JACKSONVILLE, NC – Husband and wife racers Herbert and Ashley Keaton are both setting their sights on winning at New River All-American Speedway with $500 and a playoff spot on the line – just 12 days after Ashley sustained mild injuries in a terrifying crash.
On Monday, July 3, Ashley Keaton’s car rolled over during an incident in qualifying. She was taken to Naval Medical Center at Camp Lejeune for observation and was released with minor injuries. Now, as any athlete would, she’s ready to get back up and try again.
“Last week was kind of a blur as to what happened,” Keaton said. “I felt a bump in the turn and tried my hardest to correct but it was too late. It was a pretty awful experience, but I know I couldn’t let that stop me from coming back out. I coach a team of horseback riders and I always tell them to get back up if they fall, and I know they wouldn’t expect anything less from me.”
Saturday night’s Champ Kart race will pay $500 to the winner, the richest purse the division has had at New River All-American Speedway to date. Ashley Keaton has set her sights on victory in this race as she finds herself in a “must-win” situation if she is going to make the playoffs in September. Herbert Keaton, however, has an easier path to make the playoffs with three top-five and seven top-10 finishes currently putting him 18 points above the cutline with five races remaining.
“The playoffs are the goal, for both of us,” Ashley said. “We are definitely trying to get there for sure. There are a lot of phenomenal racers out at New River. We don’t expect a lot this weekend, just want a clean, exciting race and, hopefully, a top-five.”
Herbert and Ashley Keaton, who are both 38, had different journeys, though both fell in love with the sport at a young age before their paths became intertwined in the United States Marine Corps.
Ashley grew up watching her father race in Germany before moving back to Texas and getting into racing herself before joining other sports and eventually enlisting in the United States Marine Corps. – where she is currently a Gunnery Sergeant.
“My dad was huge into racing when I was young,” she explained. “He raced in Germany. When he got stationed back in the States, he wanted me and my younger brother to get into it. I raced until I was roughly 15, then got out due to a lot of sports. I joined the Marines and my brother raced up until he joined the Air Force, so I owe a huge thank you to my dad for giving me the competitive spirit.”
Herbert, now a retired Gunnery Sergeant from the United States Marine Corps., only began his racing career recently.
“I always loved racing,” he added. I grew up watching racing with my dad but didn’t get the chance to race until this year. Wherever me and my wife are, we always go out to the local tracks and watch. We were at a race last year and my father-in-law asked, if he put a kart together, would we drive, and I said of course I would. Who turns that down? Now half our free time goes into prepping for the next race and it’s all fun. Half of it is the adrenaline rush you get out on the track, and the other half is the racing family we have there, always helping each other out. We don’t just see those guys at the track, we talk to them all throughout the week.”
As the season heads for the homestretch, both drivers know what their path is to the playoffs.
“I want my husband to win, so I’ll push him to the finish line if I have to,” Ashley remarked.
“If we are running one and two at the end of the race with a trip to the playoffs on the line, just standby,” Herbert replied. “She says that now, but neither of us would give up that top spot easily.
“We are both very competitive. Playoffs are always the goal but, at the beginning of the season, I was alternating races with my buddy and now teammate Martin Grasso. Somehow, I still squeaked into the top-eight. Ashley started almost halfway into the season, but her prior experience helped her jump in the rankings quickly and finishing second twice definitely helped. We are just happy to be out there racing with our friends who have quickly become our racing family and look forward to our time at the track all week.”
Saturday night’s $500-to-win Champ Kart race is the headline act in the Summer Classic, which also features a Charger double feature, Bombers, Legends, Bandoleros, and U-CARs. Tickets for the Summer Classic start at just $10, with kids five and under admitted free, and can be purchased in advance online through MyRacePass, or same day at the gate (cash only). The grandstands open at 5:00pm, heat races start at 6:00pm, and the green flag will fly at 7:00pm.
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.
