Gaffney, SC- (April 14, 2018) Slade Parsons made his much-anticipated debut with Kyle Strickler Motorsports at the Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, SC. Parsons had the opportunity to test his Longhorn chassis modified on Friday evening, but Saturday’s UMP modified event was his first time in action. The 17-year old was quick out of the box and hot-lapped 5th out of the 24 cars attending the race. He backed that up qualifying in 5th spot lining him up on the outside of the second row of his eight-lap heat race, next to his teammate Strickler who earned the number two fastest lap in qualifying. “My guys gave me such a great race car,” said Parsons. “I thought we would be good, but this is pretty amazing. Having Kyle as a teammate with his knowledge and helping me with my driving is something I really can’t put into words.” With Kyle and Slade on the front row for the heat all eyes were on Parsons to see how he would fair running with the strong group of modifieds at Cherokee Speedway. At the start Strickler sped to the top spot and Parsons lined up behind him and two racers pulled away from the field. When the checkered flag flew the teammates finished first and second with a hefty margin over the third-place car. “I thought that Slade would do pretty well, but he did a great job listening and learning right from the start,” added Strickler. “He definitely has talent and is going to have a great year. He really impressed me.” Perhaps it was opening night jitters or the need of seat time, but Parsons made a tactical error in the opening laps of the 25-lap main event ending his evening prematurely. He reflected on the evening after watching his teammate Strickler win the feature event. “I got a little ahead of myself, “lamented Parsons. “I just needed to be a little more patient. We had a Top 5 car which was beyond what I thought possible in my first ever race with double the horsepower than I had last year. It is so much fun to drive. I get out of the car with a smile on my face every run. Kyle is so amazing. The entire team made me feel so at home. I want to thank my manager Rolfe Schnur for introducing my family to Kyle. It is the best thing that has ever happened in my career.” If all goes well, Slade will be back this weekend with his teammate, “The High Side Tickler” at County Line Raceway in Elm City, NC. For more marketing or media information call Rolfe Schnur Motorsports Marketing at 954-224-8661.