{"id":38345,"date":"2020-05-19T19:00:06","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T23:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dodgegarage.com\/news-api\/?p=38345"},"modified":"2024-03-25T11:22:47","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:22:47","slug":"national-police-week-young-racer-delivers-donuts-in-a-dodge-challenger-and-celebrates-with-a-few-donuts-of-her-own","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.api.dodgegarage.com\/news\/showcase\/2020\/05\/national-police-week-young-racer-delivers-donuts-in-a-dodge-challenger-and-celebrates-with-a-few-donuts-of-her-own.html","title":{"rendered":"National Police Week: Young racer delivers donuts in a Dodge Challenger and celebrates with a few \u201cdonuts\u201d of her own"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Car donuts are not the only type of donuts we enjoy … and luckily, they’re not the only type of donuts first responders enjoy either! There are tons of first responders working every day to keep our communities healthy and protected and they deserve a sweet treat. Check out these individuals delivering some donuts in their Dodge Challenger 392 HEMI\u00ae<\/sup> Scat Pack!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all know the stereotype that portrays police as having an\nundying love for the humble donut. But the truth is, just about everybody loves\nto indulge in a tasty, diet-killing donut every once in a while. So, what\nbetter way to raise the spirits of local police, medical staff and residents during\nthis time of crisis, than by delivering a fresh box of assorted treats from the\nRed Donut Shop in Lexington, NC?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, 15-year old professional driver, Gray Leadbetter added\na racer\u2019s twist to the deliveries by performing a few \u201cdonuts\u201d of the burning\nrubber variety in a bright blue Dodge Challenger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, what could be more American than a V8-powered Dodge\nChallenger smoking its rear tires while it rotates in a tight circle?\nAbsolutely nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delivering donuts with \u201cdonuts,\u201d was actually the brainchild of local film maker, Landon Grant. \u201dI heard that the family who owns Red\u2019s was struggling financially due to the Coronavirus crisis,\u201d says Landon. \u201cWe decided we could help by delivering donuts for them.\u201d The idea worked. Landon even fashioned a 6-foot long spatula so deliveries to be made at a safe distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gray<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As a show of gratitude, Red\u2019s asked Landon and his crew deliver\nfree boxes of donuts to local police, medical workers and homebound residents. The\ncreative wheels in Landon\u2019s mind started turning and he quickly realized that\nit could be a story worth filming. He immediately thought of Gray and knew that\nher driving skills could put it over the top. \u201cI\u2019ve been filming Gray racing\nfor years, so I know what she can do with a car,\u201d says Landon. When he proposed\nthe idea to Gray, she was all over it and without a moment\u2019s hesitation, said \u201cI\u2019m\nin!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The morning started with Landon filming Gray performing\nsmoking, tire screeching \u201cdonuts\u201d in the Dodge Challenger safely, in a private\nparking lot. \u201cI can\u2019t say I\u2019ve ever experienced anything like that before,\ntires screeching, smoke everywhere, the car moving sideways,\u201d says Landon, \u201cMaybe\nI should have been, but I was never scared. Gray\u2019s car control is truly\namazing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there they made deliveries that included stops at the Lexington Police Department, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Davidson County Sheriff and Novant Health facility in Lexington. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, performing a \u201cdonut\u201d or a burnout in front of police,\nespecially with a 15-year old driving on her learner\u2019s permit, probably isn\u2019t\nthe smartest idea. So, truth be told, that didn\u2019t happen. The tire smoking\n\u201cdonuts\u201d were confined to the morning\u2019s filming. But, it is possible that some\nlucky private citizens might have been treated to a discrete burnout here or\nthere. However, one law enforcement officer did mention that if Gray happened\nto do a burnout, he \u201cWouldn\u2019t see it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs tempting as that might have been, Gray didn\u2019t do it,\u201d\nsays Landon. \u201cDiscretion won the day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gray, who has been racing since she was four-years old, gained national attention last year when she signed with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing of Indycar fame, to compete on its team in the American Rallycross Series. At just 14 years of age, she was the youngest competitor and the only woman in the series. But that didn\u2019t faze Gray, who didn\u2019t hesitate to mix it up with older, more experienced drivers in the rough and tumble sport of rallycross. Her impressive, first-year  performance earned her fifth place overall in the championship standings. Gray also competes in Mini-Outlaws, Karts and UTVs, and trains in a 717-hp Dodge Challenger Hellcat at the Bondurant High Performance Driving School in Arizona. Her driving coach is former Indy 500 Champion Buddy Rice. To follow Gray\u2019s racing career visit: grayleadbetter.com<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n