First Annual Randy Helton Memorial Race on June 21

Racing fans looking for some excitement in the weeks to come can make their way to the East Alabama Motor Speedway on June 21. This is where the first annual Randy Helton Memorial Race will take place. Named for Randy Helton from Palmetto, Georgia, who passed away in March this year at just 47 years of age, the race promises to be a good one. Helton raced regularly in the O’Reilly United Sprint Car Series during his career as a driver and he also worked as crew chief for the man who founded the series. The speedway, which is located just seven miles from Phoenix City on Highway 80 West, was Helton’s favorite race track and so it is a fitting choice of venue for this memorial event.

Racing fans looking for some excitement in the weeks to come can make their way to the East Alabama Motor Speedway on June 21. This is where the first annual Randy Helton Memorial Race will take place. Named for Randy Helton from Palmetto, Georgia, who passed away in March this year at just 47 years of age, the race promises to be a good one. Helton raced regularly in the O’Reilly United Sprint Car Series during his career as a driver and he also worked as crew chief for the man who founded the series. The speedway, which is located just seven miles from Phoenix City on Highway 80 West, was Helton’s favorite race track and so it is a fitting choice of venue for this memorial event.

Randy Helton started driving as a rookie in the O’Reilly USCS in 1998 shortly after purchasing a J & J Auto Racing car from Walton. The car had previously been driven by Frankie Kerr and Stan Shoff, and provided Helton with the opportunity of a life-time: the chance to start his own racing career. During his racing career he has been able to set the fastest time at the East Alabama Motor Speedway, where he also took the lead until experiencing tire problems and having to pull back. That was in 2007 and Helton would have no doubt gone on to enjoy even more success if he’d been able to race for just a few more years.

The East Alabama Motor Speedway will be sharing the weekend with Penton Raceway, which is located about an hour north of the speedway. This is because the Randy Helton Memorial Race is part of the weekend’s sprint car double-header series. The points awarded at both races will count towards the O’Reilly USCS Southern Thunder Championship. The Randy Helton Memorial Race will also have the distinction of awarding drivers with national championship points. The event will give drivers the chance to win a number of commemorative trophies and plaques as well as other special awards. Randy Helton will be sharing his memorial weekend with Randy Scott, a retired USCS driver from Franklin who passed away in April this year at 60 years of age. The Randy Scott Memory Dash has been established in memory of this great driver and will form part of the weekend’s proceedings. Anyone wanting to know more should go to the raceway’s official website.