Jonathan McKennedy Awarded “Premier Touring Series Driver of the Year” at Northeast Motorsports Expo
Augusta, Maine – At this past weekend’s 29th Annual Northeast Motorsports Expo, open wheel Modified standout Jonathan McKennedy was awarded the “Premier Touring Series Driver of the Year”.
Sponsored by Mainely Motorsports Television, (MainelymotorsportsTV.com) and its popular Host Steve Perry, the honor is a tell-tale of top-Series driver results from the past season.
Host Steve Perry explained, “The Premier Touring Series Driver of the Year” is a comparison of best season to best season of all our top New England drivers from ACT, MRS, NASCAR, and PASS competition.
“During the 2016 season,” continued Perry, “this driver stood out above all the rest.
“Competing in 25 Touring Series events, he and his team grabbed 11 wins and 22 Top-Four finishes. With wins coming in N. Carolina, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, our ‘Premier Touring Series Driver of the Year’, is East Chelmsford, Massachusetts racer Jonathan McKennedy.”
“This is a super award to receive”, McKennedy said, “and I am honored to be mentioned in the same sentence with its past winners. It’s great how Steve Perry and the Mainely Motorsports television show bring short track racing into the homes of thousands and thousands of race fans weekly.
“Over the years, they have brought our #29 team solid attention. And now, with this award, they are bringing stronger light to us all.
“Lots of work went into the preparation and building of our racecar this season,” continued McKennedy. “Eddie Flemke’s RaceWorks Chassis stayed consistent throughout the year -tire management being nearly perfect in many conditions. And Mike Pettit at Pettit Race Engines gave me a great engine all season. Thank-you.”
“I certainly couldn’t have had this success without my sponsors EXIT Realty, Sage Bank, Defilippo Insurance and Christopher’s Towing and, of course, my great crew and spotter who take the time to help me pursue my career. Again, thank-you all.”
Steve Perry added, “Past Premier Touring winners include Dave Dion, Robbie Crouch, Mike Stefanik, Ricky Craven, Eddie MacDonald, Joey Polewarczyk, Johnny Clark, Wayne Helliwell Jr., Brian Hoar, DJ Shaw, and Rowan Pennick. That’s a good indicator of the stars we have and the prestige that comes to the winner, and Mainely Motorsports Television are pleased that Jonathan is the recipient and thankful he’s our 2017 ambassador.”
For 2017, McKennedy has begun what so many others have also started, looking for added sponsors and partners to join his team.
“I’m looking to advance my career as a driver in NASCAR or another Series,” added McKennedy. “We have good supporters for our current program, and have two possible opportunities in the pipeline. We are working to find, and could certainly use added partners, though.”
Jon McKennedy Racing is supported by:
EXIT Realty
Christopher’s Towing
Lakeside Sewerage
LH Wheeler Trucking
Sage Bank, Doug Perry
Defilippo Insurance
Mike Gorman Law Office
JTK Small Engine Repair
Ducharme Trucking Inc.
Arthur Therrien
Driver Connection
For information on sponsorship and promotions with EXIT Racing and Jonathan McKennedy contact:
Rick Raducha
Cell: 860-796-7223
Phone: 727-914-0689
rraducha@sbcglobal.net
Jonathan McKennedy
Phone: 508-922-8958
Cell: 978-815-2817
Email: Jonathan7973@hotmail.com
About Mainley Motorsports Television –
Mainely Motorsports is aired weekly on Time Warner Cable’s Channel 9 throughout Maine and parts of New Hampshire. Steve Perry is the Producer and Host. Each episode can also be watched on the popular www.mainelymotorsportstv.com website or the Mainely Motorsports TV Facebook page.
About Jonathan McKennedy –
Jonathan McKennedy is an accomplished racecar driver who began in Karting in 1998. Between 1999 through 2002, Jonathan drove to many wins and multiple Karting Championships. Since 2005, Jonathan has raced in ISMA Super Modified, NASCAR Modified, and Valenti Modified Touring competition winning convincingly in each. Driving his family’s #29 Modified, McKennedy was the Valenti Modified Tour (MRS) 2016 Champion over fifty-three other drivers. It is his 4th title from 5 full-time seasons.
Sources: Rick Raducha/Driver Connection
Kelly Wheeler Lajoie photo