3/17/2026
Crate Racin' USA
Lambert, Mitchell, Ray, and Kelly Score CRUSA Wins on Opening Night at Pine Ridge Speedway
(Baldwyn, MS – March 17, 2026) – The 2026 season roared to life at Pine Ridge Speedway this past Saturday night as “The Ridge” welcomed 83 entries across nine divisions for an exciting opening night of weekly racing action in Northeast Mississippi.
Fans were treated to a full slate of Crate Racin’ USA sanctioned competition, as four different drivers found victory lane in the CRUSA divisions to kick off the new season.
Lambert Dominates CRUSA Late Model Opener
In the CRUSA Dirt Late Models, Morgen Lambert wasted no time making a statement in 2026, leading all 15 laps of the feature after starting from the pole to secure the opening night victory.
Lambert set the tone early by topping qualifying with a lap of 15.000 seconds and backed it up with a heat race win before completing a perfect night in the feature. JC Waller and Ryan Steig rounded out the podium in second and third.
Ricky Lard earned Hard Charger honors, advancing one position from fifth to fourth.
CRUSA 604 Dirt Late Models – Feature (15 Laps):
1-77-Morgen Lambert[1]
2-7W-JC Waller[2]
3-26-Ryan Steig[3]
4-1725-Ricky Lard[5]
5-12W-Blake Walker[4]
6-(DNF) 12-Garrett Pounders[7]
7-(DNF) F17-Felix George[6]
Mitchell Goes Wire-to-Wire in Late Model Sportsman
A strong field of 19 competitors took the green in the CRUSA 602 Late Model Sportsman division, and it was Bryson Mitchell who proved to be the class of the field.
Mitchell led flag-to-flag in the 15-lap feature, holding off Chance Inman and Spencer Moore to secure the season-opening victory. Moore set quick time in qualifying, but Mitchell capitalized on his starting position and never looked back.
One of the most impressive drives of the night came from Jonathan Warnicke, who charged from 19th to 12th to earn Hard Charger honors with a +7 performance.
CRUSA 602 LM Sportsman – Feature Results:
1-46-Bryson Mitchell[1]
2-14-Chance Inman[2]
3-4-Spencer Moore[3]
4-78-Mark McCoy[4]
5-12-Covy Parsons[5]
6-33-Bradley Price[6]
7-31-Easton Bollinger[7]
8-20-Klay Cox[11]
9-25-Brandon Lunsford[12]
10-3D-Justin Jacobs[10]
11-58-Chad Gentry[15]
12-13X-Jonathan Warnicke[19]
13-3-Steven Lefler[17]
14-(DNF) 36-Allen Edwards[13]
15-(DNF) 4C-Devin Whatley[9]
16-(DNF) 87-Lake Carson[8]
17-(DNF) 75-Dan Crane[16]
18-(DNF) 1-Austin Holder[18]
19-(DNF) 2W-Grayson Williams[14]
Ray Rolls to Modified Sportsman Victory
The CRUSA Modified Sportsman division saw Justin Ray take control early and never relinquish it, leading all 16 laps en route to victory.
Ray held off a hard-charging Rusty Duncan, who advanced from fourth to finish second, while Keith Coan completed the podium in third.
Ray’s dominant performance capped off a strong night that included a heat race win, positioning him as an early contender in the 2026 campaign.
CRUSA Modified Sportsman – Feature Results:
1-22-Justin Ray[1]
2-12-Rusty Duncan[4]
3-31-Keith Coan[2]
4-4S-Billy Tedford[3]
5-25-Brooke Tedford[6]
6-12R-Rylan Duncan[11]
7-17-Parker Price[8]
8-97-Chad Williams[7]
9-34-Jonathan Pridmore[5]
10-25R-Paul Robinson[12]
11-36X-Kelly Davis[10]
12-7-Colton Grimes[9]
13-(DNS) 12P-Garrett Pounders
Kelly Family Shines in Street Stock Feature
The CRUSA Street Stocks provided one of the most competitive races of the evening, with Johnny Kelly leading all 15 laps to pick up the opening night win.
Kelly held off Jeremy Kelly in a strong family showing at the front of the field, while Rusty Duncan rounded out the top three.
Will Francis delivered the drive of the race, advancing from ninth to fifth to earn Hard Charger honors with a +4 gain.
CRUSA Street Stocks – Feature Results:
1-80-Johnny Kelly[2]
2-22K-Jeremy Kelly[3]
3-1-Rusty Duncan[5]
4-31-Matt Bollinger[7]
5-37-Will Francis[9]
6-316-Lanny McCullough[4]
7-80C-Caitlyn Kelly Little[6]
8-(DNF) 25M-Justin McRee[1]
9-(DNF) 22-Dustin Irby[8]
10-(DNS) B22-Bobby Irby Jr
With a successful opening night in the books, Pine Ridge Speedway now shifts its focus to the next event on the 2026 calendar.
Pine Ridge Speedway returns to action on Saturday, March 28th with another full night of weekly racing featuring all CRUSA divisions along with Factory Stocks, Hot Shots, Vintage Outlaws, Pure Street, and Crown Vic.
For more information, fans are encouraged to follow Pine Ridge Speedway on social media.
Photos by: Snapped by Carolyn
Article Credit: Cody Earley
Article Media
