Fast Facts: D.J. Kennington

Kennington's 2012 championship shot
credit: Getty Images/Streeter Lecka

Did you look at the starting order or results for last weekend’s Can-Am 500 at Phoenix and wonder, “Who is D.J. Kennington?” You’re about to find out, because he’s the focus of this week’s Fast Facts.
 

• Daniel Joseph Kennington was born July 15, 1977 in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. He grew up around motorsports, learning to build engines from his father, Canadian Motorsports Hall of Famer Doug Kennington.
• Kennington began racing competitively at age 16 in Canada, and from 2004-2005 ran a partial schedule in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series in the United States as an owner/driver. In 2007, he made the move to the NASCAR Canadian Tire (now Pinty’s) Series and finished second in points, a standing he duplicated in 2009, 2011 and 2013; he bettered that finish by one in both 2010 and 2012, ending each of those seasons as champion. Through 2016, Kennington is second on the Pinty’s Series all-time win list with 19, three behind Andrew Ranger’s 22 wins.
• Kennington made his Busch (now Xfinity) Series debut at Memphis in 2006 for MacDonald Motorsports. He has also raced for Specialty Racing, Team Rensi Motorsports, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, MBM Motorsports and BJ McLeod Motorsports in the series. He made his Camping World Truck Series debut in 2010 for Rick Ware Racing, finishing 17^th at Martinsville. He’s also teamed with Glenden Enterprises and Premium Motorsports in the series. The Can-Am 500 at Phoenix on Nov. 13 marked his Sprint Cup Series debut, also with Premium Motorsports.
• Learn more about Kennington at his website, www.djkracing.ca.