It would be difficult to ask for more than what Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 150/Late Model Stock Twin 75s at South Boston Speedway is offering up.
For starters a 150-lap NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race on the fast .4-mile oval. It is the first time the tour has visited South Boston in many years and the first time the powerful open-wheel cars have competed on the new racing surface. Drivers who have recently tested on the track, repaved after the 2016 season, expect sub 14-second laps.
Then there’s the Modified field. Thirty-three teams are entered, but the field is limited to 28 starters, meaning there should be an intense qualifying session.
Let’s not forget South Boston Speedway’s highly-competitive Late Model Stock division, which will run twin 75-lap races.
That means 300 laps of racing at the bargain price of $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. Children 12 and under get in free with a paying adult. Advance tickets may be purchased by calling 877.440.1540 or by stopping by the track office between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Friday
Five-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Doug Coby will roll into South Boston on top of the series points again after winning the season-opener at Myrtle Beach Speedway two weeks ago. And while Coby isn’t known as a short-track ace … only three of his 25 career wins have come on a track under a half-mile … he likes his chances for Saturday after a recent test at South Boston.
“I love short tracks with grip. I tend to struggle on tracks that don’t have grip,” Coby said after the test. “It suits my driving style as good as any could. But at the same time, I think it’s going to suit anybody’s driving style.
“I’m excited. I think it’s a great fit for me personally and a great fit for the tour.”
While the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour is predominately a northern tour, there will be several drivers with regional roots in the field.
Veteran Burt Myers, who has over 150 Modified wins and nine championships at Bowman Gray Stadium is entered after finishing eighth in the season-opener two weeks ago. Frank Fleming, another veteran of Bowman Gray and southern Modified racing is in the field along James Civali, who drives for David Hill and Hillbilly Racing out of Westfield, NC.
South Boston Speedway’s Late Model Stock division will be racing for the second time this season, with five-time national champion Philip Morris winning one of the 100-lappers on opening night two weeks ago and four-time national champ Lee Pulliam winning the second. Peyton Sellers, another national champion, finished second in both.
The three national champions are expected to be back in action again Saturday afternoon to face a solid field of competition.
Grandstands open at 11:30 a.m. Saturday with an autograph session trackside at 1 p.m. and the first race of the day starting at 2 p.m.
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