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With Wayne Willard, who has won every race he’s entered, battling with the second place car side by side, B.J. went though turns three and four on the outside and as they came out of turn four three-wide, the fans were all on their feet as B.J. came around both cars and gunned it down the front straight. One official from the series said “Willard did everything he could short of wrecking B.J.” to try and wrest the lead from the young racer, but the talented McLeod ran perfect lines around the track and would give up the spot. The win at Knoxville’s 3/8th mile high banked oval also put B.J. in the lead for Rookie points, and marked another first for the rising young star. Saturday night victory makes him the youngest driver to win a late model touring series event. B.J. McLeod has set a number of records for his age. Last year he astonished the stock car world by winning both the New Smyrna Speedway and Orlando Speedworld Late Model Championships, at the ripe old age of 14. B.J. started racing 4 wheelers at three years of age, karts at 5, and graduated to Late Models at 12.In 1997 B.J. set a record by being the youngest driver to ever qualify and run in the ASA. He finished 18th in that race at Kinley, NC. “It’s not easy, it’s real hard, but it’s fun” the youngster said in a telephone Interview from Knoxville. The McLeod family has been on the road for the last month starting with the trip to Senoia Raceway in Georgia, then heading to Huntsville Speedway in Alabama, winding north to Tennessee for the Knoxville race. The family will leave Thursday to make the drive to the famed Nashville Speedway USA, home track of Casey Atwood, and other stars of the NASCAR circuit. “If I could win that race, I’d be set” referring to what it means to win at Nashville. B.J. McLeod Motorsports crew has some young talent on the crew end of things also. B.J.’s father, Darwin McLeod of Wauchula, Fl., has brought in 18 year old Ian Huffman of Deltona to join the racing adventure. Ian drives a sportsman at New Smyrna when not on the road with the McLeod family.
Another youngster Joey Fannin of Kissimmee, Florida also is eighteen, and Shane Henderson is 26, from Wauchula. “We’ve had a lot of tire troubles this year”, B.J. remarked, looking back at the eight races to date. “We finally got some luck with that.” B.J. has been steadily improving all year, as he adjusts to the tracks and the team has more time together.
On being only 15 he said “ they all treat us great, the owners and the Southern All-Stars officials treat us really good, and after the race (at Knoxville) Wayne Willard and Ronnie Sanders came up and congratulated me.” After the Nashville race this coming Friday night, the McLeods will pack up the cars and equipment in the haulers and head back home to Wauchula for a few days, then head out on the road again for trips to Huntsville Speedway, Senoia Raceway, and Birmingham International Raceway. The television and radio media are already starting to pump this weekend’s race at Nashville. Nashville’s best will tun out as always, including track record holder Chad Chaffin. The speedway is expecting 15,000 fans to be on hand. B.J.’s win at Knoxville has heightened the excitement in the Southern All-Stars series, and B.J. is expected to do numerous television appearances in connection with race. For more on B.J. McLeod visit his web site at www.bjmcleod.com -Jack Smith |
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