Kennedy Charges to Runner-up Finish at 360 Jackson Nationals!
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (September 5, 2018) – Thomas Kennedy and the Buffalo Wild Wings / Kennedy Floorings team returned to Jackson Motorplex over the holiday weekend for the 360 Jackson Nationals.
The three-race format began with two preliminary nights where drivers accumulated points, which helped determine the lineup for the championship night on Sunday. Kennedy’s solid qualifying efforts, which included Saturday where he set Quick Time, and top 10 finishes in the features were enough to get him into the top four in points and locked into Saturday’s dash for the A-main.
After a fourth-place finish in the dash, Kennedy lined up outside of row two for the 30-lap feature. Kennedy rode in the fourth position until the waning laps of the event. The Winnipeg driver capitalized on a restart to move around the outside of Terry McCarl in turn one. At the other end of the speedway, Kennedy executed a slider on Lee Grosz to claim the second spot.
Kennedy reeled in the leader, Jack Dover, with two laps to go and put heavy pressure on him coming to the white flag. Kennedy pulled up to the left rear of the Nebraska driver, but lapped traffic would decide it on the final lap.
Dover got by a lapped car cleanly in turn one, while Kennedy got held up on the high side of turn two. That’s all Dover needed to take the win as Kennedy held on for second.
This weekend, Kennedy will be back at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks on Friday for the $8,200-to-win Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin’ Challenge. Kennedy qualified himself for the potential $8,200 payday with his NOSA win at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D. back in July.
Kennedy will start eighth in the dash on Friday. The first and second place finishers of the dash will start in row 12 for $8,200-to-win if they accept the Blazin’ Challenge, third and fourth will start in row 11 for $7,000-to-win, row 10 pay $6,000-to-win and row nine pay $5,000-to-win.
A big thanks goes out to all the Kennedy Racing Team sponsors: Kennedy Floorings, Buffalo Wild Wings, Big Trucks by Jimco, General Signs and Speedway Shots.