Double Heartbreak for Gray Leadbetter Despite Podium Speed in Dirt City
Sometimes the results sheet doesn’t tell the full story of a race weekend. For Gray Leadbetter, that was certainly the case in Championship Off-Road’s return to Dirt City Motorplex.
The driver of the #28 On Track School/Yokohama/Pepper Palace/Ryan Beat Motorsports Chevrolet had more than enough pace to claim not only the first podium of her Pro Lite career, but also possibly a second and even her first victory. Unfortunately, the racing gods had other ideas, with mechanical issues taking her off the box on both Saturday and Sunday.
Though she remains locked in a heated battle for fourth in the standings, with three drivers separated by just five points, Dirt City was a story of what might have been for Leadbetter. Coming off her best run of the season at ERX Motor Park earlier in the month, momentum was building, and she put herself in podium contention after qualifying fifth. Saturday’s race saw her running firmly in third before issues dropped her to seventh across the line.
While that result was disappointing, Sunday’s was especially so. Leadbetter had been running in second place with a genuine chance to take her first win since returning to RBM for the 2025 season. Instead, more bad luck struck with under two minutes remaining in the race—just before the leader rolled and would have given her a shot to challenge.
“This past weekend had its highs and lows,” Leadbetter admitted. “It was a heartbreak being in the top three and having a chance to podium on Saturday and nearly a chance to win on Sunday when we had mechanical issues out of anyone’s control. But it showed we were able to run with the top guys and capitalize on their mistakes when needed. We’re there and have showed them we are. Now it’s time to put it behind us and focus on Bark River.”
Undeterred, Leadbetter and RBM were back to work the next day, heading up to Bark River International Raceway to test before returning to the track for race weekend on August 8-10. Tickets for that event are available now; click here to get yours and watch Gray race!
Gray Leadbetter’s Championship Off-Road program is supported by On Track School, Yokohama, Pepper Palace, Sparco, Vision Wheel, and Ryan Beat Motorsports. For more information on Gray, follow her on social media @grayleadbetter or visit GrayLeadbetter.com for her full schedule.