Darlington native defeats Busch in go-kart race
By Hunter Thomas/TheFourthTurn.com
MYRTLE BEACH – It was like a scene from a dream. When 14-year-old Darlington native, Hunter Herriott took the checkered flag in a go-kart race at the Broadway Grand Prix, finishing runner-up was his favorite driver, 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Busch.
Busch was in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday, August 7 promoting Darlington Raceway’s upcoming Bojangles’ Southern 500. While on the Grand Strand, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver competed against fans and media in go-karts.
Herriott who outdrove Busch, is no stranger behind the wheel. He has competed in stock cars at Dillon Motor Speedway and Florence Motor Speedway; however, beating the 192-time NASCAR national series winner will go down as one of the greatest memories of his life.
“WOW! Today was a blast,” Herriott posted on Facebook. “I will remember this forever! Got the chance to race against the best and won my heat along with the main!”
Busch started from the back of the race, but in the end, he just didn’t have enough speed to pass Herriott for the win. Following the defeat, Busch posted about the race on Facebook and congratulated the teenager on the victory.
“Alright. Post-race comments here,” Busch said while looking into a phone camera. “This is really, really, really disappointing to me. I lost. We came in second. Second again. You wouldn’t believe to who.”
The phone camera flipped and pointed towards Herriott who was celebrating. Busch said, “Here he is everybody, your winner after his victory lap! Kids beating up on the pros. What do you know?”
After racing go-karts, Busch visited PALM Charter High School’s newest location in Conway, South Carolina. Busch visited with staff, students and fans while at the facility. The Charter school is open to Horry County students and educates students about the motorsports industry through hands-on learning. While on stage at the event, Busch spoke about how his passion for racecars began when he was just a toddler.
“Working on the racecars, there are pictures of me when I was three-year-old with a sanding block in my hand, and I was working on the side of the street rod,” Busch said. “Whether or not I did really good, I’m not sure, but obviously, I had a great teacher in my dad for a little later down the road and later on in life. I just remember always working in the garage, being a part of racecars. Being a part of motorsports like we discussed here today with PALM. For me, it was always about race cars.” Photo by Tonya Herriott
