Kenzie Ruston Hemric

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Kenzie Ruston Hemric
Ruston at Dover International Speedway in 2014
Nationality American
BornKenzie Ruston
(1991-10-12) October 12, 1991 (age 32)
El Reno, Oklahoma
Related toDaniel Hemric (husband)
Debut season2013
NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
Years active2013–2015
TeamsTurner Scott Motorsports, Ben Kennedy Racing, Rev Racing
Car number4
Crew chiefMark Green
Starts44
Championships0
Wins0
Poles0
Best finish6th in 2013
Finished last season11th in 2015
Previous series
2011ARCA Racing Series

Kenzie Ruston Hemric (born October 12, 1991) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. She last competed in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2015, driving the No. 4 Toyota Camry for Rev Racing. Hemric is married to current NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Hemric.

Hemric began her professional stock car racing career in the 2011 ARCA Racing Series, driving four races for Venturini Motorsports. She later competed as a NASCAR Drive for Diversity member in the K&N Pro Series East, where she competed for three seasons (2013–15). Her best career finish came in 2014 at Iowa Speedway, where she finished second.

Racing career[edit]

Early career[edit]

Ruston both raced and played volleyball in high school before deciding to focus on racing full-time prior to her senior year;[1] she began racing Bandoleros at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) when she was 14 years old.[2] When she was 16, she switched to Legends car racing, competing in the track's Semi-Pro and Young Lions divisions, finishing third in the latter's Winter Series.[2] In addition, she raced in TMS' Summer Stampede, finishing second, and in the top-ten in Charlotte Motor Speedway's Summer Shootout.[2] Upon turning 17, Ruston moved to North Carolina. In 2009, Ruston won TMS' Winter Series, Summer Stampede and the track's Driver of the Year award,[2] along with the U.S. Legends asphalt championship, the first woman to win the title.[3] The next year, she began racing in super late models, finishing 12th in the PASS Series Southern Division's championship.[2]

Stock car racing[edit]

In 2011, Ruston began competing in stock cars. She made four ARCA Racing Series races with Venturini Motorsports, making her debut at Toledo Speedway in the No. 25 Toyota, and finished 10th. She switched to No. 55 for three additional races, finishing 10th, 12th, and 26th.[4] During the year, she also competed in the Champion Racing Association, winning at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.[2] In December, she participated in the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway for Jeff Fultz, finishing 31st after a crash on lap 145.[5]

NASCAR[edit]

Ruston's No. 34 car at Richmond International Raceway in 2013

In 2013, Ruston was signed by Turner Scott Motorsports to contest the 2013 K&N Pro Series East season,[6] and in June, she was named a member of the NASCAR Next program,[3] the first woman to join the program.[7] She ended the year with four top-fives, including a best finish of third at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, and finished sixth in the points standings.[8]

For the 2014 season, Ruston was signed by Ben Kennedy Racing.[8] She was not retained by Kennedy at the end of the season due to sponsorship, being replaced by Kaz Grala.[1]

On January 26, 2015, Ruston was announced as a member of the 2015 Drive for Diversity roster, joining Rev Racing for the full 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season.[9] She finished 11th in the points standings, with a best finish of sixth at Motordrome Speedway.[10]

Personal life[edit]

Ruston's father, Darren, was a dirt bike racer in Oklahoma, while her step-grandfather, Jerry Morrison, was an Oklahoma dirt track racer.[2] The youngest of two daughters, Ruston was a cheerleader and volleyball, soccer, and basketball player in high school.[2]

On July 28, 2015, Ruston became engaged to Camping World Truck Series driver Daniel Hemric.[11] They married on January 7, 2017.[12] In November 2019, the Hemrics announced that they were expecting their first child.[13] Their daughter was born on May 9, 2020.[14] In August 2022, the Hemrics announced that they were expecting their second child.[15] Their son was born on December 23, 2022.

