Up-and-coming NASCAR drivers Dylan Kwasniewski and Ben Kennedy were on hand at the Arizona Diamondbacks game against the Detroit Tigers on Monday, July 21 to promote the upcoming Nov. 6-9 NASCAR weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.
Kwasniewski and Kennedy took in the two teams’ batting practice sessions and met with local media on the field prior to the game. Kwasniewski will race in the NASCAR Nationwide 200 race on Saturday, Nov. 8 at PIR, while Kennedy will compete in the Lucas Oil 150 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, Nov. 7.
“This is pretty awesome. I played baseball when I was a kid, but it’s fun to be down near a major league dugout,” Kwasniewski said. “It’s cool to be near batting practice like this.”
The drivers welcomed the crowd to the evening’s game on DbTV, helped ‘Randy Johnson’ capture the checkered flag during the Legends Race after the fifth inning and belted out ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’ during the seventh inning stretch.
“Being out here at the Diamondbacks’ stadium is a really cool experience,” said Kennedy. “It’s great to help build up Phoenix International Raceway and the race weekend coming up.”
Kwasniewski, 19, is currently 12th in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings. He won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series-West championship in 2012 and followed that up with the K&N Pro Series-East title in 2013 before moving up to the Nationwide Series this season. Kwasniewski lived in Phoenix from 2002-07 and raced go-karts in various circuits around the Valley throughout that time.
Kennedy, 22, sits sixth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points and currently is leading the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. His racing roots go back three generations, as his great-grandfather Bill France Sr., founded NASCAR in 1948. His mother, Lesa France Kennedy, is the CEO of International Speedway Corporation and Vice Chairwoman/Executive Vice President of NASCAR. Kennedy has five top-10 finishes in nine races this season.
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