JACKSONVILLE, NC – Gary Ledbetter, Jr. dominated in Saturday night’s Street Stock portion of the Gary Rochelle Memorial at New River All-American Speedway.
Ledbetter, who is one of the most prolific drivers in the Street Stock discipline with countless wins and championships across the Mid-Atlantic, took the lead on the 23rd lap of the 75-lap race. From there, the Thomasville, North Carolina driver was able to survive a mid-race restart and checked out en route to the victory – his second recorded win at New River.
“Winning is the best part of racing,” Ledbetter said. “This win is for Gary [Rochelle]. I didn’t know him personally but this is a special tribute to him and I know a lot of people knew him around here. I feel like this race will get bigger the more they do it. This track is challenging. You’ve got to have good balance because, if it gets free, it won’t get any better.”
Virginia driver Kyle Lynch finished in the runner-up position, while Plymouth’s Mike Cooper, Beulaville’s Curtis Lanier, and Hubert’s James David Horner rounded out the top five.
Beulaville’s Jimmie Whitehurst broke through in the Champ Kart division to score his first career New River All-American Speedway win.
“It’s been a long time coming and I’ve got a lot of people to thank,” Whitehurst said in victory lane. “We’ve struggled a lot this year but this one right here means a lot to me and I just appreciate everything everybody does. My dad made it to the first one tonight.”
Miles Rochelle finished second while Keith Webb rounded out the podium.
Jacksonville’s Andrew Jackson picked up the win in the Bomber feature, but behind him, two drivers scored their first career podium finishes. Richlands’ Dominic Baez finished second while Jacksonville’s Michael Withrow came home in third.
Jacksonville’s Zac Reimer was victorious in Mini Stock a week removed from his wedding to fellow racer Abby Jolly, Jacksonville’s Aiden McConnaughey won in Legends competition, and Richlands’ Cornell Williams dominated the U-CAR feature en route to victory.
New River All-American Speedway returns to action on Saturday, October 21 with Halloween Havoc III.
New River All-American Speedway is Jacksonville’s Action Attraction featuring racing and other events. For more information about New River All-American Speedway, check out the speedway’s website, like/follow “New River Speedway” on Facebook, follow @newriverswy on Twitter, or follow the track on Instagram.
Results for 10/7/2023 at New River All-American Speedway – Jacksonville, NC
Bombers | 22 Laps | 00:15:46.845
1. 3-Andrew Jackson; 2. 79-Dominic Baez; 3. 34-Michael Withrow; 4. 29-James Barbour; 5. 71-Dylan Susewitz; 6. 6-Austin Eckert; 7. (DNF) 88-Dale Drum; 8. (DNF) 77-Richard Smith; 9. (DQ) 83-Robert Drum
Legends | 22 Laps | 00:06:50.505
1. 71-Aiden McConnaughey; 2. 14-Mike Ridenour; 3. 77-Thomas Martucci Jr; 4. 9-Ed Radley III
Champ Kart | 22 Laps | 00:07:43.318
1. 127-Jimmie Whitehurst; 2. 13-Miles Rochelle; 3. 18-Keith Webb; 4. 27P-Josh Pearson
Mini Stocks | 22 Laps | 00:07:03.326
1. 23-Zac Reimer; 2. 99-Travis Miller; 3. 38-Joseph Bryant; 4. (DNS) 9-Trace Raynor
U-Car | 22 Laps | 00:07:22.294
1. 03-Cornell Williams; 2. 2-Curtis Lanier; 3. 14-Eddie Humphrey; 4. (DNF) 5-Haley Brown; 5. (DNS) 28-Hunter Brown
Street Stocks | 75 Laps | 00:23:19.245
1. 48-Gary Ledbetter Jr; 2. 16-Kyle Lynch; 3. 07-Mike Cooper; 4. 22-Curtis Lanier; 5. 21-James Horner Jr; 6. 17-Joe Lanier; 7. 73-Steve Wells; 8. 94-Travis Hanson; 9. (DNS) 32-Eddie Humphrey
