Lexi
Gay is looking forward to making her first appearance at Bobby Watson’s
Carteret County Speedway on Saturday afternoon in the $5,000-to-win Limited
Late Model race that headlines Opening Day 2019 presented by Solid Rock
Carriers.
Gay,
18, from Canton, Georgia, recently teamed up with Empire Racing Group where she
will race in Late Models throughout the season as well as in the ARCA Menards
Series later this year. This weekend’s race will be her first race with
her new team. She is hoping for a solid run on Saturday as she learns the
car, the track and gets acclimated with the team.
“This
weekend, being my first race at Carteret, I’m really looking forward to getting
to know a new race track,” Gay said. “This is my first race as well with
Empire Racing. My expectations are to have a clean race, finish all the
laps, get to now the car, the track, and the setup.”
Last
year, Gay raced for Hawk McCall Motorsports and Toyota Racing Development,
scoring several top-five finishes at the historic Greenville-Pickens Speedway,
while also making starts in races in California. Her experience at the
flat track in South Carolina, and at flat tracks on the west coast, could be a
key to success at Carteret County Speedway, which has only eight degrees (8°)
of banking in the corners.
“With
Greenville being a flat track, I do think it will help me a little bit more,” Gay
stated. “I also raced at Madera Speedway out in California last year and
it’s a small, flat track as well. With experience at two tracks that seem
similar to Carteret, I’m excited to see what this weekend holds.”
Gay
got her start racing in Bandoleros when she was 12-year-old after spending
weekends at the track watching her older brother, Dawson, race quarter
midgets. She began racing in the Winter Flurry Series at Atlanta Motor
Speedway before eventually stepping up and running Late Models.
“I
spent years at the Quarter Midget track watching my older brother, Dawson,
race,” Gay explained. “When I was about 12, we were at Atlanta Motor
Speedway and saw the Bandoleros racing. I loved them. We did a test
drive one Saturday and I was hooked. My dad bought me a car and we
started racing that winter series at Atlanta Motor Speedway and have never
stopped.”
While
Lexi Gay’s 2019 schedule has not been completed yet, she hopes Saturday’s race
will not be her only start at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway.
Gay will race alongside teammate Thad Moffitt, grandson of seven-time Monster
Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Richard Petty.
The 100-lap, $5,000-to-win Late Model race is the headline feature of Saturday’s season-opening event at Carteret County Speedway. The race will also feature Legends, Mini-Stocks, Street Stocks, U-CARs, Mini Cups and Winged Champ Karts. Tickets are $15 for adults while kids 10 and under are admitted free. Grandstands open at 12pm, qualifying gets underway at 12:30pm and racing gets underway at 2pm on Saturday afternoon, March 30th.
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