The name in Victory Lane at Bowman Gray Stadium last Saturday night may not have been a familiar one, but the family most certainly was.
Ben Kennedy, the 21-year-old great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., captured his second career K&N Pro Series East win at the track France brought auto racing to in 1949. On hand was his mother, Lesa France Kennedy, who was present for a victory for the first time.
Kennedy beat Dylan Kwasniewski, a highly regarded young driver considered one of NASCAR's future stars.
But it was a significant win for Kennedy because of his family history at the track.
Betty Jane France, his grandmother, is from Winston-Salem and was a former Miss Bowman Gray Stadium. She met her husband, the late Bill France Jr., at the track when he worked there promoting races for his father.
