Wednesday
Alex Kennedy Returns to Spraker Racing
Press Release“Will Pilot the No. 37 Spraker Racing Chevrolet at Dover International Speedway”
Throughout his 16 NKNPSE starts with Spraker Racing, Kennedy collected one top-five and four top-10 finishes. This year, the Aztec, N.M., native has made four NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts with R3 Motorsports and two ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards starts. Kennedy qualified 15th for his NNS debut at Road America and had a NNS career-high finish of 16th at Watkins Glen International.
The 18-year-old racer competed in the NKNPSE race at Dover with Spraker Racing in both 2008 and 2009. In his track debut in 2008, he posted a fifth-fastest practice time and qualified 12th for the event. Luck was not on his side as a wreck in front of him left him nowhere to go and terminal damage.
Bit by the “Monster” in 2008, Kennedy was eager to get back to the one-mile speedway and earn the the finish he felt they deserved. He qualified seventh for his second event at Dover. Bad luck struck again when he experienced a blown tire. The tire caused damage to the oil line and forced the Spraker Racing team to fix it under green-flag conditions. He returned to the track and finished 23rd, 39 laps down.
“Coming back will be a good change,” said Kennedy. “We have always been good with Jeff and Spraker Racing, so we are looking forward to coming back for this race. I think the experience I have had Nationwide racing this year will help me in the K&N series. The last two years we have been bit by the monster. We are coming back this year hoping for some redemption. We were fast in practice and qualifying both years we raced there. We are hoping to continue to be fast in practice and qualifying, show it in the race and hopefully not get bit this time through.”
“I think some of the experience I have in the Nationwide car, which is bigger and has more horsepower, will help.,” Kennedy continued. “The K&N car is more agile than the Nationwide car. I think by being somewhat used to a Nationwide car, I will be able to transfer some of that to the K&N series. Using some of the experience in the Nationwide car and some of the things I have learned going into the corner, I should be more comfortable trying different things in the K&N car.”
“I am thrilled to have Alex back in the car,” said owner Jeff Spraker. “He is a good racer, and we had a great season last year. It will be interesting to see him apply what he has learned in his Nationwide starts this year. We have been fast at Dover for the past two years. Hopefully, we can finally get a finish that proves how good the car and Alex are here.”
Kennedy will hit the “Monster Mile” Thursday for two 70-minute practice sessions starting at 2 p.m. EST. He will qualify the No. 37 Spraker Racing Enterprises Chevrolet Friday at 10:15 a.m. EST. The green flag for the Sunoco 150 will wave at 4:45 p.m. EST. The race will be broadcast on SPEED October 7 at 6 p.m. EST.
- Activ8 Communications Press Release
Article Tags: Alex Kennedy, ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards, Dover (Del.) International Speedway, Jeff Spraker, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NKNPSE, NNS, No. 37 Spraker Racing Enterprises Chevrolet, R3 Motorsports, Road America., Spraker Racing, Spraker Racing Enterprises, SRE, Sunoco 150, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International
