Lowell Bennett
Lowell Bennett (born May 14, 1958) is an American stock car racing driver. The Neenah, Wisconsin native has competed in the NASCAR Busch Series, the World Series of Asphalt, and has five Slinger Nationals championships. He continues to race in Wisconsin, primarily at Wisconsin International Raceway (WIR).
Lowell Bennett | |||||||
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Bennett (left) talking with Rich Bickle in 2019 | |||||||
Born | Germany | May 14, 1958||||||
Achievements |
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
7 races run over 3 years | |||||||
2004 position | 118th | ||||||
Best finish | 80th (2002) | ||||||
First race | 2002 GNC Live Well 250 (Milwaukee) | ||||||
Last race | 2004 Emerson Radio 250 (Richmond) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of September 5, 2017. |
Racing career
Early years
Bennett started racing on dirt, in a 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle bought from his father. The first track that he raced on was Shawano Speedway, just outside of Shawano, Wisconsin. Bennett's first year of racing was 1976; he won his first race at Shawano and it paid $80.[1] In the following years, Bennett raced at Shawano, and in De Pere and Seymour, Wisconsin at dirt tracks. In 1981, he tried his hand at asphalt racing and raced at Shawano and Slinger Speedway, after winning a track championship at Shawano that year and one more year of double duty in 1982, Bennett decided to back down his schedule.[1] He continued to race at local tracks through the end of the 1900s, eventually transitioning to the half-mile paved oval at Wisconsin International Raceway. Bennett won his first Slinger Nationals title in 1997, then followed it up in 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2010 to come out with a total of five championships.[2]
NASCAR
Running a self-funded team,[2] Bennett ran seven total races in the NASCAR Busch Series (now the Xfinity Series).[3] Three were in 2002, and two each in 2003 and 2004.[4] He scored a best finish of 21st, at the Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2002.[5]
Post-NASCAR
Bennett has continued to run at Wisconsin International Raceway and Slinger Speedway, winning the prestigious Red, White and Blue championship at the former and the Slinger Nationals at the latter. His son Braison now runs at WIR[2] and other regional touring series as part of the 2017 Kulwicki Driver Development Program.[6]
Personal life
Bennett's father Bobby was a local late model driver who also served in the United States Army. Lowell was second of ten kids born in the family (hence the car number 2 in his racing) and was born in Germany while his father was on tour.[7]
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Busch Series
NASCAR Busch Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | NBSC | Pts | ||
2002 | Bennett Motorsports | 02 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | LVS | DAR | BRI | TEX | NSH | TAL | CAL | RCH | NHA | NZH | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW 41 |
DAY | CHI | GTY | PPR | MEM 26 |
ATL | CAR | PHO | HOM | 80th | 225 | ||||||||||
22 | IRP 21 |
MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2003 | 02 | DAY | CAR | LVS | DAR | BRI | TEX | TAL | NSH | CAL | RCH | GTY | NZH | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW 28 |
DAY | CHI | NHA | PPR | IRP 24 |
MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | ATL | PHO | CAR | HOM | 96th | 170 | ||||
2004 | 82 | DAY | CAR | LVS | DAR | BRI | TEX | NSH | TAL | CAL | GTY | RCH | NZH | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | DAY | CHI | NHA | PPR | IRP 36 |
MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH 38 |
DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | ATL | PHO | DAR | HOM | 118th | 104 |
References
- "Bennett family continues to have racing roots firmly planted". Full Throttle Magazine. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
- "Area four-decade veteran keeps on racing". Press Gazette Media. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
- "Driver Lowell Bennett Career Statistics - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
- "Driver Lowell Bennett's NASCAR Xfinity Series races - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
- "Driver Lowell Bennett 2002 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
- "Kuwicki Driver Development Program". www.kulwickiddp.com. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
- Verdegan, Joe (2015). Life in the Past Lane: A History of Stock Car Racing in Northeast Wisconsin from 1950 - 1980. Green Bay, Wisconsin: M&B Global Solutions. pp. 156, 161. ISBN 978-1-942731-15-3.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lowell Bennett. |
- Lowell Bennett driver statistics at Racing-Reference