Kenyon failed to qualify for his first Indianapolis 500 in 1965. Kenyon's tenth career race in a USAC IndyCar was at Langhorne Speedway in Langhorne, Pennsylvania on June 20, 1965. Mel's engine blew up sending oil all over the car, his firesuit and the track. He lost control of the car, hit the wall and was knocked unconscious. Jim Hurtubise and Ralph Liguori slid in the oily track and ran straight into Mel's fuel tank. Joe Leonard, also involved in the crash, rescued Kenyon from the burning car. Because of severe burns, Kenyon went through multiple operations at the San Antonio Burn Center, and he lost nearly all of his fingers on his left hand. Mel, his brother Don and their father Everett designed a special glove with a rubber grommet sewn into the palm. The glove fit on Mel's hand and hooked into the steering wheel. The trio formed a racing team called 3-K Racing, with Don as the crew chief.