While most hobbies and extracurricular activities that Tallulah Falls’ students are involved in are school-based, some find a niche beyond the TFS campus. For sophomore Kenneth Henderson of Alto, his passion takes him to motor racing courses all over the state.
Henderson competes in the U.S. Legend Cars series, a subsidiary of Speedway Motorsports. While it might be unusual for a high schooler to be involved in car racing at such a level, it’s something he’s been at for quite some time.
“I have been racing for nine years now,” says Henderson, who can trace back his love for the sport to a precise moment. “When I fell in love with racing, I remember the day very specifically. I was with my dad watching the Daytona 500 and I asked about my favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, and how he got started. It was a very small car named quarter midgets, basically a small go-kart with a modified motor. I wanted to do it so badly, so when I begged my parents they finally gave in. When I turned six, I started racing.”
Henderson’s racing career has seen him win three championships (two in the past five years) and precisely 27 races to date in quarter midget, bandolero, and legend car races. His latest championships include The Furious 5, which is a series mostly on road courses, and the Winter Flurry Championship, which is a mix between road courses and oval racing.
He raced in his first professional race at age 12, and until entering the Pro Division had never finished outside of the top-5 in points in any division since his rookie year at 6 years old.
Henderson won the Chase Elliott Most Improved Driver Award at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2017. He has raced with several drivers that compete in ARCA racing, including Corey Heim, Drew Dollar and Dillon Murray. He has also raced against NASCAR drivers Garret Smithley, Chandler Smith and Chris Buescher.
That success has come with consistent buy-in and love for the sport. Henderson has no real offseason in racing Legends, as he keeps with it throughout each calendar year.
“I usually race in the winter on a monthly basis, but during the summer it is weekly,” adds Henderson.
Though his time commitment to racing is significant, he continues to win both on the track and in the classroom.
“The sport has taught me a lot about life, such as everything is not always fair, and the value of hard work,” adds Henderson. “Hard work pays off even if you fail, because when you fail, you learn.”
Henderson, who mostly enjoys watching the ISMA Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship, has goals to pursue racing indefinitely.
“My long-term goal with racing is just to enjoy cars, and enjoy driving,” states Henderson.
MORE INFO: www.kennethhendersonracing.com | Kenneth Henderson Racing on Facebook
