Login
Login

Kenzie Ruston Hemric

{{short description|American stock car racing driver}}

{{good article}}

{{Infobox racing driver

| name = Kenzie Ruston Hemric

| image = Kenzie Ruston at Dover International Speedway 2014 (cropped).JPG

| caption = Ruston at Dover International Speedway in 2014

| birth_name = Kenzie Ruston

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|10|12|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = El Reno, Oklahoma, U.S.

| related to = Daniel Hemric (husband)

| current series =

| last series = NASCAR K&N Pro Series East

| years active = 2013–2015

| teams = Turner Scott Motorsports, Ben Kennedy Racing, Rev Racing

| first year = 2013

| current team =

| car number = 4

| engine =

| crew chief = Mark Green

| former teams =

| starts = 44

| championships = 0

| wins = 0

| poles = 0

| best finish = 6th

| year = 2013

| last finish = 11th in 2015

| prev series = ARCA Racing Series

| prev series years = 2011

| titles =

| title years =

| awards =

| award years =

| updated =

}}

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

=Early career=

Ruston both raced and played volleyball in high school before deciding to focus on racing full-time prior to her senior year;{{cite web|last=James|first=Brant|title=NASCAR prospect Kenzie Ruston Raring To Go -- If She Gets A Ride|url=http://www.espn.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/11785548/nascar-prospect-kenzie-ruston-raring-go-gets-ride|website=ESPN.com|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures|access-date=July 19, 2017|date=October 30, 2014}} she began racing Bandoleros at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) when she was 14 years old.{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Deb|title=Kenzie Ruston's high school decision leads to racing career|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nascar-auto-racing/thatsracin/article9142805.html|access-date=March 21, 2015|work=The Charlotte Observer|publisher=The McClatchy Company|date=July 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213958/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nascar-auto-racing/thatsracin/article9142805.html|archive-date=March 3, 2016}} 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. In addition, she raced in TMS' Summer Stampede, finishing second, and in the top-ten in Charlotte Motor Speedway's Summer Shootout. 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, along with the U.S. Legends asphalt championship, the first woman to win the title. The next year, she began racing in super late models, finishing 12th in the PASS Series Southern Division's championship.

=Stock car racing=

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. During the year, she also competed in the Champion Racing Association, winning at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. In December, she participated in the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway for Jeff Fultz, finishing 31st after a crash on lap 145.{{cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/race/2011-10/X|title=2011 Snowball Derby|work=Racing-Reference|access-date=March 21, 2015}}

==NASCAR==

File:Kenzie Ruston Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet Richmond 2013.jpg in 2013]]

In 2013, Ruston was signed by Turner Scott Motorsports to contest the 2013 K&N Pro Series East season,{{cite news|last=Meredith|first=Luke|title=Kenzie Ruston on the rise for Turner Scott|url=http://racing.ap.org/article/kenzie-ruston-rise-turner-scott|access-date=September 11, 2013|work=Associated Press|agency=Associated Press|publisher=AP Sports|date=June 12, 2013|location=Des Moines, Iowa|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929113159/http://racing.ap.org/article/kenzie-ruston-rise-turner-scott|archive-date=September 29, 2013|url-status=dead}} and in June, she was named a member of the NASCAR Next program,{{cite news|last=Meredith|first=Luke|title=AUTO PACKAGE: Turner Scott driver Kenzie Ruston on the rise in NASCAR K&N Pro Series|url=http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/06/12/auto-package-turner-scott-driver-kenzie-ruston-on-rise-in-nascar-kampn-pro.html|access-date=September 11, 2013|work=Fox News Channel|agency=Associated Press|publisher=FOX News Network, LLC.|date=June 12, 2013|location=Des Moines, Iowa}} the first woman to join the program.{{cite web|url=http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/KN-Pro-Series/News/Articles/2013/12/Ruston-to-Race-for-Kennedy.aspx|title=Ruston to Race for Kennedy|publisher=Motor Racing Network|date=December 19, 2013|access-date=March 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331032100/http://www.mrn.com/Race-Series/KN-Pro-Series/News/Articles/2013/12/Ruston-to-Race-for-Kennedy.aspx|archive-date=March 31, 2014|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite web|last=DiZinno|first=Tony|url=http://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2013/12/22/kenzie-ruston-joins-ben-kennedys-nascar-team/|title=Kenzie Ruston joins Ben Kennedy's NASCAR team|publisher=NBC Sports|date=December 22, 2013|access-date=March 21, 2015}}

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

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.{{cite news|last=James|first=Brant|title=Kenzie Ruston looks to defy odds in NASCAR diversity program|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2015/01/26/nascar-drive-for-diversity-class-announced-kenzie-ruston/22325333/|access-date=March 21, 2015|work=USA Today|publisher=Gannett Company|date=January 26, 2015|location=Charlotte, North Carolina}} She finished 11th in the points standings, with a best finish of sixth at Motordrome Speedway.

