Legends car champion Joey Padgett sets sights on Super Late Models

Joey Padgett was collecting motorsports championships long before he and his father relocated to Concord from Florida, but it wasn’t until this year that he finally added a Charlotte Motor Speedway title to his collection.

Earlier this year, the 18-year-old Concord First Assembly senior claimed the speedway’s Winter Heat Series Legends Pro Division championship.

Now he has his sights set on the May 20-21 Legends All-Star event at CMS, the track’s Summer Shootout Series and the June 6 PASS South Super Late Model race at South Boston (Va.) Speedway.

“We’re looking at probably four super late model races this year if we don’t get some sponsorship,” said Padgett, who’s in his third year competing in the Legends Pro Division. “If we can get a little bit of (financial) help, I want to run seven or eight.”

A Tallahassee, Fla., native, Padgett and his father, Danny, moved to Concord about a year ago for two reasons – racing and school. After high school graduation, the younger Padgett plans to seek a mechanical engineering degree from UNC Charlotte.

“We traveled all the time,” said Padgett, whose father’s business built and flipped houses in Florida before the recession. “That’s why we moved up here was so it would be easier for us traveling-wise.”

Padgett began racing Bandoleros at age 12 and competed in that series for two years, capturing state championships in the Outlaws division, before moving to the Legends Young Lions class.

He won the Winter Flurry Young Lions division title in 2012 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In his second year in Young Lions, Padgett visited victory lane on so many occasions that he was promoted to the Pro Division for the 2013 season.

Padgett claimed the Winter Nationals Pro Division title in Auburndale, Fla., and the Battle of the Bayou championship in Louisiana in his rookie year. During that time, he traveled to CMS every year for the Summer Shootout Series and to Atlanta for Thursday Thunder.

He won the Florida state championship in his respective Legends division every year prior to moving to North Carolina. Since relocating, he has claimed the North Carolina Legends Pro title.

After 2013, Padgett made his PASS South Super Late Model Series debut, but a blown engine in his second outing sidelined his super late model until he could get the funding for a new motor.

With a new engine for his super late model, Padgett has placed CARS and the Southern Super Series on his racing bucket list, in addition to PASS.

“Our goal is for me to get a few races under my belt in PASS and CARS and then try to go down there with the Southern Super Series guys,” Padgett said.

Until about a year ago, Padgett had a crew chief. Now, he handles everything on his cars himself.

“It’s kind of tough, but it’s a lot cheaper,” said Padgett, who noted Greg Peterson would assist on his super late model.

Legends All-Star race set for Charlotte

The Legends All-Star Race will be part of Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Coca-Cola 600 activities.

The 50-lap combined division feature will follow NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying on May 21. The two-day event will have two rounds of practice, group qualifying and two races on May 20. The top 30 from the qualifying and duel races will advance to the Legends All-Star race, which will count as a 2015 Legend car national qualifier.

Entry forms may be mailed, faxed or hand delivered to the U.S. Legend Cars International office in Harrisburg. All competitors, crew and those purchasing Legend All-Star event pit passes are required to pick up event credentials from the USLCI office on May 20 and 21.

Smith heads to Kingsport with point lead

Mooresville’s Zane Smith has a 26-point lead over Joey Doiron of Berwick, Maine, in the PASS South Super Late Model standings heading into the series’ May 8 event at Kingsport (Tenn.) Speedway.

Neither driver has won a race this year, but Smith has produced two top-five and three top-10 finishes.

Matt Craig and Tyler Church, both of Kannapolis, are sixth and seventh, respectively, in the standings, while Mooresville’s Lucas Jones rounds out the top 10.

Church is the series defending champion.

In the PASS South Pro Late Model standings, Kodie Conner of Kannapolis takes a six-point standings advantage over Chandler Smith of Jasper, Ga., into the Kingsport event.

Conner has recorded three victories, three top-five and four top-10 finishes in four races. Mooresville’s Zachary Dabbs is fifth in the standings.

Millbridge Speedway schedules Speed Sport Challenge

This year’s edition of the Speed Sport Challenge is set for May 19-20 at Salisbury’s Millbridge Speedway. The Open Division race will air on MAVTV.

The May 20 race is available that evening on SPEEDSPORT.TV pay per view.

Posted winnings for the event exceed $12,000. In addition to the Open Division, there will be races in Beginner Box Stock, Box Stock and Intermediate.

Byrd leads Limited Late Model standings

Travis Byrd of Sherrills Ford has a two-point lead over Lenoir’s Jeremy Pelfrey in Hickory Motor Speedway’s Limited Late Model standings.

Ryan Repko of Denver is seventh, while rookie Jake Ruggles of Kannapolis is eighth. China Grove’s Patrick Rachels is ninth.

Ayers victorious at Carolina Speedway

Concord’s Ryan Ayers won the recent OWM Stock Car Steel SRI feature at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia. Matt Emmerling of Lincolnton finished second.

Yates runner-up in IHRA event

Mooresville’s Bill Yates claimed the runner-up position to Keith Russell of Jupiter, Fla., in the Good Vibrations Top Sportsman class at the IHRA Nitro Jam Palm Beach Nationals.

Yates piloted a 1968 Camaro in the event, while Russell was in a 1999 Camaro.

This story was originally published May 1, 2015 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Legends car champion Joey Padgett sets sights on Super Late Models."