Story by: Kenny Lang
Photos by: Corey Latham, Evan Lang, Debby Reedy and Kenny Lang
Roanoke, VA(October 6, 2012) – Bryan Reedy has watched his grandfather Orvil do it. He has watched his father Tink do it. Now, he is looking forward to his chance to do it. What is it? Making a race at the historic Martinsville Speedway is it.
The third generation racer comes from a family steeped in Virginia racing tradition. Orvil raced in the NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman and Busch Grand National series in the 1980’s. He won a Late Model Sportsman track championship at Franklin County Speedway in Callaway, VA in 1984 and continued on to run Late Model Stock Cars later in his career.
Tink won track championships in a Late Model Stock Car at three different Virginia tracks. Franklin County was the first of those championships in 1987. He followed that with another one in 1990 at Lonesome Pine International Raceway in Coeburn, VA. The triple was completed when Tink won the 1999 New River Valley Speedway (Motor Mile) track title.
Bryan started his career in the Mod4 division at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, VA in 2007. With 10 race wins in 33 starts through 2011, the team decided to step up to the Limited Sportsman division for the 2012 season.
In his first season in the competitive class at Motor Mile, Bryan had one win and a 7th place finish in the division points, even though he missed the final two races of the season because of the birth of his second child to wife Susanna.
The team decided after the season to go to Martinsville Speedway on Wednesday October 3rd to get Bryan some seat time at the historic oval and to have a little fun. The test went very well for the team.
“Wow, a dream come true”, Bryan exclaimed. “All of the history of Martinsville makes a driver want to turn laps here.” “It makes it even more special to me knowing both my father and grandfather have done the very same thing I am getting to do”.
The test went so well that the family owned team has decided to go back for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 and try to make the 42-car starting field. The race is the most prestigious Late Model Stock Car race in the nation. The team’s Chevrolet Impala will have primary sponsorship support from Rick Woodson Honda and Brambleton Imports, both Roanoke companies. They will add to the season long support from Mobility Plus of Salem, VA and Intelligent Decisions of Ashburn, VA. It is a FDJ Chassis with a Clark’s Automotive Racing Engines power plant under the hood.
Racing has most always been a family tradition. Bryan hopes to continue that tradition of having a Reedy name in a starting lineup at Martinsville Speedway on October 21st.
Bryan can be followed on Twitter @ReedyRacing17 and he has a Facebook group, Reedy Racing, as well.
