Gary Ledbetter Jr Wins 2nd Annual Street Stock 150 at Dillon

Story by: Chris Owens ~ [email protected] (@ChrisOwens62)

Dillon, SC (January 1^st, 2012) – Gary Ledbetter Jr started from the pole on Sunday afternoon and led every lap in route to victory in the 2^nd Annual New Year’s Day Street Stock 150 at the Dillon Motor Speedway.  Ledbetter didn’t have much competition from anybody other than Jason Calhoun who exited the race at half way with a problem in the rear end of this car.  Ledbetter pocketed $2,000 for the win.

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
Everybody knows Gary Ledbetter Sr is a helluva Limited Late Model driver in North Carolina, but Jr is just as good in the Street Stocks.  Running at Ace Speedway and Bowman Gray Stadium, he has numerous wins in that division, and now is a part of a select group of two that have won the New Year’s day race at Dillon Motor Speedway.

LAPPER TRASH NOT SO MUCH
In a race that features cars running at opposite ends of the spectrum, the lapped cars did a damn good job of staying out of the way of the leaders.  With several guys running multiple laps down, hardly any accidents were caused by lap cars getting in the way.

TRADITION THAT STARTED ELSEWHERE
In what several of us here at RACE22 hated to see, Rockingham Speedway moved the Polar Bear 150 race from New Years to Thanksgiving.  This move allowed Dillon to occupy the New Year’s day spot, and the track hasn’t looked back.  With seventeen cars last year, and twenty six this year, 2013 is already looking better.  Talking with several people at the track, next year we could potentially be running heat races to make the top twenty eight.

AND THE CROWD GOES WILD
A late race accident involving Jeff Melton and Kevin Eby found Melton up against the turn three wall facing the backstretch.  Melton wasn’t happy with Eby, so he showed his displeasure and turned Eby down the backstretch.  The crowd went nuts over it, but it would have been better to do it on the frontstretch right in front of the crowd, and the photographers.  Maybe Jeff will learn for next time.

EIGHT INCH TIRES ARE FOR RACING
The Hoosier Comanche eight inch tires have to be the best racing tire out there.  I’ve never in all my life seen so many cars come off turn four yawed out sideways, in a controlled wreck if there is such a thing.  It was a sight to see, and I’d love to see more lower class series try this and put some of the racing back in the driver’s hands.

ALLOWING BUILT MOTORS WAS A SUCCESS
I’ve seen all over the internet where people said that this race was doomed for allowing built motors to race.  How they were coming to this race, but when the track allowed built motors, they no longer had interest in coming.  Well I can officially say it was your loss.  The track really policed the crate vs built motor deal, and next year looks to be an even better event.

BEST TRACK AROUND
Dillon Motor Speedway continues to put on some of the best entertainment around.  For just ten dollars fans could enjoy over two hundred and fifty laps of racing action.  Plus, all the drivers that entered the races this weekend where entered into a drawing to win a crate motor.  I haven’t heard of any tracks doing that, so I commend Ron Barfield and Fred Bowker for successfully pulling this off numerous times last year, and this year.

COUNTDOWN TO REGULAR SEASON RACING
Well now that we have the first race of the season out of the way, everything gets kicked off in just two months.  PASS South will be at Dillon Motor Speedway on March 10th.  South Boston Speedway will be running there Late Model Stock 300 event.  The UARA-STARS kick off their season the following week at Hickory Motor Speedway.  Who knows, maybe the rumor of Southern National running a big race the first week of March will come try, so we can start things even earlier.

CAN”T WAIT TILL 2013
I didn’t have much hope for this race after last years event, but now that twenty seven cars started, and talking with the guy putting this race on, he’s pretty excited for 2013, and so am I.  Only 365 days until we do it again!