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Kenny Delco: 'We were fast, we qualified fourth at Pomona and Phoenix'

Kenny Delco's 2020 Pro Stock effort got off to a strong start before the Coronavirus hit the pause button on his success. We caught up with Delco as he prepares to return to racing and joining his competitors back on the track. This is one of a series of interviews with the top drivers in Top Fuel, Funny Car, and Pro Stock.
10 Jun 2020
NHRA National Dragster staff
Return to Racing
Kenny Delco 2020 Chevrolet Camaro

KENNY DELCO| KD Racing Chevrolet Camaro

Current points position: 4th | Best season e.t. to date: 6.553

Early-season report card: Kenny Delco began the 2020 season with refreshed power courtesy of Frank Iaconio and Gray Motorsports with impressive results. The East Coast racer qualified No. 4 at Pomona and Phoenix. In Phoenix, under the pressure of a condensed schedule due to weather, Delco made the quickest pass of the Q2 session and proved to everyone that his Pomona performance wasn’t a fluke. A red-light in round two on race day against Bo Butner may have been the only thing that kept Delco out of the final.

Looking back: “If I didn’t red-light in the second round of Phoenix I would’ve been in the final. Because when I ran Bo [Butner], he broke. Then the next round he didn’t make it down, and Alex Laughlin broke. I had a good shot if I didn’t screw up, but that’s life. We were fast. We qualified fourth at Pomona and Phoenix – so it’s not like we weren’t running good.”

Looking ahead: “I’m staying active. I’m jogging, biking, working around the house – what else do you have to do? I’ve cleaned out two sheds, even rebuilt one because it was rotten. I cleaned out my three-car garage so now you can see the floor again. I’m replanting all kinds of stuff – I’ve never done this much work around the house in my life. I’ve also gotten to spend a lot of time with my wife, and I’ve enjoyed it.”

Shop talk: “I just got the car back; it was in the trailer down in Texas for the longest time. We were getting some work done on the trailer during the pause in racing, so the car has just been sitting ready to go. We use Frank Iaconio motors, and we’ve gone through all five of them, even though they’re fresh, just to make sure. We freshened everything, really. Now is the time.”

The final word: “You know what’s going to be tough in 2020? Dinners. I miss seeing everybody, I miss all of the people. Dinner is when we were all able to get together. We’re planning to eat a lot more at the track now, so I’ve added a grill to my trailer.”

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