Street stock driver Jayden Sleight lost his voice from all the screaming he did en route to victory lane. He almost didn’t make it to the finish–twice–during the Eastern States 200 at Orange County Fair Speedway.
“I got loose coming off of turn three and spun,” Sleight, of Holmes, New York, said. “I dropped down from running third to seventh position. Then, in the same turn, I was trying to pass a lapped car, got loose and was aimed at the inside wall. I tapped the lapper, which straightened my car out. I thought I would get a flat, but I did not. Racing continued without a caution both times.”
The 1980s Camaro kept moving. His uncle Bob Sleight bought the car from another race and ran it for 15 to 20 years. Five years ago, Bob handed it down to his nephew.
“I was 14 years old and came out of the slingshot division,” said Sleight. “I am so grateful that my uncle gave me his car.”
At Accord Speedway, Sleight has won multiple features and two track championships. At Orange County Fair Speedway, success has a been a bit more elusive, although he won a feature this year.
“I had a flat in my first Eastern States race in 2023,” Sleight said. “To win the Eastern States 200 has been a goal. When I began racing at OCFS in 2023, I was not the best [and] I had blown engines and finishes I’m not proud of.”
Now 19, Jayden Sleight has won the biggest race of the year at Orange County Fair Speedway.
“On the last lap I was screaming and pumping my fist all the way to the finish line and onto victory lane,” said Sleight. “I knew I could win. It was a thrilling race, a double comeback.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
