Southern Pro Challenge PR
For Kyle Benjamin, winning at Lanier National Speedway in Braselton, Georgia, is nothing new. The 12-year-old South Carolinian had already gone to victory lane six previous times this year at Lanier. So when he won the final race on the South Region schedule, one might figure he would be holding the regional championship trophy. Instead, his best friend, 12-year-old Brady Boswell was able to win the title after a second-place finish Saturday and a season’s worth of consistently strong finishes.
“It’s my first championship in the Pro Challenge,” said Boswell after securing the South Regional title. “It’s just really exciting. I have to thank all the guys on my team. They made it possible for us to win this championship. I also want to thank my mom, my dad and my grandparents for coming out and watching me. We have been fighting hard all year, and now we have finally got it. It’s a big relief.”
Boswell didn’t rack up as many wins as Benjamin, but he was consistent all season long. In the end, Benjamin was left wishing his team had ventured to Lanier more often.
“I have been winning a bunch of races this year,” said Benjamin. “I wish we had been racing here all season. We missed like three races here this year. Now I wish that we hadn’t. I don’t feel bad about Brady beating us for the championship. He’s my best friend, so I am happy for him.”
Benjamin won the pole and led all 25 laps in the race, while Boswell came from the back of the heat race to get himself in position to win the title during the feature.
“Benjamin and I have been competing against each other all season,” explained Boswell. “We are best friends, but he missed a few races and that gave us a chance to get the points lead. He could have got it from me if we didn’t finish fourth or better. I am happy we got the championship.”
Boswell avoided trouble midway through the race as Jacob Wallace and Anderson Bowen got together in turn four, sending both cars for a spin. Boswell had been running with the two, but managed to avoid the accident.
Wallace would recover to finish third as Jesse Hoek and Melina Rolo rounded out the top five.
Despite the South Region being wrapped up, the Pro Challenge cars will race for three more weeks at Lanier in non-point events. Then the best in the South will meet with racers from the three other Pro Challenge Regions for a one-race, double-points championship race at Concord Speedway in North Carolina on October 31st.
