The way 18-year-old Carter Langley sees it “if you have fun, you’re winning in the first place.”
Langley’s philosophy of having fun in racing is paying big dividends this season at South Boston Speedway. He scored his first career win in Late Model Stock Car Division racing in the season-opener, has won six of his 12 starts, and trails six-time South Boston Speedway NASCAR track champion Peyton Sellers by just five points in South Boston Speedway’s Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division point standings.
More fun for the young Zebulon, North Carolina resident would be winning the $10,000 first prize in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort on Saturday, July 1 at South Boston Speedway, and capturing the opening race of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown.
“It would be the biggest win of my career,” Langley remarked. “The Fourth of July race at South Boston Speedway is one of the most prestigious races in Late Model Stock racing. It would mean a lot to win that race. The Virginia Late Model Triple Crown also means a lot. Winning this race at South Boston allows you to get yourself ahead of everybody else. It lets you relax a little bit at Langley and Martinsville, but you still have to be on top of your game.”
The Virginia Late Model Triple Crown consists of the July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort at South Boston Speedway, the Hampton Heat 200 on July 22 at Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway, and the September 23 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.
The driver with the best average finish through the three races wins the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown and the $7,000 first prize. The runner-up receives a $2,000 prize and the third-place driver will take home a $1,000 prize.
There are many ways teams approach the July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort. While some drivers and teams will deviate from their normal approach for the 200-lap race, Langley plans to approach the race the same way he has approached previous races at South Boston Speedway this season.
“I honestly think you approach it the same as I do every week,” Langley pointed out, “just show up like it’s another regular Saturday night race and try to have fun. You just go and have fun and everything else will play out.”
Langley has had a taste of success in South Boston Speedway’s showcase event. In last year’s race Langley qualified third among the 42-car field and finished fifth, despite having damage to his car at the end of the race. That solid outing gives Langley confidence heading into the July 1 event.
“It gives me a lot of confidence knowing I can run up front with those guys,” Langley said. “There are going to be a lot of tough guys here. The competition in the weekly shows here at South Boston Speedway is already really tight, so it’s going to be even tighter in the big race.
“You’ve really got to be on your “A” game,” continued Langley. “It is going to be like having a bunch of Peyton Sellers out there. Those guys are not going to make it easy. It’s fun racing with those guys and going door-to-door with them.”
Another thing that gives Langley confidence heading into the July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort is that he has had a different chassis setup on his car each time he has won a race at South Boston Speedway.
“It’s been a good learning curve,” Langley pointed out. “My crew chief, Josh Yeoman, works his butt off and puts a fast (chassis) setup under this car every week. Josh changes stuff every week. Being on different (chassis) setups every time we’ve won has been awesome. It shows how good our team is and how good our cars are.”
The July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort is South Boston Speedway’s premier event of the season and an event that fans circle on their calendar every year. Among the special festivities of the night will be a spectacular, colorful Fourth of July fireworks show immediately following the last race of the night. Special patriotic festivities will be featured during Pre-race Ceremonies powered by Hitachi and an Autograph Session powered by Hitachi will be held immediately after qualifying.
The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort will include four races and will be headlined by a 200-lap race for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division. Also slated for the event are a 40-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 20-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division.
Advance adult general admission tickets are priced at $20 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com or by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.
Tickets at the gate on race day will be $25 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $20 each at the gate on race day.
The tentative race day schedule for the July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort has registration and pit gates opening at 10 a.m. Frontstretch spectator gates will open at 12:30 p.m. and practice will start at 1 p.m. Backstretch and Turn 4 trackside tailgating gates will open at 3:30 p.m.
Qualifying for the 200-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division race is set for 4:15 p.m. The Autograph Session powered by Hitachi is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. on the frontstretch of the speedway. Pre-race Ceremonies powered by Hitachi will begin at 6:35 p.m. and the first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Fans will want to note that Friday, June 30 is Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 Practice Day and Fan Appreciation Day. Practice will include all four of the track’s regular racing divisions and will run from 11 a.m. until 7:45 p.m. Fans can come out and watch practice from the track’s spectator areas free of charge.
The latest news and information for fans and competitors about the July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort as well as other informative items can be found on the speedway’s website and through the track’s social media channels. Information may also be obtained by phoning the speedway at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.
South Boston Speedway PR
