Dalton Peavy: Quick Q & A with Rookie on the Carolina Clash Tour
By Rhonda Beck, WISNC Creations/BeckRacingMedia
6-24-2025
I caught up with Dalton Peavy after his success in the second Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series race earlier this year at Fayetteville Motor Speedway. Some of these comments were in a results article published the week after the race, but he answered a few more questions at the time and I am sharing them here. That night he had set fast time, won Rookie of the Race, and finished third. In the first Clash race of the year, he was fifth at County Line Raceway and in the second Clash race there on May 17th, he finished 12th. Although the next Carolina Clash race is scheduled for July 26, 2025 at Fayetteville, Peavy has not been idle in between. In fact, he just won the Mid-East Street Stocks feature this past Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Cherokee Speedway for the Grassy Smith Memorial. But here is the Q & A from earlier in the year after Fayetteville, including some of his history in dirt racing and thoughts about the year.
RB: Congrats on your good start this year with the Carolina Clash and your success at Fayetteville. And I know you said you’re testing tonight. Where are you doing that?
DP: We’re going to Harris Speedway.
RB: Is that closer to where you live?
DP: Yeah, it’s about 15 minutes.
RB: Okay. Nice. They’re a good track with a lot of great history.
DP: Oh yeah.
RB: So in the Clash race at Fayetteville, you were the top Rookie. You also won the pole award and finished third. Were you happy with that?
DP: Oh yeah. I mean, it was kind of unexpected. If somebody would have told me that I would have run this good in my first couple super races, I would have looked at them and probably laughed. But we’re just feeling good and upbeat to have the speed that we do. It’s pretty cool and pretty awesome.
RB: And how much experience have you had at Fayetteville in the past?
DP: Not much. I ran there this year more than any. I ran that $50,000 crate race, I ran Speedweeks, and then we ran that big street stock race there.
RB: I see that you have something more coming up the street stocks. So you’re running in different divisions this year?
DP: That’s actually what we’re testing tonight. Street stocks. I’m testing mine and a customer’s, and as soon as we get done testing tonight we’re heading out to the Street Stock World Championships at Whynot (which was then called off due to weather and is rescheduled for November 6-8, 2025).
RB: Nice. Anyway, as far as the race at Fayetteville, you started out on the pole and Dustin Mitchell had those issues later on and Ben took the lead. Then there were those couple cautions and at the end Christian Thomas passed you with about eight laps to go. Is there anything you think you could have done, or what did you think of the track?
DP: Ah, there at the beginning I think just my nerves got to me and I got excited. Just overdrove it a little bit getting into three and Dustin Mitchell came by me. I can’t remember exactly when Ben Watkins got by me. I think it was on the restart. You know, it’s always good to run second and obviously we were, and then that last restart we just went into one and hit that hole too hard. It bottomed out and Christian got by. So we just had to settle down and finish third.
RB: That was still a good run for you. Do you have any specific goals or things you want to work on, if it’s set-up or whatever, with your team this year?
DP: No, not anything specific. You know, this year is big about getting laps and getting used to supers. Obviously, I ran crates but it’s a whole different ball game running the supers. So as long as we can go to all these tracks and make the show without running a B-main—or at least make the main event, so we can get as many laps as we can this year. Then next year we can really get going.
RB: I’ve known different guys who went from crates to supers and suddenly you have all that power and have to adjust. I talked to last year’s Carolina Clash champion, Adam Yarbrough, and he’ll still do some super races but will mix it up with some 525’s too. And like you said, you started out at Fayetteville racing in different series. So you’ll continue to do that this year?
DP: Yeah, like I said, this year it’s all about getting laps, whether it’s in a street stock, a 602, 604, or the super. I really have to thank my mom and dad for what letting me do what I do and giving me the opportunity and all my great sponsors that let me have the variety of cars to choose from. So we race just about every weekend. I think we’re going to Whynot and I think we’ll have next week off and then we’ll be back with the Carolina Clash at County Line. So hopefully we can stay strong and continue the year with the Carolina Clash.
RB: Anything to say about the Carolina Clash series? Did you watch it when you were younger? Last year, 5-time Carolina Clash champion Ricky Weeks got in the NDLMHOF. A lot of guys from this area have competed in the series.
DP: Well, yeah. They’ve got a good little deal going on for us local guys. It’s not too big, but it’s not too small and there’s not enough races piled on top of each other where we’re having to work ourselves to death trying to get our stuff together. But like I said, yes, it’s pretty good and the Clash is doing a great job.
RB: I talked to Christian Thomas too about how you guys have to choose when you might travel farther away, depending on the motors you have. You might like to do some of those bigger races like at Eldora Speedway or drop in on a World of Outlaws or Lucas race but that can be expensive too.
DP: Oh yeah. Just like me. Really, it’s my team. It’s my dad and mom—they help me out a good bit and I have a couple sponsors that help me out a good bit. We got two late models, but one’s a crate car and one’s a super with one engine. So like I said, if we have anything go real bad, we’ll have to take a couple weeks off. And that’s kind of what’s good about the Carolina Clash. You’re not racing on top of each other every week so that at least allows us to have a little bit of chance to get our stuff ready.
RB: So when you were growing up, did you have any racing heroes?
DP: Really growing up I’ve always been around racing, but I didn’t really pay attention to it until I got about probably 13, 14 and my brother raced and we was there every week. But heroes? I wouldn’t say I had any heroes.
RB: But you’ve seen some of those guys, if it was Jeff Smith and even Freddy Smith, some of the guys here in the Carolinas?
DP: Oh yeah, there’s a lot of great guys, especially around this area especially where we’re from. Like you said, Jeff, Freddy. Ricky Weeks is kind of close to where I am. Rambo. Yeah, there’s a lot of great guys who come from around here.
RB: And Gray Parton is kind of from your area too and has done well. He won the Ultimate Supers championship last year and was a Carolina Clash Rookie of the Year. Do you talk to him at all?
DP: No. I really don’t know him personally. I just know of him. I know the kind of business they do and then the kind of business I do working for my dad, and they bring stuff here every now and then to get repaired.
RB: Any tracks on the Carolina Clash schedule this year that you’re looking forward to going to? Or any favorites?
DP: I wouldn’t say any I look forward to or any favorites; I think I just like racing. As long as I can get laps, I just like to be there.
RB: That’s great. Good luck to you with your future testing and year ahead. And who are your main sponsors?
DP: Thank you. They are Nicole and Chris. Complete Turbo, FP Lawn Care, Botts Grading, Rev it up Nutrition, and Penske Shocks.
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