Southern Pro Challenge PR
Saturday night’s Pro Challenge event at Lanier National Speedway proved to be competitive, as expected. The drop of the green flag in the heat race saw Kyle Benjamin sitting on the pole with Kyle Plott on the outside. With a perfect start, according to Lanier track officials, Plott got the jump on Benjamin and never relinquished the lead. A spin on lap 4 brought out the caution which double filed the already tight field but, this time, Plott was on the pole with Benjamin on the outside. Again, with a perfect start, Plott jumped out front with Benjamin, Brady Boswell, Hunter Kent, Tim Forbes and Jacob Wallace in a tight pack. With the cars of Benjamin, Boswell and Kent battling for the second position, Plott was able to cruise into victory with Kent taking 2nd, Benjamin 3rd and Boswell 4th. This dictated the starting order for the feature event. However, misfortune fell on Plott at the start of the feature with ignition problems preventing him from starting the event. The drop of the green saw Kent jump into the lead with Benjamin, Boswell, Forbes and Wallace running closely behind. As the race progressed, Kent showed he had the car to beat, never let go of the lead, and came home victorious in the South Region’s second event of the year at Lanier. Congratulations go out to him his dad (Bill Kent), and grandmother who have struggled to keep this race team together with the trying economy. Just goes to show that persistence will prevail with enough willpower.
Newcomer, Melina Rolo made her debut in the Pro Challenge Series, moving from another series, and she did an excellent job. She showed total car control and, with the help of Austin Raines and his dad, Robert, she’ll be a force to be reckoned with, along with Austin himself. Each and every week, Austin is obviously getting more comfortable in this type of racecar, and will be a front runner before long with Melina to follow.
We at Southern Pro Challenge would like to thank one of our Canadian racers, Tim Forbes, for participating in this past Saturday night’s event at Lanier. Tim and Amy traveled a long distance to be a part of our racing program and shows the dedication of this tight-knit group of racers. Despite having fuel problems during the heat race, he made repairs and finished a respectable fourth in the feature at a racetrack he’s never seen before. We’ll look forward to seeing him later on in the year for the play-off race.
Plott Proves to be Fast, but Kent Wins in the End at Lanier
Young Star Takes Dominant #7 Machine to Victory Lane
