Ben Rhodes is a 14-year-old from the South End who’s been racing motorized vehicles since he was seven years old. He’s progressed from go-karts to his recent debut in a late-model, excelling at every level.
A few weeks ago, he made his debut in late-model cars in Hickory, N.C., racing against professional drivers, and finished 7th in a field of 18. He’s signed a driver development deal with a NASCAR driver, which means his driving career is getting ready to accelerate while he learns every facet of the business. All that, and he will be a freshman at Holy Cross High School when classes start next week.
Ben Rhodes is also an incredibly personable, well-spoken young man who lists his career objective this way: “To become a successful race car driver at a level that I can be successful and win.”
A lot of people think that level is NASCAR. So you should remember the name.
Here’s a post-race interview with Ben after he finished third in a 100-lap feature at Charlotte Motor Speedway last weekend. He started 18th in the race, which was won by Kyle Plott. NASCAR driver David Ragan finished second.
