Kelly Returns To Mobile, Notches Another Top 10

Colton Kelly in action at Mobile Int'l Speedway. (Daniel Vining photo)

MOBILE, Ala. – Colton Kelly continued his Pro Truck rookie season with a sixth-place finish over the weekend at Mobile Int’l Speedway, in his return to racing following the track’s summer break.

Despite a rain delay that pushed back the start of the Saturday program, action eventually got underway, with Kelly turning the fourth-fastest lap of 20.156 seconds in group qualifying around the half-mile paved oval.

Starting seventh after the redraw with his familiar No. 18K, the Villa Rica, Ga., teenager raced solidly and wisely inside the top 10 all race long, getting as high as fifth early in the 50-lap feature.

Eventually settling back into seventh at the halfway point of the race, Kelly remained patient and eventually improved to sixth with nine to go, passing class veteran David Herndon for the position.

From there, Kelly maintained to the checkered flag, not only earning his fourth straight top-10 finish but also keeping his hold on fourth place in the track point standings as well.

Kelly is chasing Herndon for a potential podium ranking in the Pro Truck class at Mobile, just 34 points back in his first full season in a full-bodied vehicle after graduating from quarter midgets.

“After being away from Mobile for a month, I was pretty happy with being able to come back and get another top 10 finish,” said Kelly. “The truck was really loose to start, and clipping the grass on a damp track during qualifying wasn’t exactly how we wanted to get things started, but we hung onto it and are thankful to everyone at MIS just for working hard to give us a track to race on at all after all the rain Saturday.

“The race itself was another learning experience; it’s always been about being smooth and doing my best to stay clean and smart around all the veterans I’m racing because it’s my first season in trucks,” he added. “We’re still building and growing, and I think that’s clear with each lap we turn every race that we’ll eventually find our way closer to victory lane where we want to be.”

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.

His Pro Truck campaign continues Saturday, Aug. 16 with a double-points night as part of the track’s Lee Fields Memorial event.

About Colton Kelly

Colton Kelly is a 14-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.