ROANOKE, VA ::  Kyle Dudley is hoping to put some early season bad luck behind him and click off some good runs in the coming weeks and months ahead.  Dudley, who has been competing at Ace Speedway and South Boston Speedway, will be racing at his home tracks the next couple weeks at Motor Mile Speedway and Franklin County Speedway.

Dudley feels he can win the track championship at Franklin County Speedway and can run inside the top-15 at Motor Mile Speedway.

“It’s hard to tell right now but I think we’ll be a top 10 car out of 30 of the best around at Motor Mile,” Dudley said.  “I’m not expecting to set the world on fire and win races.  At Franklin County, I think we’ll be competitive, top five every week.”

Dudley says he’s excited about the change in management at Franklin County Speedway.  In April, Moonshine Capital Promotions leased Franklin County Speedway.

“I’ve been talking to Langley (Austin) for six months about Franklin County now.  I’ve been begging for it.  I’m excited.  I’ve been doing anything I could to help him.  I would do anything I could to help anyone.  This track, there’s nothing like it.”

(DISCLOSURE: Moonshine Capital Promotions Owner Langley Austin is the owner and webmaster of RACE22.com)

“I’m always excited, every race I go to,” Dudley stated.  “It’s special here at Franklin County Speedway.  I’ve raced here for 20 years or more.  I grew up here.  My dad grew up here.  It’s been a family tradition for us since the track opened.”

Dudley’s father raced at Franklin County Speedway and Motor Mile Speedway for many years.  Dudley says going to the races with his father is how he became interested in racing.

“My dad raced in the 1980s and has been doing it ever since.  All I ever wanted to do since I was a kid, I wanted to race.  In Kindergarten, we had a career day and that’s what I wanted to do.”

While Dudley feels it would be great to move up the ranks of NASCAR racing, he wants to race for the rest of his life and wouldn’t mind racing Late Models for a living.

“I want to race for a living, I don’t care at what level.  If I can just race, whether it’s just Late Models or Nationwide.  Obviously, I’d love to make it in the big times but it’s hard.  If I can make a living racing, I’d be ecstatic.”

Dudley’s season hasn’t started the way he’d like it to but he hopes to turn it around over the coming weeks.

“I haven’t had too much luck this year.  We’ve been to South Boston and Ace.  First race at Ace, we had a new car and finished eighth.  We were looking good at Motor Mile, we qualified 13th and could’ve finished top-10 I believe and then the rain came.  I’m real excited about Franklin County though.  I think we can win the championship at Franklin County.  The guys on my team have been here for years and years.  I’m not going to say we’ll win every race but we’ll be competitive.  I wouldn’t mind winning every race though.  I just try to be realistic.”

Dudley is supported by Two by Two BBQ in Rocky Mount, Comfort Services Heating and Air Conditioning, Harbour Racing Products, Liquid Performance Racing and Daniel’s Auto Glass.

Saturday night’s race at Motor Mile Speedway will be the first race of the season and the fourth race in the “Dirty Dozen”.  The first race of the season at Motor Mile was scheduled for April 27th but was postponed due to inclement weather.