There it was, the moment D.J. Kennington and the entire MacDonald Motorsports team had anticipated all winter long. Eighty-two days after the checkered flag flew on the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series at Homestead, the series now known as the NASCAR Nationwide Series kicked things off Saturday at Daytona.

Kennington, the 30-year-old from St. Thomas, Ontario is a champion in his own right. At the young age of four, D.J. (that’s short for Douglas James) discovered that he had racing in his blood. While other youngsters his age were playing with building blocks and riding tricycles, D.J. was busy racing in go-carts on dirt. After D.J. turned 16 on July 15, 1993, he made his driving debut the following night at Delaware Speedway, winning the first race he ever entered. He was also the youngest rookie in the 1994 CASCAR Super Series, now known as the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series.

Filled with a lifelong passion for the sport, he has an incredible drive to win and a competitive spirit. Off the track, he’s admired for his great warmth, strong work ethic, and the way in which he presents himself as a positive role model. That’s why he has the many loyal fans-myself included. Canada loves him – plain and simple.

As a measure of his success, D.J. has been the recipient of numerous awards over the years. For starters, he was awarded the prestigious Sandy Harrison Media Award for his outstanding cooperation and professional conduct with the Motorsports media, and the Performance Racing News Reader’s Choice Award for up-and-coming stock car racer of the year. In 1995, D.J. won the CASCAR Eastern Most Improved Driver and the CASCAR National Sports Person-of-the-Year award. In addition, D.J. won the Mopar Top Performer award 5 times. That’s just a sampling of D.J.’s achievements throughout his racing career thus far.

Like many young. talented drivers hungry to make their names in the Nationwide series, D.J. is determined to be a contender at every race he enters this season. Although D.J.’s highest finish last year in the Nationwide Series (formerly Busch) was 23^rd at Dover in July, this season will present him with 20 opportunities to battle with top American NASCAR stars like Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart.

After high expectations turned nervous anticipation, D.J. came out to qualify for the Camping World 300. As I sat anxiously at the edge of my seat, I couldn’t help but think that from the driver’s seat, it must have felt as though he was driving on eggshells. After all, D.J. had to qualify on time in order to make the race. The STP Tools / NPP Dodge Charger did qualify for the race-16th-fastest to be exact. Not to mention that D.J. qualified ahead of such NASCAR stars as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards.

D.J. and the MacDonald Motorsports team left Daytona with a solid 33rd place finish. Still, don’t be fooled by the outcome. There is no doubt that D.J. Kennington is a guy who is going places in the competitive world of NASCAR. Kennington has a passion for racing that makes him a natural fit. So while fans in the stands of Saturday’s Camping World 300 at Daytona were cheering for drivers like Dario Franchitti, I was applauding the #81 MacDonald Motorsports Dodge Charger driven by D.J. Kennington.
Next up, D.J. and the MacDonald Motorsports team will head west to Fontana California for the Stater Bros. 300 on February 23^rd

For additional information on D.J. Kennington, be sure to check out DJKennington.com.

Photo by Greg MacPherson