Doing a lot with a little is a philosophy that has followed Kenna Mitchell throughout her young career.
The Loomis, California, native knows the equipment she competes in is not quite as contemporary or refined compared to the other teams the West Coast. That has never been a deterrent for Mitchell, who battled adversity to bring home a Limited Pro Late Model championship at her home track, All American Speedway, this year.
Mitchell’s resolve, along with the selfless mindset she exhibits in and out of the car, were two factors that contributed to her being the recipient of the 2025 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award. Named after NASCAR Hall of Famer Wendell Scott, the award is presented to a driver based on their performance along with other qualities like sportsmanship and community service.
Scott was the first African American to win a NASCAR race in 1963 and Mitchell understands the impact he continues to have on motorsports today. Mitchell is doing everything to embody the characteristics Scott once displayed by blazing her own trail regardless of the circumstances around her.
“On some weekends, I see only one other girl at the track,” Mitchell said. “The guys don’t want to be beat by girls, so they race us rougher. [The Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award] means a lot to me because we had a year where we had to persevere through a lot of things.
“If it could go wrong, it went wrong, but we still had a good year at [All American] by winning a track championship.”
Kenna was inspired to start racing by her father Michael Mitchell, who competed in a variety of disciplines throughout his own career that included Modifieds and Limited Late Models.
The Mitchells had the privilege of competing alongside each other on a handful of occasions until Michael elected to step out of the driver’s seat to focus on his daughter’s development. A more streamlined effort has enabled Kenna to tackle a healthy schedule of full-bodied stock car events outside of All American.
For all the insightful advice Michael has provided over the years, Kenna admitted she and her father are on opposite ends of the spectrum with their driving styles. From her own experiences, Kenna finds value in being patient and methodical while trying to obtain track position.
“He was definitely a lot more aggressive than I [am] in racing,” Kenna said. “He’s always telling me to be aggressive, but I like racing clean. I use the bumper a little bit to pass, but he’s always telling me ‘Come on, you got to race them harder! Race them how they race you.’ I tell him ‘I can’t. I like racing people clean.’
“It’s so satisfying to get a pass without even touching the other car.”
Although Michael’s racing mindset differs from his daughter’s, he appreciates the way Kenna handles herself out on track. Michael’s own career did not begin until he was in his mid-30s, yet the positives and negatives he experienced provided him plenty of material on how to mentor Kenna when it came time for her to start racing.
Michael admitted there is not much left for him to teach his daughter, who has already competed in more races than he ever did. Even though Kenna is only 19 years old, Michael always finds himself impressed on how much respect his daughter shows to both her fellow competitors and her equipment.
“A lot of the newer drivers tend to drive a little over their head or over where their car is at,” Michael said. “As the sport gets more and more expensive, if it’s not [Kenna’s] night, she’s not doing something dumb or wrecking somebody, she’s finishing the race. When she knows she’s got a shot to win, then she’s going to do whatever she needs to do to get the win.”
Balancing out patience and aggression has already yielded Kenna titles in Bandoleros, Jr. Late Models and Super Late Models, all of them at All American. The versatility she has displayed gave her the confidence to branch out and run plenty of West Coast touring events alongside veterans and other young prospects.
There are challenges that come with going up against many other talented competitors, but Kenna is doing everything possible to study and make strides.
“It’s fun racing all the different tracks and getting used to different lines,” Kenna said. “At [Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway], in the Supers and Pros, you can run both the high side and low side pretty consistently. [The Bullring at Las Vegas] is the same thing. With some tracks, it depends on the weather and time of day on whether you can run one line or the other.”
More traveling is the tentative plan next year after securing her most recent All American track title. The effort will be simplified compared to 2025, as Kenna and her father want to focus on running one car per weekend instead of two.
It was only a year ago when Mitchell embarked on a full-time campaign in the CARS Tour West Limited Pro Late Model Series, scoring four top fives in 10 starts. That consistency is why Michael believes his daughter will be ready for another full year, this time with the CARS Tour West’s Pro Late Model division.
Michael is eager to see what his daughter can do in 2026, but understands wins are not going to be easy to acquire against stout Pro Late Model competitors. As long as she keeps adhering to her clean, composed mindset, Michael knows she can excel no matter the situation.
“We’ve been in a position to get some [touring] wins,” Michael said. “[Kenna] was up front a few times. She had one race where she led a good portion but got a flat. I feel like our expectation would be picking up some wins. I wouldn’t rule out a championship, but to be in the top three at the end of the year would be awesome.”
Michael is proud of everything Kenna has already accomplished, from the multiple track titles at All American to now being a recipient of the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award. She joins a small but notable group to earn that honor, which includes Nick Sanchez, Rajah Caruth, Lanie Buice and last year’s winner Caity Miller.
Every race is a new opportunity for Kenna to both learn and pass down her knowledge to others. Along with helping Chase Hand, the son of two-time 24 Hours of Daytona winner Joey Hand, when he was part of her program, Kenna also enjoys meeting and sharing ideas with other women looking to advance their own driving careers.
From her perspective, earning respect is one of the most important qualities a driver can possess in the modern era. By building relationships off the track and displaying poise behind the wheel, Kenna feels she has the trust of nearly everyone around her, which in turn has only bolstered her confidence.
The 2025 season tested Kenna more than she wanted, but her commitment to racing remains stalwart. She intends to keep embodying all the qualities that garnered her the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award while continuing to make a name for herself on the West Coast with the resources at her disposal.
“I’m definitely keeping up with helping out the racing community and other drivers while keeping it clean on track,” Kenna said. “Win or lose, I love racing and I’m going to keep that mentality. We’re out here to win, but everybody is going to put up a good fight.”
