SOUTH BOSTON, Va. – Jordaine Penick is competitive in everything she tackles. The 14-year-old Drakes Branch, Virginia resident is a talented softball player, and plays for her school’s softball team at Central Middle School in Charlotte County, Virginia.

Having played softball since she was four-years-old, Penick has progressed into being a strong competitor on the diamond. This season, she is bringing her competitive spirit to the racetrack.

Penick will be competing in the Hornets Division when South Boston Speedway opens its 2022 season on Saturday afternoon, March 19, with the 2 p.m. running of the Danville Toyota 2022 Season-Opener racing program. When she straps herself into her 2006 Hyundai Accent to take the green flag for the start of her first race, she will become a third-generation family member to compete in auto racing.

“My grandfather, Dale Penick, was racing in the 1960s and 1970s and my aunt, Cheryl Penick, raced in the 1980s and 1990s,” the teenager explained. “They raced at Southside Speedway, South Boston and Langley Speedway. That is part of how I got interested in racing.”

The young driver’s interest in racing grew from other means as well.

“I watch a lot of races on TV, and I have attended a lot of races here at South Boston Speedway,” she added. “I’ve been racing go-karts with my dad at little places to have fun. It all seemed like fun, and I wanted to get into a car.”

Getting involved in auto racing was not a sudden decision.

“We’ve been planning this for a long time,” she pointed out. “We’ve been working on the car for the past year. I enjoy helping work on the car. It’s a family thing, everybody helps, and I enjoy spending time with family.”

While Penick will be moving into racing, she will continue to play softball this spring for the Central Middle School softball team.

“Our games are on Mondays and Wednesdays, which gives me the rest of the week to help work on the car,” she explained. “On Fridays and Saturdays, I will be out here on the track practicing and racing.”

Penick says she does not think she will miss playing softball throughout the summer as she has done for several years.

“I don’t think I will miss it that much because I will be having fun out here on the track,” she remarked. “I may miss it some, but I want to get into racing.”

The season-opening Danville Toyota 2022 Season Opener racing program on Saturday, March 19 gets the green flag at 2 p.m. The five-race event will be highlighted by twin 65-lap races for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Cars and a 65-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division competitors. A 30-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 15-lap race for the Hornets Division will round out the afternoon’s action.

Grandstand gates will open at 12:30 p.m. Qualifying starts at 1 p.m. and the first race of the day will get the green flag at 2 p.m.

Advance adult general admission tickets for the event are priced at $10 each plus a $1.50 processing fee and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, through Friday night, March 18.

Adult general admission tickets online and at the gate on race day are priced at $15 each. Kids ages 12 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.

The latest news and updates from South Boston Speedway are available on the speedway’s website, southbostonspeedway.com, and through the track’s social media channels. Information may also be obtained by phoning the speedway at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.

Source/Photo Credit: Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway