Canadian Champions Invade Carteret County

Canadian Champions Invade Carteret County

by April 12, 2019 0 comments

PELETIER, N.C. – Saturday afternoon’s Spring Thaw at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway will feature some international flavor in the INEX Legends division as Nick Ledson leads a Canadian invasion of the Crystal Coast.

Ledson, 22, from Bradford, Ontario, made the trip along with his JDC Motorsports teammates on Thursday to prepare for Saturday’s Spring Thaw.  The reason he’s made the 14-hour trip to Carteret County is to prepare for the INEX Legends Asphalt Nationals which will be held at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway from October 17th through October 19th.

“We’re going to run races down here, just preparing for our season up home, but then definitely coming here preparing for the national race to see how the track is,” Ledson said.  “None of us have been here before.  It’s a great facility.  Track’s good, has a few bumps but that’s just character.”

Ledson, who plans to race on Saturday, was joined by teammates Kevin Foisy, Dawson Drimmie and Ryan Mackintosh.  The JDC Motorsports team made the trip two weeks after 2017 INEX Pro National champion Matt Hauffe competed at Carteret County Speedway for the first time in the season opener on March 30th.

“The facility is probably one of the best facilities, if not the best facility, that we’ve ever been to,” Hauffe, 27, from Stittsville, Ontario, said.  “It’s incredible.  The infield is amazing.  You’ve got a great bar and restaurant.  The grandstands are beautiful.  All the paraphernalia from racing is outstanding.  This was a track we wanted to try.  It looked great.  The Legends Asphalt Nationals are here this year so that’s exciting.

“It’s definitely a driver’s track.  Very challenging.”

Like Hauffe, Ledson is an international champion of the discipline.  He is a three-time champion in the Eastern Ontario Legends Series and a former INEX Winternationals Semi-Pro champion.  He got his start in racing watching his father, Geordie, race in Formula 1600 competition before getting a go-kart when he was six-years-old.

“My dad was racing a long time ago in Formula 1600s and I used to go to those,” Ledson stated.  “He eventually put me in a go-kart when I was six and just progressed through there.  Raced karts until I was 15, then I hopped in a Legend Car.  I actually just took two years off of racing.  This is my first year back and it feels good.”

Since coming back on the Legends scene, Ledson has been wide open.  He raced at the Winter Nationals at Citrus County Speedway in Inverness, Florida back in February and also competed at the Battle at Texas where he picked up two Pro Legends victories and the Battle at Texas Motor Speedway Pro Legends championship.

“I raced one race last summer up at home for Jeff [Drimmie] at JDC Motorsports and did well in it,” Ledson explained.  “Over the offseason, he offered us a ride to come do a full season with him.  We got the car all put together.  He wants to go after a national title so we’re trying to get as many races as we can down here before we go home.”

Already, Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway has seen racers travel from Florida, Virginia, Maryland, New York, and Ontario in just one race so far in the 2019 season.  The INEX Legends Asphalt Nationals in October is expected to draw well over 120 cars from all across North America and perhaps from other continents as well.

The next race for the Legends division will take place on Saturday afternoon at 2pm during the Spring Thaw presented by Moore’s Old-Tyme Barbeque, Chicken and Seafood.  Along with Legends, the event will feature racing for the East Coast Flathead Fords, Street Stocks, Mini-Stocks, U-CARs, Mini Cups, Champ Karts and a non-points exhibition for the Limited Late Models.  Tickets are $15 for adults while kids 10 and under are admitted free.

For more information about Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway, visit the track’s official website at www.carteretspeedway.com“like” Carteret County Speedway on Facebook orfollow @carteretcoswy on Twitter.

Source/Photo Credit: Andy Marquis/Carteret County Speedway

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