Kelsey Bennett continues family tradition racing speed boats

Children in the Bennett family don't follow in their fathers' footsteps; they follow in their wakes. And, in that regard, 21-year-old Kelsey Bennett isn't any different than her dad, but she might be getting a quicker jump off the line than he did.

"Kelsey is a fourth generation Bennett Boats racer," Dave Bennett, 54, said, standing next to his daughter in their backyard on Anastasia Island, showing off their small fleet of race boats.

The boats, called runabouts, are small speed boats, powered oftentimes by a 15-horsepower outboard engine. The driver sits low in the cockpit on his or her knees, adjusting body position and shifting weight to compensate for turns and wave conditions. There are different classes of boats for racing purposes. Some boats are considered stock, for example. Others are modified. The boats all share one thing in common: They are fast. Kelsey's boat is capable of speeds around 54 miles per hour. Dave's typically tops out around 58.

Races are usually decided on a 1-mile oval. Drivers race for a point total in two three-lap heats.

Kelsey got the racing bug honestly. The front wall of the enclosed trailer she and her dad use to carry the boats to and from summer racing events is covered with family photos. Racing and building the small boats go all the way back to Dave's grandfather, who started in New Jersey. Then Dave's dad got into the hobby and passed it on to his son, who started racing runabouts in 1970.

"I'm probably the most serious," Dave said of the small racing dynasty. "But I'm going into semi-retirement and Kelsey can take over."

Kelsey, who is starting her senior year at Flagler College, stood next to her dad, smiling. She didn't say much, but her recent entry to the sport speaks for itself.

The first weekend in August she and her dad both raced runabouts in the American Power Boat Association's Modified, Stock Outboard and Junior Nationals in Wakefield, Michigan. Dave finished first in his class. Kelsey walked away with a second-place finish after qualifying for the finals out of a field of about 24 racers. She's been racing for around a year.

"She just came to me out of the blue about a year and a half ago and told me she wanted to try it," Dave said.

He let her start driving some of the boats and it wasn't long before she came to him with another request.

"She said, 'When do I get to start racing?'" he recalled, laughing. "That's when I said, 'Now you have to get approved by your mother.'"

She secured the approval, and, after about six events, placed at nationals. She also recently set three speed records in point-to-point timed events, called "kilos."

"I raced in seven or eight nationals before I qualified," Dave said, recalling his start in the sport.

While he admits the fields have a shrunk a bit over the years, there is no mistaking how proud he is of his daughter.

"Getting second your first year is a big deal," he said.

And he has seen enough competition to know. In his 45 years of racing, Dave has racked up 14 national titles - including the one this month in Michigan. He has set seven world records and still holds three of those.

But as the pictures, the stories and the smiles prove, it's not all about the competition and awards. It's just as much about family.

And there is a lot of family time in the summer.

This past weekend, the Bennetts were racing again, competing in an event in Wilson, North Carolina. They plan to travel to another event next weekend in Dayton, Ohio.

Kelsey's older sister, Kristyn, travels with them and functions as the team's pit crew. The girls' mother, Theresa, who also has a connection to boat racing, attends every event as well.

"She was a referee when I married her," Dave said of his wife.

These days she makes sure her family is prepared for events.

"She keeps us together, makes sure we have food and loads up the motorhome," he explained.

Other members of the family join them when they are on the road. Dave has an uncle in South Carolina who attends events in Georgia and North Carolina. He also has a sister, who recently bought a camper, that is going to start traveling to races.

"It's a very family-centered sport," Dave said, adding that even the competitors look out for one another.

Over the years he has had competitors loan him boat motors and parts. And, he said, some even try to help him with the extensive traveling - offering to transport his boats to and from many northern events so he doesn't have to pull the boats all the way back to Florida.

It's camaraderie and family time that Dave obviously enjoys and appreciates. He said he may continue to race in a few a national-level events but he is going to shift his focus more to the technical aspects of building and maintaining the boats. The bulk of the racing, it seems, is going to be left to Kelsey.

It's something she says she is eager to take on. She even hinted she might just continue following her dad's lead.

Would she ever consider learning to build and work on the boats?

"Yeah, I'd like that," she said.