Ex-Lake Cumberland champ dies at 54
Longtime Kentucky Dirt Late Model racer Rod Carter Jr. of Woodbine, Ky., died from injuries suffered in a Thursday automobile accident when a tire blew out and his car struck a concrete median. The 2024 inductee into the South Central Kentucky Dirt Racing Hall of Fame was 54.
Carter was a multitime track champion at Lake Cumberland Speedway in Burnside, Ky., most recently in 2020. His 2008 championship season at the 3/8-mile oval included nine Super Late Model victories. He was also a two-time winner of Lake Cumberland Classic features and collected multiple $3,000 victories at the track.
The driver of the No. 21 began his racing career at the age of 18 and continued to race into his 50s, scoring a runner-up finish in Crate Late Model action last season at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Corbin, Ky.
Rod Neil Carter Jr.’s survivors include his wife Leslie Carter, four children and three grandchildren. Visitation is 10 a.m. Thursday, June 20, at Corbin Arena followed by the funeral at 3 p.m. Burial will follow in Campbell Cemetery in Woodbine. Find a complete obituary at hartfhcorbin.com.
