By Alex Nieten
Michael Leach doesn’t have to settle for second anymore at Charlotte. He’s forever a World Short Track Championship Feature winner.
The Sun River, MT native drove all the way from 22nd to second in a Crate Modified in 2022. A year ago, he came home runner-up once again, this time with the UMP Modifieds. In 2025, Leach got it done on the big stage with the Crate Racin’ USA/Fox Factory 604 Late Models.
Leach started on the pole and never looked back once the green flag flew in the 25-lapper. He survived several restarts and led every single circuit on his way to Victory Lane. The Dirt Track at Charlotte means so much to these competitors, and the emotion poured from Leach after coming so close twice before and finally hoisting the trophy.
“I finally got it done,” Leach said. “That’s about all I’ve got here. I was telling everybody all week, ‘I’ve got to get one at Charlotte. I’ve got to get one at Charlotte.’ I just finally made it happen. We started off good. We didn’t qualify the best, but we won our Heat and started on the pole for the Feature. I was like, ‘Man, we’re starting on the pole. We’ve got to win this thing. I’m pumped. I’m happy as can be.”
He might’ve led every lap, but it was far from a Sunday cruise for Leach. Continual caution flags forced Leach to fend off plenty of stout competition behind him. Matt Henderson, Colby Quick, John Ruggiero Jr., and Trent Ivey all battled for the runner-up spot, but none could challenge Leach even with the restarts.
“The worst part was we were a little bit tight in (Turns) 1 and 2 especially,” Leach admitted. “Every restart, man, I was like, ‘Dude, another one? Another one? Come on.’ But honestly, we put a soft tire on, and we were coming up on lapped traffic, so it probably helped us out in the end.”
In the 10th running of the World Short Track Championship, Leach becomes the seventh different winner with the 604 Late Models. He’s the very first from the state of Montana.
Matt Henderson came out on top of the fierce battle for second to claim the runner-up spot. Henderson’s result marked a major improvement in his best 604 Late Model finish in the event with his previous peak being 18th last year.
John Ruggiero Jr’s bid for a record-tying third 604 Late Model checkered flag fell two spots short. He’s now been in the top five in four of his five Feature starts with the division at Charlotte.
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 09L-Michael Leach[1]; 2. 22H-Matt Henderson[3]; 3. 44-John Ruggiero Jr[4]; 4. G4-Trent Ivey[7]; 5. 515-Bubba Roling[12]; 6. 97-Cody Overton[10]; 7. 22-Jeremy Steele[18]; 8. 2S-Layton Sullivan[16]; 9. 09-Ross Bailes[6]; 10. 18B-Austin Yarbrough[24]; 11. 92-Joseph Brown[9]; 12. 7A-Corey Almond[20]; 13. 611-Koulten Herbert[15]; 14. 30-Colton Stanley[19]; 15. 23-Beckham Malone[11]; 16. 73-Trevor Sise[5]; 17. 10-Shane Clanton[8]; 18. 14A-Lucas Adams[23]; 19. K7-Keaton Smith[21]; 20. 55-Benji Hicks[14]; 21. 6-Dillon Brown[17]; 22. 5-Colby Quick[2]; 23. 1B-Brent Trimble[22]; 24. 8-Jensen Ford[13]
