Team release
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (December 16, 2013) – Turner Scott Motorsports is pleased to announce the addition of Ben Kennedy to its 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series roster.
The 21-year-old will drive a fulltime campaign while competing for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors behind the wheel of the No. 31 Chevrolet Silverado. Michael Shelton, who led the No. 31 team to TSM’s first championship in 2012 with driver James Buescher, will continue his role atop the pit box.
Kennedy made his NCWTS debut for TSM in 2013, earning a best finish of fourth at Martinsville Speedway. Kennedy, who began his racing career on the short tracks of central Florida, has Pro-Truck championship titles at both Orlando Speedworld and New Smyrna Speedway, which he earned in 2009, followed by the Super Late Model championship at Orlando Speedworld in 2010.
The great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr., Kennedy made his touring series debut in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2010. In 2013, he finished fourth points standings on the strength of two wins, one pole, three top-five and nine top-10 finishes in addition to being crowned as the series’ Most Popular Driver. The Daytona Beach, Fla. native is also completing his sports management degree at the University of Florida.
"I’m really excited about the opportunity to be in Turner Scott Motorsports’ No. 31 truck for 2014 and to be able to work alongside Michael Shelton and a very talented crew,” said Kennedy.
“It will be a great year and I hope to really learn a lot in the series and compete for wins and Rookie of the Year. It’s going to be a blast to work with such great people; I can’t thank everyone I’ve worked with in the past enough for getting me to this point in my career. A big ‘thank you’ to all my fans for always sticking behind me.”
Joe Gibbs Racing decided to rank its own Top 5 moments of the 2013 NASCAR season.
Here's its list:
1. Matt Kenseth's first win with JGR, at Las Vegas in March.
2. Darrell Wallace Jr.'s first NASCAR victory, which came in the fall Truck series race at Martinsville, Va.
3. Kyle Busch takes sponsor Interstate Batteries to Victory Lane at Texas in April.
4. Denny Hamlin wins the Sprint Cup Series season finale race at Homestead, Fla.
5. JGR drivers finish 1-2-3-5 in the Nationwide Series race at Darlington, S.C.
To see a video tribute to each moment created by JGR go here.
RAB Racing announced on Friday it had signed 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion James Buescher to a multi-year deal to compete fulltime in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in the No. 99 Toyota.
Buescher has competed fulltime in the Truck series the past three seasons with Turner Scott Motorsports, winning the title in 2012. Buescher also won the 2012 Nationwide series season opener at Daytona.
"My first couple of years in NASCAR have been a dream come true, and I can't thank Turner Scott Motorsports enough for the opportunity they have given me to develop my skills," said Buescher. "I am very excited to be able to take the next step in my career, and I couldn't be more thrilled about the opportunity that RAB Racing is giving me to run full time in the Nationwide Series.
"I am really excited to get back behind the wheel of a Toyota and I am looking forward to driving their cars next year. RAB Racing is a solid organization with great people; I can't wait to get to work with them."
Buescher will have veteran crew chief Chris Rice on top of the pitbox for the 2014 season. In 2013, Rice, lead the No. 99 team to two poles, two top-five and six top-10 finishes.
Gil Martin, who most recently served as crew chief for Kevin Harvick in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, was officially named Wednesday as crew chief for 2014 Cup rookie Austin Dillon, who will drive the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing.
Martin talked about his newest role at RCR:
"Since I came to RCR in 2000 I've worn many hats since I've been there and I've had the opportunity to be in all kinds of different and successful situations," he said. "I have to say this is probably the most excited I've been since I've been there for the simple that I've watched Austin since he was probably eight years old - go karts, Bandaleros, Legends cars.
"What an awesome talent. He's won championships through all of that. To get to be a part of watching where he's going to go in the Cup series is a tremendous thing for me. I'm really excited about it. I want to thank Richard for letting me be a part of it."
Due to rain Monday and another bad forecast for Tuesday as well, NASCAR has postponed its planned Sprint Cup Series test at Charlotte Motor Speedway until Wednesday.
The test will now run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Between 20 to 30 teams are planning to participate as NASCAR tests new ideas to help make the improve the racing on 1.5-mile speedways.
Hendrick Motorsports development driver Chase Elliott appeared to become the first driver in history to win both the Snowflake 100 and the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla., on Sunday.
That was until post-race inspection was completed.
Elliott was disqualified from the Snowball Derby for having a prohibited tungsten part on his car. Runner-up Erik Jones, who won last season's Snowball Derby, was named the winner. Elliott was relegated to last place in the running order.
Elliott, the 18-year-old son of former NASCAR Cup series champion Bill Elliott, started from the pole in both events. He won the Snowflake 100 on Saturday for the third consecutive season, a record.
Here are the official results.
46th Annual Snowball Derby Results
Finish, car number, driver
1 51J Erik Jones
2 90 Grant Enfinger
3 29T Austin Theriault
4 18 Hunter Robbins
5 8 John Nemechek
6 11 David Rogers
7 71 Kyle Benjamin
8 25 Ross Kenseth
9 12 Derek Thorn
10 2W Donnie Wilson
11 29C Landon Cassill
12 96 Ben Kennedy
13 42 Chad Finley
14 21 Cale Gale
15 99 Casey Smith
16 10 Johanna Long
17 7 Paul Shafer Jr.
18 22 Jeremy Pate
19 45 Clay Rogers
20 98 Daniel Hemric
21 51N Stephen Nasse
22 49 Josh Hamner
23 15 Mason Massey
24 129 Spencer Davis
25 29B Anderson Bowen
26 11 Logan Boyett
27 91 Zac Hausler
28 77 David Ragan
29 98 Mason Mingus
30 26 Bubba Pollard
31 74 Preston Peltier
32 14 Chris Davidson
33 41 T.J. Reaid
34 53 Boris Jurkovic
35 1 Mike Garvey
36 112 Augie Grill
37 9 Chase Elliott
On Thursday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was announced as the 2013 NMPA NASCAR Most Popular Driver at the Myers Brothers Awards Luncheon in Las Vegas.
It's the 11th straight year that Junior has won the award, a NASCAR record. He was tied with Bill Elliott for the most consecutive wins in a row.
Elliott won the award from 1991 through 2000. Elliott is also the last driver outside of Earnhardt Jr. to win the award, having done so in 2002. (In 2001, the year he died at Daytona, Dale Earnhardt Sr. won the award.)
Final order of vote totals:
1. D. Earnhardt Jr.
2. Kasey Kahne
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Tony Stewart
5. Danica Patrick
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. Kevin Harvick
8. Matt Kenseth
9. Kyle Busch
10. Carl Edwards.
