Caleb Newlin Takes Home First Karting Victory

Caleb Newlin strapped into his go-kart Friday night to race for only about the tenth time in his life.  As a matter of fact, all those races have been in 2021, his first season competing.  He was set to compete in the Pre-Rookie Caged division at Seven Stars Speedway, a dirt track just outside Millerstown, PA, about 25 minutes northeast of Port Royal Speedway.  It is a track where a lot of young Central PA racers have learned the craft of racing.

Following hot laps, Newlin officially kicked off the night by starting on the outside of the front row in his heat race.  He settled into second at the drop of the green and held on firmly to finish 2nd in the qualifying race.  The finish earned him the second starting spot in the feature later that night.

The young Newlin, son of sprint car racer “Zach Daddy” Zach Newlin, took advantage of his starting spot in the feature event and grabbed the lead on lap one.  After leading for several laps, Newlin slipped to second.  

Caleb wasn’t ready to give up just yet though.  He battled back to reclaim the lead a lap later.  With two laps remaining, the yellow flag slowed the field.  Newlin survived the restart and remained out front to claim his first ever racing victory.  

It was a happy night for Caleb and his family, especially after the young racer missed several races due to a broken wrist and multiple rainouts this season.  There are a few more races remaining this year for Newlin, so we will have to stay tuned to see if he can collect another checkered flag during his rookie season.