Personal life

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

On July 28, 2015, Ruston became engaged to Camping World Truck Series driver Daniel Hemric.{{cite web|title=Hemric, Ruston announce engagement|url=http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/blogs/Off-Track/2015/7/nascar-drivers-engaged-daniel-hemric-kenzie-ruston.html|website=NASCAR.com|publisher=NASCAR Media Group, LLC.|access-date=July 28, 2015|date=July 28, 2015}} They married on January 7, 2017.{{cite web|url=http://www.rcrracing.com/news-media/drivers/daniel-hemric/2017/01/09/daniel-hemric-kenzie-ruston-wedding/|title=Daniel Hemric and Kenzie Ruston Tie the Knot in Jamaica|date=9 January 2017 |publisher=RCR Racing|access-date=November 14, 2017}} In November 2019, the Hemrics announced that they were expecting their first child.{{Cite web|title=Daniel and Kenzie Hemric expecting first baby|url=https://nascar.nbcsports.com/2019/11/28/daniel-and-kenzie-hemric-expecting-first-baby/|last=McFadin|first=Daniel|date=2019-11-29|website=NASCAR Talk {{!}} NBC Sports|language=en-US|access-date=2020-06-02}} Their daughter was born on May 9, 2020.{{Cite web|title=Daniel Hemric, wife Kenzie welcome baby girl Rhen {{!}} NASCAR|url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2020/05/10/daniel-hemric-wife-kenzie-welcome-baby-girl-rhen/|date=2020-05-10|website=Official Site Of NASCAR|language=en-US|access-date=2020-06-02}} In August 2022, the Hemrics announced that they were expecting their second child.{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |first2= |date=2022-08-01 |title=NASCAR Driver Daniel Hemric and Wife Kenzie Expecting Second Baby Together: 'Party of 4!' |url=https://people.com/parents/daniel-hemric-expecting-second-baby-with-wife-kenzie/ |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=PEOPLE.com |language=en}} Their son was born on December 23, 2022.

Motorsports career results

=Career summary=

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
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=

(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==

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
colspan=45| 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

! {{Tooltip|NKNPSEC|NASCAR K&N Pro Series East classification}}

! Pts

! Ref

2013

! Turner Scott Motorsports

! 34

! rowspan="2" | Chevy

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| BRI
11

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| GRE
3

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| FIF
5

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| RCH
19

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| BGS
4

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| IOW
26

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| LGY
12

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| COL
8

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| IOW
5

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| VIR
12

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| GRE
8

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| NHA
20

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| DOV
13

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| RAL
11

| colspan=2|

! 6th

! 459

! {{cite web|url=http://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/rustoke01/2013/E|title=Kenzie Ruston – 2013 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results|work=Racing-Reference|access-date=July 19, 2017}}

2014

! Ben Kennedy Racing

! 96

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| NSM
6

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| DAY
6

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| BRI
22

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GRE
12

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| RCH
35

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| IOW
13

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| BGS
8

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| FIF
4

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| LGY
3

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NHA
14

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| COL
12

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| IOW
2

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| GLN
9

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| VIR
11

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GRE
12

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| DOV
14

! 9th

! 522

! {{cite web|url=http://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/rustoke01/2014/E|title=Kenzie Ruston – 2014 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results|work=Racing-Reference|access-date=July 19, 2017}}

2015

! Rev Racing

! 4

! Toyota

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| NSM
10

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GRE
14

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| BRI
27

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| IOW
15

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| BGS
9

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| LGY
12

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| COL
10

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NHA
16

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| IOW
22

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| GLN
18

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| MOT
6

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| VIR
14

| style="background:#CFCFFF;"| RCH
22

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| DOV
13

| colspan=2|

! 11th

! 408

! {{cite web|url=http://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/rustoke01/2015/E|title=Kenzie Ruston – 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Results|work=Racing-Reference|access-date=July 19, 2017}}

=ARCA Racing Series=

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

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
colspan=45| 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

! {{Tooltip|ARSC|ARCA Racing Series classification}}

! Pts

! Ref

rowspan=2| 2011

! rowspan=2| Venturini Motorsports

! 25

! rowspan=2| Toyota

| DAY

| TAL

| SLM

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| TOL
10

| NJE

| CHI

| POC

| MCH

| WIN

| colspan=10|

! rowspan=2| 35th

! rowspan=2| 635

! rowspan=2| {{cite web|url=http://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/rustoke01/2011/A|title=Kenzie Ruston − 2011 ARCA Racing Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|access-date=May 4, 2015}}

55

| colspan=9|

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| BLN
10

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| IOW
12

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| IRP
26

| POC

| ISF

| MAD

| DSF

| SLM

| KAN

| TOL

{{sup|*}} Season still in progress

{{sup|1}} Ineligible for series points

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{commons category}}

  • {{Racing-Reference driver|Kenzie_Ruston}}

{{Rev Racing}}

{{Venturini Motorsports}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruston Hemric, Kenzie}}

Category:Living people

Category:1991 births

Category:Racing drivers from Oklahoma

Category:NASCAR drivers

Category:American female racing drivers

Category:ARCA Midwest Tour drivers

Category:21st-century American sportswomen