Ben Rhodes is 19, and he drives a truck.
On Friday night, Rhodes will drive a truck for 250 miles at 185 mph at the Kansas Speedway.
That’s just one of the hundreds of stories speeding around the track during this weekend of NASCAR.
There will be tens of thousands of fans at the speedway Friday and Saturday.
Friday, during the daylight, is all about Sprint Cup Series practice and qualifying. At night, the trucks take over in the Toyota Tundra 250.
Saturday, after a live concert by Eddie Money, the green flag drops on the Go Bowling 400.
In between the racing, there is always plenty to do all over the complex.
But, back to driver Rhodes. He’s been driving one way or another since he was 7 years old.
And, as physically demanding as the sport is, Rhodes said the mental game is even more exhausting.
This is Rhodes’ first run at the Kansas Speedway. Then, after the race, he jets off to Kentucky for his first Derby Day.
Oh, by the way, Rhodes drives truck number 41. That’s an easy number to remember.
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Joel Nichols can be reached at joel.nichols@kclive.tv.
