Port Royal, PA – September 6, 2024
by Addicted2Dirt PR & Media Mgmt
Photo Credit: Jeremy Zarfos / WRT Speedwerx
It’s been a tough summer for 410 sprint car rookie Kyle Keen.
His season started reasonably well for a rookie on the tough Central PA circuit. He qualified for 11 of his first 15 events and had an average finishing position of 18th. It wasn’t about the finishing position, it was about finishing. Making as many laps as possible each night to give himself the best chance to learn and improve. He was accomplishing that goal.
As summer got into full gear, there seemed to be one challenge after another. Between part failures, the learning curve, and incidents it seemed never-ending.
Keen went into 410 sprint car racing knowing it wouldn’t be easy though, so he just kept grinding it out.
QUICK RESULTS
Date: September 2, 2024
Event: Labor Day Classic
Division: 410 Sprint Cars
Location: Port Royal Speedway, ort Royal, PA
Stats: 40 cars, Group 1 Qualifying 3rd, Heat 2nd (4), A-main 20th (9)
OFF TRACK
PA Speedweek brought on the first hurdle of the summer for Keen when he encountered an engine part failure at Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland. It was his third Speedweek race attempt and third DNQ (did not qualify) but against the stout fields that series draws, there was certainly no reason to stress over the results.
The engine issue sidelined the Fine Line Auto Body, Hess Bid / Hess Auctioneers, Keen Parts / CorvetteParts.net, Shetron Trailers, Heishman Racing Fuels, DL Lehman Construction, Fuel Ox No.17k for four weeks. Keen returned to Williams Grove Speedway on August 2nd, shook off the rust, and logged a 16th-place finish. It seemed all was normal again.
That feeling was replaced with frustration over the following two weeks. Keen raced four times, making only one feature and damaging two cars.
After showing good speed early in the evening in his first-ever venture to the track, Keen got caught up in an incident that started a few rows in front of him in the A-main at Lincoln Speedway on August 17th, then suffered a steering part issue one week later on August 23rd at Williams Grove Speedway in the B-main.
Each week he bounced back after long hours in the shop preparing to get back to the track. The labor and expense are difficult enough to overcome but the mental toughness required to soldier on through trials like these is even harder for a driver, even if sometimes the circumstances are not your fault.
Confidence wanes. Self-doubt creeps in.
Overcoming that can often be more difficult than figuring out the right setup for the race car. They say a confident driver is worth two-tenths of a second, so when the going gets tough, all focus turns to getting back to basics. The goal becomes to simply put together a full night, make the show, and get back to the shop with everything in one piece.
BACK ON TRACK
With racing action on August 30th and 31st washed out by rain, Keen shifted his attention to his first-ever Labor Day Classic at Port Royal Speedway. The event provides a unique challenge to drivers and teams on the tricky daytime surface.
Keen got his afternoon off on the right foot by spinning off the 3rd quickest lap in his group to earn the 2nd starting spot in his heat race.
The Carlisle, PA native kept the momentum going, challenging for the lead on the opening lap of the heat race. Chase Dietz fended off the surge by Keen, who settled into 2nd. He went on to maintain full control of the runner-up spot to the finish.
Keen found himself with a top-ten starting spot for the 73rd Annual Labor Day Classic, something that quickly reinstated at least some of his confidence behind the wheel.
The only thing that didn’t go right for Keen on Monday afternoon was his setup choices for the feature. The daylight surface was a new challenge and they guessed wrong, causing the No.17k to fall back in the running order.
Mired in 20th with less than ten laps remaining and nothing to gain from continuing, Keen retired from the event.
“We had the boat anchor out.”, Keen said with a good-natured grin. “We missed the setup for the feature but it’s all good, it’s part of us learning to figure out what we need to be more hooked up with a full fuel load.”
“I’m proud of our team! We’ve been getting closer and closer this season. And we haven’t quit despite some really tough challenges. I’m really proud of how well we have been qualifying the last few races, which is a super important part of being successful in these things.”
Keen has the right attitude and work ethic to weather what his rookie season throws at him. There are still a few races left and he intends to finish 2024 strong.
UP NEXT
Keen will take a break this weekend. Plans for the remainder of the season will be announced soon. Follow Kyle at the social media outlets listed below to get the latest updates!
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: DL Lehman Construction, LLC
Dustin Lehman of D.L Lehman Construction handles all types of concrete work from foundations to slabs, sidewalks, footers, and more! You can check out some of his recent work below!
He is also highly skilled at general carpentry and provides high-quality results for his customers.
If you have any concrete construction needs in the Central Pennsylvania region, give Dustin a call at 717-226-0914! His work is top-notch!
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
Fuel Ox
Jeremy Zarfos Photography
2B Wrapped
4 Leaf Clover Farms
Turn 2 Terribles Podcast and Media
Godfrey Racing Engines
Luke Ritz Videography
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Addicted2Dirt PR and Media Management provides personal and powerful dirt motorsports public relations. We are a central Pennsylvania-based business with a love of and passion for dirt racing and the people who make the sport what it is.
We keep fans engaged with your story through our personalized press releases
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Visit our website, A2DPR.com, to learn more about us and follow along with the stories of our race teams!
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Contact us via Email at: Rich@A2DPR.com
- administrator on Sep 10, 2024
- Article Date: 9/6/2024 by Addicted2Dirt PR