DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ben Kennedy could one day be the boss of NASCAR.
If it happens, it will not be a case of nepotism. Yes, he is the great-grandson of the NASCAR founder, but the 31-year-old graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in sports management and spent his entire life learning about the family business.
Once a little boy accompanying his grandfather to the hidden hot dog stand that Bill France Jr. set up inside Daytona International Speedway, Kennedy grew up and eventually had to work at that snack stand. He sold programs, parked cars, drove the truck that empties RV junk and worked in the sign shops.
Kennedy gave it his all as a driver and participated in 90 national NASCAR races. He earned a win in the Truck Series race at Bristol 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, President Jim France, and his mother, Lesa France Kennedy, the executive vice president.
Once he turned in his fire suit, Kennedy moved over to NASCAR operations and is currently the senior vice president of racing strategy and development. He is young, progressive, not afraid to take risks and returns this weekend to what will always be a milestone in his young career.
It was Kennedy who came up with the idea of bringing NASCAR’s unofficial season-opening exhibition race to Los Angeles, where the iconic Coliseum is transformed into a temporary short track for stock car racing. It could have been a disaster of terrible racing, poor track conditions, or a snoozefest for a Los Angeles audience with no shortage of entertainment options.
But it was a success and Kennedy, primarily the architect of NASCAR’s most recent season schedules, brought The Clash back to the Coliseum this Sunday. to repeat the performance. Actor Rob Lowe is the grand marshal, Cypress Hill will give a pre-race concert and Wiz Khalifa will perform at halftime.
“The Coliseum, for us, was a huge, huge risk. And there were so many questions and so much uncertainty and, frankly, I wasn’t sure,” Kennedy said in an interview with The Associated Press at NASCAR headquarters overlooking Daytona International Speedway. “We knew as much as we could, but we didn’t know what the race was going to be like until we put cars on a temporary circuit inside a football stadium.”
Kennedy has a dream list of places he’d like to take NASCAR. For now, he’s content to return to the Coliseum as a warm-up for the Daytona 500, which opens the season on February 19.
“I think in many metrics last year was a great success. So it was very difficult for us to say ‘Hey, this was a great success and now we’re going to do something else,’” Kennedy said. “I think this year will be really eye-opening because last year was new and different, and there were a lot of new concepts that a lot of people talked about.
“I think it’s up to us, NASCAR, to make sure that when the fans go out or watch TV, this year is just as good, if not better, than last year.”
Kennedy didn’t exactly need to prove himself to the NASCAR Board of Directors, but after carrying out the Clash’s plans, he quickly moved on to hosting a Cup Series race on the streets of downtown Chicago. The once outlandish idea is now scheduled for July 2 for a series that has traditionally stuck to oval tracks with banked turns.
“I would say that a lot of the Chicago talks really started to pick up steam after the Clash,” Kennedy said, dismissing speculation that the race will fail and noting excellent relations with the mayor’s office and other city agencies.
“What we continue to focus on is that this is completely new for NASCAR. This is brand new for the city of Chicago, and we’re really trying to help everyone understand what it’s going to be like,” he said. “We want this to be successful for NASCAR, but even more successful for Chicago and something Chicagoans can look forward to.”
It seems inevitable that Kennedy will soon be in charge of the whole show. Steve Phelps is the current president of NASCAR and only the third non-French member of the family to hold the position in 75 years; Steve O’Donnell currently runs the competition.
Kennedy doesn’t believe her future is predetermined.
“I don’t think it’s inevitable for me and I say it to Steve, Steve and my family all the time: ‘I want to earn my stripes on the road. The last thing I want to do is be put in a position that is not for the betterment of the company and have the people around us be in a position that I am not competent for,’” Kennedy said. “I want to centrally deserve whatever position or promotion I may have. It is very important to me. I think it earns me a little respect. It makes it so much more meaningful.
“Am I done there? I have no idea. But I have to do a good job to earn that right.”
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