Kenzie Ruston seemed destined for racing at an early age.She had her big green eyes set on climbing onboard a dirt bike. After all, Ruston thought she’d follow in the family footsteps that her father and older male cousins had first carved out.

Darren Ruston quickly pumped the brakes on that dream, careful to not put his daughter in harm’s way.

“Dad got me yard cart and a four-wheeler,� Kenzie, 19, said. “I was always the tomboy.�

The tomboy is now one of stock-car racing’s budding drivers and will go up against another young star Friday in Pensacola.

Along with Chase Elliott and the usual cast of super late model characters, Ruston will headline a dynamic super late model field for the Print Now 100 at Five Flags Speedway.

This is Ruston’s first of the season, but the third of five Blizzard Series races.

“I really wanted to run Pensacola again,� said Ruston, who posted a pair of top 10 finishes in her only career races at Five Flags last year, including the prestigious Snowflake 100. “I’m excited to get down there and redeem myself from the first time I was down there.�

Excitement will rain down throughout the evening across the half-mile asphalt oval with a 35-lap modified feature, sportsmen and bombers races, and a fireworks show. Gates open at 5 p.m. Friday.

Admission to the grandstands is $15 Adults; $14 Seniors/Military; $12 Students; $5 Child (6-11); Under 6 is Free. Pit passes are $25. The first 1,000 fans through the gates receive 3D glasses from Print Now for the fireworks.

Grant Enfinger currently holds a slim, three-point lead against Augie Grill in the Blizzard points race. Grill won the Papa John’s 100 last month. Bubba Pollard and D.J. VanderLey will renew a heated rivalry that was set in motion at the last pro late model race June 10.

The all-star cast and plethora of storylines has Ruston pinching herself.

“They’re a few of the best late model guys in the country,� she said. “It’s an honor. I haven’t run up front with those guys very much. I look forward to just learning from ’em.�

Ruston learned plenty in the Allen Turner Tune Up 100, her first-career race at Five Flags race last October.

She was running second to eventual winner Mike Garvey on Lap 90 when her night took a nasty turn. Literally. Ruston spun after, she believes, VanderLey made contact with her.

Ruston recovered to finish fifth. Her undeniable talent and raw emotions after spinning immediately won over many in the grandstands.

“I got out of the car and they cheering my name,� Ruston remembered. “I was like, ‘What are they cheering about, I finished fifth?’ I forgot I had passed people on the outside. It definitely boosts your confidence when people cheer for you.

“You can’t let the boys push you around," she continued. "You have to give ’em what they give you. You get picked on because you’re a girl. If they rough you, you have to rough them back. That’s the only way they know you’re serious or not.�

She has carried those fond memories into this season where she has not only moved up to super late models, but is also running a select Automobile Racing Club of America schedule for Venturini Motorsports.

Ruston made ARCA history last month in Toledo, Ohio, when she became the first female driver to lead laps and post a top-10 finish in her series debut.

“I never led a late model race, let alone an ARCA race,� Ruston said. “Oh my gosh … I still can’t believe it.�

The effervescent newcomer is no tomboy anymore. It turns out, father really did know best.

A win Friday night would make him look like a genius.

“To win, words can’t even explain it,� Ruston said. “It would be my first win ever. It’d just be amazing.