10 to Go with Kenny Hyde Jr.

The subject of 10 to Go this week is the driver of the No. 58 Figure 8 stock car at Riverhead Raceway, Kenny Hyde Jr.

When did you start racing?

Kenny Hyde Jr.: When I was eight or nine, racing go-karts at Medford Raceway. Then I started racing figure 8s when I was 16 at Riverhead.

How many types of cars have you raced? What are they? Which is your favorite?

Hyde: I ran a Blunderbust car; I ran a truck enduro, figure 8, and a dirt late model out at Kentucky. My favorite is a tie between the dirt late model and the figure 8 car. (I like) the figure 8 because you have everything going on that you do in a normal race, but then you’ve got to add in the X. And in dirt racing it’s turn right to go left. And who doesn’t like doing that?

What track do you want to race at most that you haven’t yet?

Hyde: Waterford (Speedbowl, Conn.) and Thompson (International Speedway, Conn.). They’re pretty popular tracks. I’ve been to Waterford. I haven’t been to Thompson yet, but I’ve never heard any bad stories about them.

Do you have any superstitions or routines that you do each week? Lucky charms?

Hyde: On Friday night the racecar goes on the trailer, on Thursday night the radio stays on for the racecar. That’s pretty much the routine.

Why does the radio stay on?

Hyde: My dad (Ken Sr.) did it one night and he won a race, and ever since then the radio has to stay on from Thursday night.

What is your favorite racing memory?

Hyde: My first win in a figure 8 car and the Cromarty Cup win.

What is your most embarrassing racing moment?

Hyde: Last week’s victory lane ceremony with my mom (Dorothea).

Have you suffered any injuries from racing and if so which one was your worst?

Hyde: No injuries really. Just maybe I’ll feel a little bit sore the next day if I did crash, but nothing serious.

Do you have a nickname? If so, how did you earn it? If not, why do you think you don’t have one?

Hyde: A lot of people call me “Little Hyde.” A friend of my dad’s, Joe, rather than having “Kenny Sr.” and “Kenny Jr.” he just started calling me Little Hyde and it stuck.

How does your girlfriend, Darien, handle you doing something that is so potentially dangerous, especially considering you do Figure 8 racing?

Hyde: She comes from a racing family, so she’s okay with it. And with me racing before I met her, she’s not going to take something away from me that I love. She knows that it’s dangerous, but she also knows that it’s what we do for a hobby and we love it.

Last week there was a bit of a “get-together” after the race between two of your competitors, so what I want to know is how does an on-track incident with someone cause you to race them in the future?

Hyde: I give it back, and then a little bit more if need be. But I try to keep it that what happens one week should not be brought back the next week. But on track that same night they might get it back a little bit more.

How long after the race does an incident weigh on your mind? Are you done thinking about it by the time you get home, or is it still festering until the next time you hit the track?

Hyde: Before I met my girlfriend, an entire week. But now, and now that I got older, when I head to Applebee’s it’s pretty much done.

 

Source: Rob Blount/LongIslandJam