DAYTONA BEACH, FL (AP) — Ben Kennedy may one day be president of NASCAR.
If that happened, it wouldn’t be a case of nepotism. Yes, he is the great-grandson of the founder of NASCAR, but the 31-year-old graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Sports Management and has spent his entire life learning about the family business.
Once a young boy standing next to his grandfather to Bill France Jr.’s hidden hot dog stand installed inside Daytona International Speedway, Kennedy grew up and eventually had to work at the snack shack. He sold software, parked cars, drove the truck unloading trash from mobile homes, and worked in sign shops.
Kennedy gave it a go as a driver and entered 90 races at the NASCAR National level. He scored a victory in the Bristol Truck Series race in 2016, the year he ran a full season and finished seventh in the standings.
But he is also seen as the future leader of NASCAR, which this year celebrates its 75th season. NASCAR is currently run by his 78-year-old uncle, Chairman Jim France, and his mother, Lisa France Kennedy, Executive Vice President.
Once he donned the motorcycle suit, Kennedy moved over to the operations side of NASCAR and is currently Senior Vice President of Racing Development and Strategy. He’s young, progressive, unafraid of adventure and returns this weekend to what will forever be a defining moment in his young career.
It was Kennedy who came up with the idea to move the unofficial season-opening NASCAR Expo race to Los Angeles, where the iconic Coliseum is transformed into a temporary short track for auto racing. It could have been a disaster of terrible racing, poor track conditions, or a snooze for the Los Angeles crowd with no shortage of entertainment options.
But it was a success, and Kennedy, an engineer of NASCAR’s latest schedules for the final season, brought the Clash back to the Coliseum on Sunday for a repeat performance. Actor Rob Lowe is the grand marshal, Cypress Hill will play a pre-race concert and Wiz Khalifa will perform at halftime.
“The Colosseum for us was a huge risk. There were a lot of questions, a lot of uncertainty, and frankly I wasn’t sure,” Kennedy said in an interview with The Associated Press at NASCAR headquarters overlooking Daytona International Speedway. We didn’t know what the race was going to be like until we put the cars in a makeshift circuit inside a football field.”
Kennedy has a dream list of places he would like to take NASCAR. For now, he’s content to get back on the runway as a warm-up for the February 19 Daytona 500 season.
“I think many of the metrics last year were a big hit. So, it was really hard for us to say, ‘Hey, that was a really big hit, and now we’re going to do something else,’” Kennedy said. “I think this year is going to be kind of telling. Really because last year was so new and different, and there were a lot of new concepts that a lot of people talked about.
“I think we, NASCAR, have to make it so that when the fans come out, or watch on TV, this year is just as good, if not better than it was last year.”
Kennedy didn’t need to prove himself to the NASCAR board of directors, but after withdrawing the Clash’s plans, he quickly moved forward staging Cup Series racing on the streets of downtown Chicago. The bizarre concept is now set to be released on July 2 for a series that traditionally sticks to oval tracks with plump turns.
“I would say a lot of the Chicago talks are really starting to pick up steam after the clash,” Kennedy said, dismissing speculation that the race would end and noting the excellent relationships with the mayor’s office and other city agencies.
“What we’ve continued to focus on is this is so new for NASCAR. This is so new for the city of Chicago, and we’re really trying to help everyone understand what this is going to look like,” he said. “We want this to be successful for NASCAR, but even more successful for Chicago and something else that can be Chicagoans are looking forward to it.”
It seems inevitable that Kennedy will soon run the entire show. Steve Phelps is the current president of NASCAR and the third non-France individual to hold the position in 75 years; The competition is currently run by Steve O’Donnell.
Kennedy does not believe that his future is predetermined.
“I don’t think it’s inevitable for me and I say this to Steve and Steve and my family all the time: ‘I want to earn my stripes all the way. Kennedy said, “The last thing I want to do is be put in a position not for the betterment of the company and have people around us put in a position for which I am not qualified.” You want to be centrally deserving of whatever that position or promotion looks like. It is really important to me. I think it earns me some respect. It makes it so much more meaningful.
“Did I end up there? I have no idea. But I have to do a good job to earn that right.”
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