Mon, September 3, 2007
The veteran driver adds a $10,000 payday to his first Delaware Speedway track championship.
By JIM CRESSMAN, SUN MEDIA
DELAWARE -- Third time was a charm for Jesse Kennedy yesterday -- a $10,000 charm.
Kennedy, who earlier in the day clinched his first Delaware Speedway championship in 23 years, won the APC 300 Great Canadian Race and its five-figure cheque.
He's the only Delaware driver with the hat trick in late model feature wins this season.
"I've never seen so many zeroes on a cheque, not in my lifetime so far, and at least one I don't have to pay back," said the 38-year-old Kennedy, who began racing at Delaware in 1985 when he was 15.
Kennedy has put a lot into racing and his father Bev has always been there to help. As Kennedy climbed on top of his car with the checkered flag after the 150 laps, tears flowed.
"When I was two years old my father was racing here at Delaware and when my older brother turned 16, my father put him in a car," said Kennedy, from Southwold.
"I was 13 when I took my first laps around here in my brother's street stock and 15 when I got in a car and was (runner-up) for rookie of the year."
Kennedy has raced all divisions at Delaware and the old CASCAR Super Series. But with a limited budget, he said he ran mediocre equipment.
This year with more sponsorship dollars they bought a new McColl car and went after a championship.
"This was the most nerve-racking season," he said. "We knew we were running good and we were there every week with top fives and top 10s.
"These guys (his crew) worked so hard. A few races back I got emotional and overdrove the car and it caused us to backtrack in the points. I had to sit down and apologize to them and told them I was going to drive this car the way it should be."
D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas was a close second ($2,500), followed by Cole Pearn of Mt. Brydges ($2,000).
Both are former track champions, Kennington the youngest in history in 1996, until Pearn five years later at age 18.
Kennington gave Kennedy a few "friendly taps" with his bumper on the final laps, "but I'm not going to wreck a guy for the win.
"It's great to see him win it He works hard at it. And it was a great run for us. It was our first time out in that car all year, so that was pretty good," said Kennington, fresh off a third-place finish Saturday night in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Subway 200 at Cayuga.
The APC 300 consisted of three segments -- the Delaware 75 for regulars, the Invader 75 for visitors, then the 150-lapper.
Ron Sheridan of Mt. Brydges won the opener, with Kennedy second and Dion Verhoeven of Kerwood third.
That race decided the track title and with his finish, Kennedy overcame a four-point deficit to beat Verhoeven by one point.
Pete Vanderwyst of St. Thomas won the second 75-lapper, with Kennington second and Brian Mercer of Port Hope third.
The twin 75s qualified 38 of 43 cars for the final. Sixteen-year-old Central secondary school student Stephen Richmond of Appin, a rookie in super stock, qualified in the Beal car, but engine trouble kept him out of the 150.
There are three more dates on the Delaware calendar -- Saturday, the Enduro 250; Sept. 28, the ISMA super modifieds and track modified championship; and Sept. 29, the Enduro Nationals 300.
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