Motorsports career results[edit]

Career summary[edit]

Season Series Team Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles Points Position
2011 ARCA Racing Series Venturini Motorsports 4 0 0 2 0 635 35th
2013 K&N Pro Series East Turner Scott Motorsports 14 0 4 6 0 459 6th
2014 K&N Pro Series East Ben Kennedy Racing 16 0 3 7 0 522 9th
2015 K&N Pro Series East Rev Racing 13 0 0 4 0 408 11th

NASCAR[edit]

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

K&N Pro Series East[edit]

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 NKNPSEC Pts Ref
2013 Turner Scott Motorsports 34 Chevy BRI
11 		GRE
3 		FIF
5 		RCH
19 		BGS
4 		IOW
26 		LGY
12 		COL
8 		IOW
5 		VIR
12 		GRE
8 		NHA
20 		DOV
13 		RAL
11 		6th 459 [16]
2014 Ben Kennedy Racing 96 NSM
6 		DAY
6 		BRI
22 		GRE
12 		RCH
35 		IOW
13 		BGS
8 		FIF
4 		LGY
3 		NHA
14 		COL
12 		IOW
2 		GLN
9 		VIR
11 		GRE
12 		DOV
14 		9th 522 [17]
2015 Rev Racing 4 Toyota NSM
10 		GRE
14 		BRI
27 		IOW
15 		BGS
9 		LGY
12 		COL
10 		NHA
16 		IOW
22 		GLN
18 		MOT
6 		VIR
14 		RCH
22 		DOV
13 		11th 408 [10]

ARCA Racing Series[edit]

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Racing Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 ARSC Pts Ref
2011 Venturini Motorsports 25 Toyota DAY TAL SLM TOL
10 		NJE CHI POC MCH WIN 35th 635 [4]
55 BLN
10 		IOW
12 		IRP
26 		POC ISF MAD DSF SLM KAN TOL

* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b James, Brant (October 30, 2014). "NASCAR prospect Kenzie Ruston Raring To Go -- If She Gets A Ride". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Williams, Deb (July 25, 2014). "Kenzie Ruston's high school decision leads to racing career". The Charlotte Observer. The McClatchy Company. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Meredith, Luke (June 12, 2013). "AUTO PACKAGE: Turner Scott driver Kenzie Ruston on the rise in NASCAR K&N Pro Series". Fox News Channel. Des Moines, Iowa: FOX News Network, LLC. Associated Press. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Kenzie Ruston − 2011 ARCA Racing Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  5. ^ "2011 Snowball Derby". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  6. ^ Meredith, Luke (June 12, 2013). "Kenzie Ruston on the rise for Turner Scott". Associated Press. Des Moines, Iowa: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  7. ^ "Ruston to Race for Kennedy". Motor Racing Network. December 19, 2013. Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  8. ^ a b DiZinno, Tony (December 22, 2013). "Kenzie Ruston joins Ben Kennedy's NASCAR team". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  9. ^ James, Brant (January 26, 2015). "Kenzie Ruston looks to defy odds in NASCAR diversity program". USA Today. Charlotte, North Carolina: Gannett Company. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  10. ^ a b "Kenzie Ruston – 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  11. ^ "Hemric, Ruston announce engagement". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  12. ^ "Daniel Hemric and Kenzie Ruston Tie the Knot in Jamaica". RCR Racing. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  13. ^ McFadin, Daniel (2019-11-29). "Daniel and Kenzie Hemric expecting first baby". NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  14. ^ "Daniel Hemric, wife Kenzie welcome baby girl Rhen | NASCAR". Official Site Of NASCAR. 2020-05-10. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  15. ^ "NASCAR Driver Daniel Hemric and Wife Kenzie Expecting Second Baby Together: 'Party of 4!'". PEOPLE.com. 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  16. ^ "Kenzie Ruston – 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  17. ^ "Kenzie Ruston – 2014 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 19, 2017.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kenzie Ruston.
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