,16,160],"class_list":["post-5118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-ben-kennedy","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-camping-world-truck-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/BMS_081716_15-e1471716357747.jpg?fit=615%2C396","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-1ky","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5118"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5131,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5118\/revisions\/5131"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}