Kelly Gets Back To Work With Strong Second At Mobile

Colton Kelly (second from right) and his crew after a second-place finish at Mobile Int'l Speedway. (CLK Motorsports photo)

MOBILE, Ala. – In just his third-ever Pro Truck race, teenager Colton Kelly matched his best finish in the discipline with a runner-up effort Saturday at Mobile Int’l Speedway.

Kelly, who recently celebrated his 14th birthday, qualified fourth for the 30-lap Pro Truck feature at the half-mile paved oval but ended up starting on the pole after a sequence of fortune.

The pre-race inversion of the top six moved him to third on the grid, and when scheduled pole starter Keeton Harris scratched from the race, Kelly found himself bringing the field to the green flag.

After leading the first two circuits, Kelly survived a wild middle portion of the race that included several accidents and two red-flag stoppages where the drivers were allowed to exit their cars during cleanup.

Kelly spent time with the fans answering questions and providing interactivity to the night before racing resumed, and though he fell as far back as fourth at one point, the Villa Rica, Ga., driver used several strong restarts after getting second place back at the halfway point to stay there the rest of the way.

Veteran Steven Davis won the race by 2.804 seconds over Kelly, but the youngster impressed with several power moves from the outside lane to get down in front of third place during the late restart shuffles, keeping his position and his momentum each time.

“That race was all about learning from one of the best in the business,” said Kelly. “Steven is the mark to beat in these Pro Trucks and it was a great opportunity for me on a lot of the restarts to see what he was doing and start to understand what it takes to defend and be a little more aggressive when you’ve got the whole field bearing down on you.

“I’m so grateful to everyone on our team that puts time and effort into the No. 18K Pave America machine, and I feel like if we continue on this path, we’re going to get to victory lane before too long.”

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

The next planned race for Kelly Is Friday night, June 13 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla., before he returns to Mobile on Saturday, June 21 to conclude a stretch of three races in three weeks.

About Colton Kelly

Colton Kelly is a 13-year-old racer from Villa Rica, Ga., who has been fulfilling his need for speed on the racetrack since 2017, when he began quarter midget racing at the age of five.

Kelly’s resume in motorsports features more than 100 quarter midget victories, as well as 10 track championships in his home state of Georgia.

A four-time runner-up in the Southeast-based Dixie Shootout Series point standings, Kelly also has two national quarter midget victories with the NASCAR Youth Series and was the 2023 NASCAR Youth Series Senior Honda division champion.

For 2025, Kelly will graduate out of quarter midgets and turn his focus to Pro Truck racing, where he’ll drive the No. 18K with sponsorship from Pave America, Southern Protection Agency, and Southern Drywall, under the mentorship of Grant and John Thompson.

When not behind the wheel or at a racetrack, Kelly enjoys fishing, skeet shooting, and playing soccer. He is recognized as a top youth skeet shooter in the state of Georgia, all while maintaining honor-roll and Dean’s List status in school. On the charitable front, Kelly is a supporter of the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation’s efforts to better the quality of life for children battling pediatric cancer and their families.

Follow Kelly’s career at his new website, https://www.coltonkellyracing.com/, or on Facebook by searching CLK Motorsports.