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Georgia drivers dominate Aaron’s Pro Challenge series

Saturday night the challenge for some drivers in the Aaron’s Pro Challenge Racing Series will be to overcome the hometown advantage that many of the drivers will have at Senoia Speedway.

Almost half the field slated to do battle at the track have hometowns in Georgia. Ken Butler III and brother Brett both from Sherrills Ford and Michael Foy, from Grayson pose a triple threat in the 5/8 scale cars. All wheel the Aaron’s Dream Machines, and are members of the elite group of 24 drivers in the series called the Aaron’s Dream Team. Along with the Aaron’s team cars, Cumming’s Terry Mathis will do battle and try to repeat his national championship from 2004. Other Georgia drivers trying to take the championship are Bobby Keys and Cecil Flowe, both from Lilburn.

The Aaron’s Pro Challenge Racing Series is home to many family members that compete against each other in the national touring series. Brett and Rusty McClain are both from Lyons, where they enjoy the life of growing tasty Vidalia onions. Brett McClain showed he could run with the rest of the pack in March as he won the inaugural race at South Georgia Motor Speedway (SGMS). Kyle Kennedy from Preston, took second at the Valdosta track and ate into the point’s lead that Mathis enjoyed after his two wins at the season opener for the Aaron’s Pro Challenge Series in Florida.

Best friends, Trent Mayo of Stone Mountain and Kyle Mitchell, from Hampton have ventured into the Aaron’s Pro Challenge Racing Series and have improved each time they take to the tracks. Mitchell kept the crowd entertained as he tried to keep his car in the running at SGMS after some problems in turn four. Both are keeping close to the front in the national points chase.

“I guess we never looked at how many drivers were from Georgia,” said Walter Breeding, President of Team United Sanctioning Association (TUSA).“With Aaron’s Sales and Leasing based in Georgia and this many drivers trying to take the inaugural Aaron’s Dream Team Championship, it looks like we will create some good old fashioned rivalries.”

The remainder of the field hails from North Carolina, Virginia and neighboring Tennessee. One of the best points of the Aaron’s Pro Challenge Racing Series is the diversity of drivers that tour with the cars. One driver, Matt DeBonidetto is only 13 years old and travels all the way from Hickory, North Carolina. Matt competes with other drivers that may be older than his parents, some even the same age as his grand parents.

“This division allows the young kids to get started in racing,” adds Breeding. “The Aaron’s Pro Challenge Racing Series is geared to get the driver involved with the car, all the engines are the same, everyone has to race on the same type of tires, and the parts on the cars are all the same. There is very little that can be changed on the car. It allows the driver to learn how to control the car without spending and outrageous amount of money. Now the partnership with Aaron’s has just given the drivers that added incentive to keep charging for the national points championship.

The Aaron’s Pro Challenge Racing Series will be in action at Senoia Speedway on Apr. 9, for the first of two trips to the exciting 3/8-mile oval. You can find out more about the Aaron’s Pro Challenge Racing Series at www.t-usa.org or www.prochallengeracecars.com. You can also find out about the exciting schedule at Senoia Speedway by logging on to www.senoiaspeedway.com.