Once upon a time, there was a young boy who walked in his dad's shadow, eagerly wishing he could be what his father was in the drag racing world. Kenny Koretsky was and is a proud father, running the roads of the NHRA tour up until the mid-2000s as a Pro Stock driver. Kyle was Kenny's boy.

However, as Kenny hung up his driving suit and Kyle began to work his way up through the ranks of Competition Eliminator and inevitably a Pro Stock frontrunner under the KB Racing banner, dad began to notice a change in his status. 

Kyle was not there as Kenny's boy. Kenny became known as "Kyle's Dad."

And to hear Kenny speak, he couldn't be any more proud.  

"I'm not a great spectator; everyone knows that but it's exciting to be a cheerleader," Kenny said with a smile. "He's got horsepower, Greg Anderson, Ken Black gave him a good car, and there's good people here, they all work really hard. So we're really excited."

Kyle enters Friday's NHRA Finals fourth in the championship point standings, on the strength of a season which has yielded a win in the Countdown to the Championship and two runner-up finishes during the regular season. 

Kenny readily admits the landscape of Pro Stock and its engine/car rental-lease program is much different than it was back in the day. 

"I was talking to [Aaron] Stanfield, I said, 'Wow, the engine rental programs of today are much different than when your father was racing," Kenny said. "I really wish I had this engine program when I was racing, we would've won a bunch of races. My former crew chief Eddie [Guarnaccia] figures we would've won 25, 30 races. 

"It's incredible the horsepower these guys make and how hard they work, and we never could find that magic, that extra ten horsepower. So it's a great rental program, and I think it's great for the sport. It keeps 16, 18 cars out there, so hopefully it continues next year."

There's no doubt Kenny is proud of Kyle but is very adamant he's more protective of his kid. If anyone knows the dangers of racing Pro Stock, it's Kenny who was part of one of the more violent crashes in drag racing history. 

In October 2005, Kenny and fellow Pro Stock racer Bruce Allen were involved in a two-car accident that eventually had a profound effect on both drivers' decision to retire from competition. 

Kenny had the accident in the back of his mind when he offered his full support of Kyle's dreams of racing Pro Stock. 

"I thought about it a little bit, but Kyle was racing three or four different cars every week, so he's got the experience," Kenny explained. "He knows when to shut it down if it's not right. And I'll tell you, though, when I see how fast he runs, I feel like getting back in this thing myself. I don't know if I have the balls to do it."

What he does have is the courage to take care of himself outside of the car, something driving a race car full-time and holding down a chaotic schedule often prevented. 

Earlier in the year, instead of hopping in the rental car and driving to the track for the NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway, Kenny walked to the track. 

"It was actually 1.8 miles," Kenny said. "It was 2,487 steps, so the day before, I put in 10,000 steps, but it was worth it."

It's part of the new lifestyle Kenny has become accustomed to, including signing a few autographs as Kyle's dad. 

"I sign a lot of them,"  I just sign my name. I don't know if they know I'm his dad or not. I think they think I'm his brother, but it's been a lot of fun."

It's been a lot of fun for Kyle, too. 

In winning the Charlotte race, Kyle clearly pointed out the knowledge of who butters his bread. It's bread he doesn't take for granted. 

"I'm going to try not to cry here," Koretsky said as he exited the car after winning. "He worked his whole life, and it gave me the opportunity to do it. This trophy is for my dad."