Ken Morin Jr.
WATERFORD – Faces have come on gone through the season in the Late Model division at the Waterford Speedbowl.
Saturday folks around the pits were pointing toward one young new face readying to make his debut in the division.
Ken Morin Jr. will make his debut in the division in Saturday’s 30-lap Late Model feature.
The 14-year old from Old Saybrook is jumping from the track’s entry level Bandolero division, which runs regularly on Wednesday nights, to the second-tier Late Model division.
“We just decided to skip the Legends cars and go right to a Late Model,” Morin said. “I’m going to be a regular in the division for the rest of the year.
Morin started racing locally in go-karts at six years old and moved to World Karting Association events not long after. He began racing in the Waterford Bandolero division in 2012.
Before Saturday he had only practiced a Late Model one time last season at Waterford.
“We were running on old tires then and I didn’t get too much of a good feel for the car except for the speed,” said Morin, who will also continue to run his Bandolero on Wednesdays. “Now we have new tires and we’re ready to go. I’m going to start toward the back for the races for a few weeks just to get used to what’s going on.”
Morin is jumping into a division that has been dominated this year by former NASCAR Whelen All-American Series short track national champion Keith Rocco, who has won five of the first six races in the division. Morin said he looks forward to a chance to race side-by-side with a driver considered the most dominant in short competition in the state.
“I want to see if I can try to beat him,” Morin said. “See if I can measure up against the best.”
Just another kid with rich parents
How can you judge him without seeing him race
He’s not rich. Not at all.
Whole race he was 1 to 1.5 seconds off the pace
Sounds like Mr. needs to get a life and do his homework. Did you hear he is 14 and that it was his first race??
Mr.M They are not rich and no need to not pick that he was off pace. It’s his first time in the car so just keep your comments to your self! I support the Morin Brothers and they are an amazing family.
Late Models aren’t for poor people, not at 30K – 40K they aren’t.
Oh please an ACT late model can be had for $10k ready to race. Of course if you want to beat Scott Fearns car you will have to spend more than $60k like him! Have fun LOL
Well hello im ken morin jr. It was not that much and I am starting in the back for the first half of the year for seat time. Just getting ready for it…so if you think im rich…then shame on you. Just because I race cars absolutely doesn’t mean im rich. And that is the same with other people too.
Oh and yes Mr. I was off pace…you know why? It was my first race…I kept up with the 77 though. For the first half of the year im probably staying tawrds the back and get usedto the car. So Mr. You should probably not judge people unless you know who they are and what there history is.
Good for you kid. Go get em..and again.. Mr. Just another tough guy behind a keyboard.
Thank you Fred
You did awesome out there last night! We were very impressed with your racing talent. You ran a very smart race! Good luck in your new division.
My name is Cynthia Morin. I am the mother of Ken. I felt as though I needed to first say, thank you to all of you who have posted in support of our family and race team.
Second, I would like to say to those of you who were a little less supportive (and didn’t have enough nerve to use their real name) please come and find me at the next race.
Not for any other reason than to hear our story before you judge us. You will find me in the same place for every race.
I will tell you where we started, and how far we have come, and all of the bumps we hit along the way.
I can only tell you that we have made many sacrifices and have given everything to let our children do what they love.
I am not one of those parents who thinks their kid will be the next big thing, just because he is my son.
He will be the next big thing, because he knows how to drive a car.
God has blessed him with a talent that I, nor you can question or judge.
So relax, just breathe, and enjoy the ride…we do!!
Cynthia, we’ll said. Unfortunately, you probably have a better chance seeing Jeff Gordon in the pits at Waterford next week than having one of the anonymous folks here pay you a visit. I’ve been dealing with them for 10 years and have never met one with the spine to actually face someone and stand behind their words.
If your not old enough to drive on the street then you shouldn’t be able to race a full size car
Really?? There’s always one more. This “kid” can probably wheel a car better than 90% of the people that make these comments. BTW I suppose you never drank before you were 21 too right. Come on man. I’ve seen 40 yr olds that do not belong behind the wheel of a golf cart let alone behind the wheel of a car. If this is his dream and his parents are making it happen for him why does some have to try to knock them down. Is this what we do in this country now. ” i cant do it so lets destroy it for someone else” attitude. I would do anything for my kids to realize there dream, I hope that most of would to but if they cant because you cant make it happen for them why does it suddenly becomes okay to belittle someone else. I’m NOT a fan of kids in racecars and I do not know them in the slightest but if this is what they want to do. Instead of typing crap, go cheer him on. AND Again don’t listen to this crap kid, you go do what you gotta do and show these people. Good luck this year.
Hey kid, go see Keith Rocco for that flexplate that will gain you about a half second in lap time real quick! Good luck out there BTW