LOUISVILLE, KY — Audio and story by Managing Editor Jacob Seelman for Speed77 Radio and Race Chaser Online — photo courtesy Ben Rhodes — For being a rookie in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, Ben Rhodes certainly isn’t driving like one.
The Louisville, Kentucky native entered his first truck race fresh off of his first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East win at Greenville-Pickens last month – and grabbed a top-10 finish.
Rhodes, starting 12th after rain washed out qualifying, was able to avoid the last-lap accident to bring home a respectable eighth-place finish.
“That Truck series run was a huge confidence-booster for me and for this whole Turner Scott Motorsports team,” a calm and contented Rhodes said recently to Race Chaser Online. “I felt like we turned a lot of heads, got people’s attention and did exactly what we needed to. It was a great day, and I’ll be ready for the next opportunity we get later this season.”
While he’s had some time off, Rhodes has kept very busy away from the race track. A Kentucky native, Rhodes spent a lot of time at the pre-festivities for the recent Kentucky Derby. While California Chrome won the Derby, Rhodes tasted victory in a very different race, the Kentucky Derby Great Bed Race, beating out the defending five-time champions to take the win in a bed sponsored by his K&N backers, Alpha Energy Solutions.
“That bed race was one of the most fun things I’ve ever been a part of,” Rhodes said of the Great Bed Races. “All of us on the Alpha team put all our efforts in to our debut in the Great Bed Races, and it paid off. The guys were pushing hard and we got a little loose in turn one, but we were good all the way around the rest of the course and didn’t hit a cone. The most stressful part was waiting to hear our time and if we beat the other team.”
“One of my Turner Scott Motorsports crew guys (Joe Kruschek) actually came up with the design, and the whole TSM group was behind me; that was really cool to have their support and we all enjoyed ourselves!”
Now, the 17-year-old standout and NASCAR Next driver heads for Iowa and returns to his K&N Pro Series East ride as the points leader after five races, by 18 tallies over Gray Gaulding.
“Being the points leader so far is great, it gives us a lot of momentum and really takes a lot of the pressure off of us,” Rhodes says. “Everyone else has to chase us and we can just go out and race our race. That’s always been the mindset that’s helped me, not having to focus on anyone else but me and this team.”
Rhodes comes to Iowa after finishing fifth and tenth in last year’s two Iowa challenge events. He is looking to become the ninth different East driver to go to overall victory lane at the Newton track.
“We struggled a bit in the fall last year; it’s like we’ve been really good, or really not here. Feast or famine, I guess you’d say. I hope we turn up the feast for Saturday night,” Rhodes laughed.
“This race means a ton to whoever wins it, and not only do I really want to keep our points lead, I want to get this checkered flag and celebrate. In this race, it’s all about the win.”
Listen is as we spoke with Ben on a recent edition of the Stock Car Steel/SRI Motorsports Show about his recent activities, and his outlook on the Iowa challenge race as he looks for victory in the event for the first time:
