By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
He is just 17 and already racing toward his future. And Conner High School senior, Corbin Dalton is approaching the finish line – literally.
“Racing has been my life-long love,” he told the Northern Kentucky Tribune. “Growing up, I was always attending Florence Speedway.”
These days he’s on that dirt track.
“I started in 2012,” he said, “And got my very first car in 2020.”
The obvious question – why? While others were playing football and basketball, you were racing.
“Well, my dad did it,” he said.
Those “race genes” seemed to have rubbed off on son. He’s already won two track championships at Florence Speedway – in 2021 and 2024.
“I have 17 wins, and my biggest pot was $1,000,” he said. “I’ve raced at Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and Moler Raceway Park in Williamsburg, Ohio.”
And while classmates were practicing their varsity sports, Corbin was going to open practice at Florence Speedway.
“I don’t go as much now as I did my first two years racing,” he says. “Much of my time is working in the shop on my race car.”
That shop is his mom and pop’s business – C&C Towing in Burlington.
And perhaps Corbin’s love of racing has created a bit of curiosity around Conner High School. Seems he’s developed a bit of a fan following.
“Well, there’s a buddy of mine at school that also races,” he said, “so we do have a little bit of a Conner fan club.”
But it wasn’t always racing for Corbin. He played baseball in a local league through the 2023 season. Then it was all racing.
“What I want,” he says “is to eventually move up in class.”
Now he races in the four-cylinder-class. A V-8 engine, late model, modified with rear-wheel drive would be that next class.
“My car is a front-wheel drive,” he said.
In racing, rear-wheel drive (RWD) generally offers better handling and performance, while front-wheel drive (FWD) can be more forgiving and efficient for everyday driving. RWD cars, particularly those with good weight distribution, benefit from better balance and weight transfer during acceleration and cornering, leading to more precise handling and potentially faster lap times. FWD cars, on the other hand, can be more stable in slippery conditions and are often cheaper to produce and maintain.
Maybe that is partially the reason Corbin has been involved in some serious wrecks on the race track.
“Actually, I flipped three different times,” he recalled. “The first flip, I raced the very next day, in a sponsor’s car.
“The second flip was toast – a total rebuild. And the third; the car was in the shop all night and, yes, we did race it the next day.”
Any concerns about your safety from your parents?
“My parents just love that I have a plan for my life, and am making something of it,” he said. “I’m not interested in college. I’m in my last year of Vocational School in high school and plan to be a welder. A blue collar life.”
And a race life, for sure.
Saturdays are race day, and last week he weas the youngest on that dirt track in Florence.
The season ends in mid-October and the off-season consists of building new cars, and replacing doors on the old ones.
He has believers, and followers, as well as some 14 sponsors:
• TUJ Transportation
• Bills Auto Service
• Auto Glass Resources
• 3BGR Army
• Mike’s Garage
• Karschner Landscaping
• C & C Towing
• A2B Contracting
• Optec
• Stan Freeman Tree Services
• Freeman Landscaping and Exterior Construction
• Wagner Welding
• Teamwork Real Estate
• Kelsey, Kileigh, Julie, Keen
Corbin Dalton’s plan is that finish line – he can almost see it now.