The Glen Alpine Sports Hall of Fame will induct its 2026 class on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Glen Alpine United Methodist Church fellowship center.
Established in 2012, the Glen Alpine Sports HOF currently has 63 members, and the following five individuals will join that group next weekend: Ken Anderson, Ken Black, Janet Greene, David Powell, and Ariyana Williams.
Herron Heating & Cooling is the presenting sponsor of the 15th annual Glen Alpine Sports HOF induction ceremony, which will start at 5:30 p.m. next Saturday. Tickets cost $20 each and include a catered meal, and they are available for purchase at Glen Alpine Town Hall as well as Glen Alpine businesses Foxhole Pizza and Carolina Ribbon Crafts.
Sports
Tri-County Speedway, HMS to host races tonight
By JASON FREEMAN
Sports Correspondent
Nathan Starnes was recently crowned 2026 track champion in the
Thunder Bomber division at HorsePower Park in Morganton.
Photos FOR THE PAPER
Mother Nature postponed the SMART Modified Tour’s annual stop at Tri-County Speedway in Hudson on Saturday, Oct. 3. The race will be made up tonight (Saturday, Oct. 10) as part of the track’s weekly series, and Tri-County will then complete its 2026 season with events on Oct. 24 and 31.
A 125-lap Limited Late Model race tonight at Hickory Motor Speedway will pay the winner $3,000. The night of action will also include the Super Truck season finale, the Carolina Pro Late Model tour, Baby Grands, and the Allison Legacy Touring Series.
And HorsePower Park in Morganton capped its season on Sept. 25, with the following drivers finishing first in the points standings in their respective divisions: Homer Cook (Crown Vic), Nathan Starnes (Thunder Bomber), John Fox (Renegade), Clay Ross (Pro 4), and the father-son duo of Kevin Saam (FWD) and Brayden Saam (Young Guns). Meanwhile, Crown Vic driver Zac Moore was named the rookie of the year for all divisions.
Morganton native Damion Patton, pictured with his son, Tillman,
will compete in the Street Stock division during the World Short
Track Championship Oct. 29-31 in Charlotte.
FOR THE PAPER
Locals headed to World Short Track Championship
Several local dirt track drivers are prepping for the World Short Track Championship at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway Oct. 29-31.
Morganton native Damion Patton and his teammate, Brian “Meathead” Carswell of Valdese, are both making plans to compete in the Street Stock division.
“Charlotte is different,” Patton said. “You’re lining up against some of the best grassroots racers from all over the country. To me, the World Short Track Championship is what short track racing is supposed to be about. It gives a local team the opportunity to step onto a much bigger stage and prove what we can do.”
Morganton’s Tim Moretz will take part in the Thunder Bomber race, as will Benny Peeler of Connelly Springs.
“This is a race I have wanted to do for years,” Moretz said. “I’m back behind the wheel of my own car, and we have spent all year getting everything dialed in. I hope we can make the big race and have a chance for the win.”
“Charlotte is a once-a-year event that everyone wants to win,” Peeler added. “It is hard to make the main event. Usually, 60 drivers will show up for 20 spots. You have to be perfect all week just to make the show. It’s crazy what it costs to run that one race. Every year I swear I’m not going back, then by May I’m booking a hotel and getting ready.”
Morganton’s Tim Bristol is also expected to compete in Charlotte.
Josh Goble of Lenoir made his CARS Tour debut on Oct. 2 at
Newport Speedway in Tennessee.
FOR THE PAPER
Goble, Beane race at Newport Speedway
The CARS Tour made its debut at Newport Speedway in Tennessee on Oct. 2, with Caldwell County drivers Josh Goble and Thomas Beane participating in the event.
Goble made his first start in the series, qualifying 25th but experiencing engine issues during the race as he was forced to exit early and settle for a 24th-place finish.
Hudson’s Thomas Beane (7) races alongside NASCAR legend Dale
Earnhardt Jr. (8) during a CARS Tour race at Newport Speedway in
Tennessee on Oct. 2.
FOR THE PAPER
Beane had a better experience, qualifying sixth and racing in the top 10 for a large portion of the 125-lap race before ultimately coming in 12th.
Nineteen-year-old Mooresville native Caden Kvapil won the feature and captured the series championship.
SILVER CREEK GOLF CLUB / FOR THE PAPER
Payne celebrates birthday with hole-in-one
Member Buck Payne celebrated his birthday in style on Sept. 28
at Silver Creek Golf Club in Morganton, recording a hole-in-one on
the par-3 eighth hole.
Page B8 | e-Edition | The Paper
SILVER CREEK GOLF CLUB / FOR THE PAPER
Payne celebrates birthday with hole-in-one
Member Buck Payne celebrated his birthday in style on Sept. 28
at Silver Creek Golf Club in Morganton, recording a hole-in-one on
the par-3 eighth hole.
JANE TYSKA, BAY AREA NEWS GROUP / FOR THE PAPER
San Francisco Giants right fielder Bo Davidson (right)
celebrates with teammate Drew Gilbert after scoring on a single by
Brett Harris in the opening inning of a Major League Baseball game
against the visiting Minnesota Twins on Sept. 21. Davidson is a
24-year-old Charlotte native who played collegiately at Caldwell
Community College and Technical Institute, and the aforementioned
contest represented his major league debut after he batted .290
with 141 hits including 29 home runs, 26 doubles, and a triple as
well as 94 RBIs, 85 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases in 125 games
at the minor league level — 73 at Double-A Richmond (Va.) and 52 at
Triple-A Sacramento (Calif.) — in 2026. The Giants called up
Davidson for their final six games of the season, and he ultimately
batted .350 with seven hits, an RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen
base while starting five games in right field and serving as San
Francisco’s designated hitter in the remaining game. And thanks to
a single, a stolen base, and a run scored — all in the bottom of
the first inning — Davidson became the first Giants player to
record a hit, steal a base, and score a run in their MLB debut
since Johnny Vergez in 1931.
Caldwell Tech alum Davidson makes history in MLB debut
Page B8 | e-Edition | The Paper
JANE TYSKA, BAY AREA NEWS GROUP / FOR THE PAPER
San Francisco Giants right fielder Bo Davidson (right)
celebrates with teammate Drew Gilbert after scoring on a single by
Brett Harris in the opening inning of a Major League Baseball game
against the visiting Minnesota Twins on Sept. 21. Davidson is a
24-year-old Charlotte native who played collegiately at Caldwell
Community College and Technical Institute, and the aforementioned
contest represented his major league debut after he batted .290
with 141 hits including 29 home runs, 26 doubles, and a triple as
well as 94 RBIs, 85 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases in 125 games
at the minor league level — 73 at Double-A Richmond (Va.) and 52 at
Triple-A Sacramento (Calif.) — in 2026. The Giants called up
Davidson for their final six games of the season, and he ultimately
batted .350 with seven hits, an RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen
base while starting five games in right field and serving as San
Francisco’s designated hitter in the remaining game. And thanks to
a single, a stolen base, and a run scored — all in the bottom of
the first inning — Davidson became the first Giants player to
record a hit, steal a base, and score a run in their MLB debut
since Johnny Vergez in 1931.
Caldwell Tech alum Davidson makes history in MLB debut
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