Port Royal, PA – June 5, 2024
by Addicted2Dirt PR & Media Mgmt
Photo Credit: Derick Kriner Photography
When the 2024 race season opened in PA Posse territory, Central Pennsylvania. Kyle Keen had plans to divide his time between his 358 and 410 sprint cars.
After an early great run in his 358, leading laps at BAPS Motor Speedway, motor issues forced Keen to jump in the 410 for a few weeks. That period of time altered his plans for the season. He has now committed to the 410 program and finds himself two months into that venture, taking his lumps and learning along the way.
Gaining experience in a 410 sprint car in Pennsylvania is like learning to play baseball at the major league level but the Carlisle, PA native has held his own thus far. The first couple outings were rough but when last weekend came to a close, Keen had qualified for six of the last eight events he entered.
QUICK RESULTS
DATE: May 31, 2024
Division: 410 Sprint Cars
Track: Williams Grove Speedway
City, State: Mechanicsburg, PA
Stats: 25 cars, Qualifying 18th, Heat 7th (6), A-main 20th (21)
DATE: June 1, 2024
Division: 410 Sprint Cars
Track: Port Royal Speedway
City, State: Port Royal, PA
Stats: 29 cars, Heat 8th (6), B-main 6th (6), A-main 19th (24)
SMALL WINS, BIG STEPS
Keen’s weekend kicked off Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway where he turned in a qualifying lap that put him 18th of the 25 cars on hand. A closer look was even more telling. His lap was only 0.216 seconds slower than the 10th place car, a sign of not only how competitive the fields are in Central PA but also a sign of the progress the team is making with the Fine Line Auto Body, Hess Bid / Hess Auctioneers, Keen Parts / CorvetteParts.net, Shetron Trailers, Heishman Racing Fuels, DL Lehman Construction No.17k.
Keen went on to record a 7th place heat race finish and a 20th place feature finish.
Dialing in a car under race conditions where longer races, more traffic and dirty air are the primary challenges, is always the most challenging area for a young team to develop. Keen is less than a dozen races into his 410 sprint car career, so it’s still very early for him and his team on that front.
Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway, Keen’s pill draw put him in the back of his heat race lineup. He and the team struggled to overcome that and ended up running the B-main.
Keen was able to hold his own in the B-main and make the finale with a 6th place finish. He then went on to convert that 24th starting spot into a 19th place finish.
“We had better weekend and made some progress. We are starting to get a grasp on this 410 stuff. Saturday night we really hit on something that made me much for comfortable in the B-main and used it for the feature, now just have to build off of that. “, Keen said.
“Thanks to everyone who supports us! We will be back next weekend!“
UP NEXT
Keen will return to both Williams Grove Speedway and Port Royal Speedway this weekend to continue building up his team’s notebook and his experience.
The team’s current plans are to race each opportunity at those two well-known facilities each weekend throughout the month of June.
Keen is racing more than ever to build his notebook and accumulate experience. It will be a journey worth watching to see what level the Carlisle, PA native reaches by the end of his first season in a 410 sprint car.
SEASON STATS
358 SPRINT CAR: 1 race, 0 wins, 0 top 5’s, 0 top 10’s, 1 top 15, 1 top 20
410 SPRINT CAR: 10 races, 0 wins, 0 top 5’s, 0 top 10’s, 0 top 15’s, 6 top 20’s
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Shetron Trailer Sales & Service specializes in crafting high-quality trailers tailored to your needs. From horse trailers to livestock trailers, we design and build durable trailers that provide safe and comfortable transportation for your animals.
Visit us at 85 Kutz Rd, Carlisle, PA, explore our range of trailers, or call 717-422-3446 to discuss your specific requirements.
You can also email us at shetronmfg@embarqmail.com or visit our website at shetronmanufacturing.com.
Shetron Trailers – where quality and craftsmanship meet your hauling needs!
KYLE KEEN MOTORSPORTS
Kyle Keen Motorsports press releases: A2DPR.com/latest-news
Kyle’s Schedule: KyleKeenMotorsports.com/Schedule
Kyle Keen Motorsports Website: KyleKeenMotorsports.com
Kyle Keen Motorsports on Facebook: Facebook.com/KeenMotorsports
Kyle Keen on Twitter: Twitter.com/Kyle_Keen
Kyle Keen on Instagram: Instagram.com/Kyle_Keen17
Broadcast coverage of High Limit Racing events, Port Royal Speedway events and select Lincoln Speedway events is available at FloRacing.com.
Broadcast coverage of World of Outlaw events and Williams Grove Speedway events is available at DirtVision.com.
Broadcast coverage of 410 sprint car events at BAPS Motor Speedway is available at SprintCarUnlimited.tv
THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS!
The entire team would like to express their appreciation to all their partners for their support during the 2024 racing season!
Fine Line Auto Body
Hess Bid / Hess Auctioneers
Keen Parts / CorvetteParts.net
Shetron Trailers
Heishman Racing Fuels
DL Lehman Construction, LLC
Jeremy Zarfos Photography
2B Wrapped
4 Leaf Clover Farms
Turn 2 Terribles Podcast and Media
Godfrey Racing Engines
Luke Ritz Videography
- administrator on Jun 05, 2024
- Article Date: 6/5/2024 by Addicted2Dirt PR