Insider defends NASCAR Honcho’s presence at IndyCar event: “Nothing wrong with this”

In Picture: IndyCar and NASCAR vehicles. Credit: Getty Images

Renowned NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck defended Ben Kennedy, one of the series' top officials, after he was spotted at an IndyCar race amid the Cup Series race in Bristol. On his official X account, Gluck argued that there was nothing wrong with it.

NASCAR hosted its ninth Cup Series race of the season, the Food City 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday. Alex Bowman started the race from the pole, ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. However, Kennedy, who is NASCAR's Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovations Officer, was spotted at Long Beach.

As per reports, Kennedy was attending the IndyCar race, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. His action, despite being a top NASCAR official, raised some eyebrows. However, Gluck, who is a renowned journalist with The Athletic, defended Kennedy and wrote:

"I know some people will get mad, but there's nothing wrong with this IMO. Long Beach is an awesome event and they do a ton right in terms of entertainment; perfectly fine for NASCAR to go to other events and look at how other series do things."

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The IndyCar Series race at Long Beach is one of the most prestigious ones as it is a crown jewel street course race. Racing fans from the United States and all over the world tune in for the 90-lap race around the 1.968-mile temporary street circuit at Long Beach every year.

Kyle Larson won Food City 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway

Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports claimed the ninth Cup Series race of the season — the Food City 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Larson held off Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing to take his second victory of the season.

After the victory, Larson dedicated it to Jon Edwards, the Hendrick Motorsports director of racing communications, who passed away earlier this week.

"[It was] a flawless race. [I had a] really good car," Larson said via WCNC. "I knew I had to make some good moves in traffic [to hold off Hamlin]. Good to be back in victory lane."

"This one's for Jon," Larson said. "He's a great guy. We're gonna miss him. I wish he was here, but I know his spirit is here with us."

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Ty Gibbs came home in third place, ahead of Chase Briscoe. Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney wrapped up the top five. William Byron, Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, AJ Allmendinger, and Austin Dillon wrapped up the Top 10.

About the author

Sabyasachi Biswas is a passionate motorsport journalist for Sportskeeda, with a Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. He has over eight years of experience in the field and has over 10000 published articles on the internet.

As a dedicated follower of motorsport, Sabyasachi watches events closely, ensuring his reports are thorough and supported by reputable sources. He is inspired by Max Verstappen’s fearless attitude and dreams of attending the Indian GP if it returns to the calendar. An ardent F1 fan over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel and is now following Verstappen's dominant journey on the track.

Apart from F1, he is a big-time NASCAR and football (also soccer) fan. Sabyasachi supports Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports and Spanish club, Real Madrid.

He was a sub-junior level footballer and won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak by nature, Sabyasachi likes to try different cuisines and learn about new cultures. When away from his keyboard, he enjoys soccer, geopolitics, and playing with Khushi & Ubbu - his adorable beagles.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl