While Late Model teams get set for the Snowball Derby and Snowflake 100 this weekend, one driver has made a splash in a big way.
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Cameron Leytham and family were driving from their home in Mobile, AL to Five Flags Speedway Wednesday night when the unthinkable happened. A broken strap caused his No. 8 Pure Stock to roll off their open trailer, through a chain link fence and into the hotel pool at the Red Roof Inn & Suites in Tilllman's Corner, Alabama.
Just over 24 hours after the car was pulled out of the pool using a boom truck, Leytham was on the frontstretch celebrating a third-place finish in the Lloyd’s Glass Pure Stock feature, in a scene straight out of a movie.
It was a trying 24 hours getting the since-dubbed “Submarine Machine” ready to go for Thursday night’s feature. The team arrived just after the conclusion of practice, with Leytham’s first laps since the car was pulled out of the pool coming during qualifying.
“We were driving down the road and a strap broke on the trailer. The car rolled into a swimming pool. We took it home and took the motor out, the transmission out, drained out all the fluids and rebuilt everything,” Leytham said. “We rushed here so we’ll see what it can do.”
Leytham put his machine seventh on the board in qualifying, and then methodically worked his way through the field while others fell by the wayside during the 35-lap event. He found his way into third by the end of the race, capping off a wild 24 hours.
With it being Snowball Derby weekend, Leytham still had the win locked in on his mind, especially after a runner-up result in last year’s race. But after the events of the previous 24 hours, he was happy with a podium result.
“We had to work hard to get this thing ready and these guys did not disappoint. We drained all the water and everything. It didn’t run to full strum but it worked.”
