Ryan Millington made history on Saturday night, becoming the youngest driver in the storied history of Hickory Motor Speedway to capture a track championship at the Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars.
Needing a victory to have any hopes of unseating Millington for the Late Model Stock Car championship, Charlie Watson worked his way to the front and took the lead from Austin McDaniel on Lap 25 of the 80-lap main event.
But it wasn’t enough as Millington finished second and became the second-youngest overall champion at the North Carolina track at 16 years and two weeks old. Matt DiBenedetto won a four-cylinder championship in 2006 at the age of 14.
“It’s big, it’s a big mile marker for my career,” Millington said after the race. “Hopefully, I can end up like Ned Jarett and Ralph Earnhardt and be remembered as a great racer. This is huge for now though. This was a great season. I can’t be thankful enough.”
Millington would have liked his coronation to have included his 10th victory but leaned on the conservative side once Watson passed him for second.
Overall, Millington captured nine victories and 10 poles in addition to a fourth-place on Saturday night at Hickory.
“I felt like we had a decent car,” Millington said. “Once Charlie got by me, it kind of defeated the purpose to race hard so we just rode around. We clinched a championship tonight so it’s all good.”
Millington plans to compete for a CARS Tour championship next season and hopes to latch onto the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. He is a member of the Abenaki Tribal Nation in Vermont.
“Beyond that, we’re looking at the Myrtle Beach 400, we’ll likely run Martinsville and then target a bunch of big races next season.”
Trevor Townsend contributed to this report.
