December 27, 2013 — Audio and story by Jacob Seelman for Speed77 Radio and Race Chaser Online — race22.com photo — Travelers Rest, SC — As they say in the motorsports business, when one door closes, another one is bound to open.
And with the close of the door on the tenure of Hawk-McCall Motorsports’ most successful wheelman, Ben Rhodes, the journey will now begin for another rising talent in the world of short track racing, Brayton Haws.
Brayton, the 2013 US Legends Winter Heat champion and Auburndale Speedway Winter Nationals champion, spent the latter half of the season driving Limited Late Model and Late Model Stock Car events for Lee Faulk Racing at Hickory Motor Speedway. The young talent racked up a stunning 13 wins in 25 starts in the Legends Young Lions division, and after making the move to full-bodied stock cars, continued his rapid learning curve by notching 6 top seven finishes in just 10 Late Model starts, with a best finish of second in his debut.
“I’m excited to make the move to Hawk-McCall Motorsports in 2014,” Brayton said in a recent interview with Race Chaser Online. “Lee Faulk was a great team and I’m truly thankful for them giving me a chance to get started in the late model ranks. I’m ready to take the next step and move forward with Lee McCall, Randy Hawkins and their entire team. We want to compete for wins in 2014 and I plan on giving it my all to do just that.”
Haws has been a product of the racing world since the age of 5, moving up through the ranks of go-karts, Bandoleros and Legends Cars and impressing at every level he has participated in so far. In addition to his 2013 success, Haws has a third place points finish in the prestigious Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway to his credit in 2012, and now looks to continue building his resume in 2014 with the move to full-time Late Model competition.
“It’s going to be a change, but I feel like I’m ready for the challenge,” Brayton affirmed after the announcement.
The team feels their young charge is up to the task as well. Haws will be guided in his 2014 journey by veteran Late Model and former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew chief Lee McCall, and team co-owner Randy Hawkins also expressed his support for the 14-year-old rising star.
“We are excited to have Brayton onboard for 2014,” Hawkins said about his newest hire. “Our program is all about driver development and Brayton has the talent and the attitude to take it to the next level.”
The team plans to compete in a select schedule of NASCAR WHELEN All-American Series events, with a full event schedule to be released at a later point.
Brayton knows that stepping into the ride vacated by NASCAR Next standout Ben Rhodes, who won six times in NWAAS competition in 2013 for HMM, means that he’s got big shoes to fill, but the young man chooses not to dwell on the pressure.
“For me, it’s not about where the bar is. For me, this is the biggest opportunity that I’ve had in my career, and it’s about seizing the moment and making the most of this chance that I’ve been blessed with. And I intend to do just that.”
Listen in as we caught up with Brayton for an exclusive interview following his announcement about his 2014 plans:
