Teenage racer Braydin Collie turned in his best performance to date in a lightning sprint car when he placed second in the 3rd Annual Heritage Fall Classic main event at the Imperial Valley Raceway last Saturday night. Fellow Sexton Gatling Racing teammates Brent and Grant Sexton were on hand for the weekend racing with the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Cars as well.
Collie, who was contesting the fifth and sixth lightning races of his young career, came into the weekend 14th in the standings despite only making three previous starts in the SoCal Lightning Sprint Car Series. The young driver kicked off the weekend on Friday night when he placed fourth in his heat race. That finish placed him deep in the field for the start of the main event.
464194171_1132367845558054_2529013485389661745_n.jpgBraydin Collie after his career best finish at Imperial Valley Raceway. SCLS photo.
In what can be best described as a wild race, Collie, driving the well-known Sexton Gatlin Racing #44, managed to steer clear of all the chaos. The race, which was haunted by multiple yellows and a pair of red flags, was called complete after 16 laps. Collie, who began in 11th, brought it home in seventh.
Saturday’s race saw Collie turn in his best lightning result to date. After a third-place finish in his heat, he was on the pole for the 20-lap finale. The young driver was the first to turn one at the start and showed that he was learning well by establishing a half-straight lead by the halfway point. Despite a couple of restarts due to yellow flags, Collie continued to impress with his flawless performance.
Late in the race, the second-place car started creeping a little closer to Collie. He had big-time company by the time he hit turn one on lap 19. The up-and-coming racer held the point down the back chute and into turn three the final time. The lone racing line was on the bottom, as it had been for much of the race. Collie kept his car glued to that line. However, coming off turn four and heading to the white flag, Collie slipped off the bottom. The second-place car dove into the hole and snatched the lead at the white flag. Collie tried to get back underneath the new leader in turn one on the last lap. The leader was there, though, and blocked the threat forcing Collie to settle for second.
The best drive in his lightning career, combined with Friday’s seventh-place finish, kept Collie’s perfect record of finishing in the top 10 in his first six races intact. It also propelled him to 11th in the SCLS championship standings.
In the USAC/CRA 410s, after qualifying 14th fastest with a lap of 12.508 on Friday, Grant Sexton won his 10-lap heat race. He followed that up by starting 13th in the main. The 20-year-old quickly reached the top 10 in the 30-lap race and was poised to get more. However, a brake issue saw him slide to a stop on the top of turn one and put him out of the race with a 21st-place finish.
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Grant Sexton finished 11th at Imperial on Saturday. Judd Neves photo.
Brent, 52, qualified with a time of 13.927. A ninth-place finish in his heat left him mired with a 22nd-starting spot in the main. The wily veteran drove forward throughout the race and finished 13th. Only one other driver passed more cars in the main.
Twenty-four hours later at the finale of the two days of racing on the quarter-mile oval, Grant qualified a little faster with a lap of 12.469. Like his offspring, Brent also improved on his qualifying effort when he stopped the clocks at 12.827. Grant had another impressive heat race when he drove to a second-place finish in his 10-lapper. Brent improved over his first-night heat performance when he came home sixth.
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Brent Sexton passed more cars than any other driver in USAC/CRA last weekend. Judd Neves photo.
Both of the SGR drivers finished better than where they started on night two. Grant began the main in 15th and improved his standing by four spots to finish 11th. For the second night in a row, only one other driver passed more cars than Brent. This time he started 20th and again finished 13th. Brent passed 16 drivers on the two nights. That was more than any other driver!
This Saturday night, Collie will be at the finale of the SCLS season at Barona. Gates will open at 2:00 p.m., with racing at 6:00. Adult tickets are $20.00. For kids 7 to 17, admission is $10.00. Seniors, Military, and EMTs also get in for $10.00. Children 6 and under are free. Family packs of two adults and two kids are $50.00. Parking is free. The track is located at 1754 Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside, California. The track website is https://baronaspeedway.com/, and the phone number is (619) 994-6560.
Brent and Grant have this weekend off but will head to the prestigious 57th Annual Avanti Windows and Doors Western World Championship on November 1st and 2nd at Arizona’s Mohave Valley Raceway.
Sexton Gatlin Racing would like to thank the following companies for making the 2024 season possible. East County Electric Works, Keys Brothers, BR Motorsports, Maxima Oil, Automated Interiors, Valley Lubricant Services, Sexton Fire Protection, BK Wings, Troy Dirt.
If you or your company are interested in becoming a marketing partner with Sexton Gatlin Racing in 2024, please call (619) 454-6945 or E-mail mailto:[email protected] or mailto:[email protected].
SGR PR
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