Kelly Leads Laps, Runs Third In Strong Mobile Truck Race

Colton Kelly in action at Mobile Int'l Speedway. (CLK Motorsports photo)

MOBILE, Ala. – Colton Kelly capped off his rookie season at Mobile Int’l Speedway with a strong third-place Pro Truck finish Saturday night at the half-mile paved oval.

The Villa Rica, Ga., teenager started fourth after the invert and quickly moved forward, taking the lead on lap three and setting the pace for more than half of the 30-lap main event.

Laying down consistent times in the mid-to-low 20-second bracket, Kelly held serve until lap 20, when he was shuffled back to third by season-long class dominator Steven Davis.

Davis and eventual race winner Keeton Harris got past, leaving Kelly to tuck in behind, though he stayed right on the bumper of the top two through the closing laps as they battled for supremacy.

Kelly crossed the finish line just .228 seconds shy of his first Pro Truck victory, though Saturday’s podium marked the 14-year-old’s seventh straight top 10 and eighth in nine starts this year.

Leading 17 laps, posting his best qualifying time of the season at Mobile of 19.735 seconds, and putting himself right in contention with the top drivers in the class were all highlights for the young Kelly as he continues to bolster his Pro Truck resume looking toward Snowball Derby week in December.

“Man, we led a lot of that race and were really fast; that was maybe the most speed I’ve had against these guys all season,” said Kelly. “It was a really good run and we raced really hard on the outside there in the closing laps. The tires wore off at the end when Keeton and Steven got around us, but I’m really proud of our effort as a group and feel like we’re building in the right direction.”

Kelly would like to thank Pave America, Southern Protection Agency, Southern Drywall, Grant and John Thompson, David Epps, Eddie Hollingsworth, Race Face Brand Development, and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation for their partnership and support of his racing efforts.

He will return to action Saturday night, Sept. 20 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla., for the track’s Night of Champions points finale.

Though Kelly hasn’t run full time at Five Flags this season, he did earn his best finish at the track of seventh in his most recent visit there on Aug. 29.