Coming off a high from our victory at our last race, the Jett Noland Motorsports Team was super excited going into the 49th Annual Rattler Weekend at South Alabama Speedway in Kingston. We have been looking forward to returning to this track and participating in the Pro-Late Model race – the 20th Annual Grasshopper Baby Rattler 125.
Practice rounds continued to fuel our confidence as Jett took first place for both drills. The car was looking and feeling great, the crew was keeping it primed for the main event. Jett was feeling focused, and overall the team was ready to get out there and leave everything on the track, hoping to clutch another victory this season.
The race started strong with great energy from the racers and fans. Jett started in 2nd position and began making his way to the front of the pack as the laps flew by. Overtaking the lead put him neck and neck with Casey Roderick and the two fought aggressively to get a leg up on each other. Ultimately, we got taken out with only 7 laps to go, ending the night for both racers and providing a perfect opening for Jake Finch to claim the win for the second year in a row.
The race was simply closing in, tightening up in anticipation of a close victory, and things got a bit out of control. Racing is a high-risk sport, and although this collision was neither ideal nor intentional, the only thing we can do is maintain our composure. In his post-race interview Jett responded, “Obviously I believe I was in the right, he believes he was in the right. Doesn’t really need to be nothing said about it [tonight].” However, he finished the interview by saying he would be open to discussing the event with Roderick at a more opportune time.
