A flyover by the Raleigh, North Carolina-based Bandit Flight Team will be one of the highlights of the patriotic pre-race ceremonies at the July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort at South Boston Speedway.
Vintage military aircraft piloted by members of the Bandit Flight Team will make a pass over the speedway near the conclusion of the National Anthem and will return a couple of minutes later for an additional pass.
“We are extremely excited to have the Bandit Flight Team join us for our pre-race ceremonies,” said South Boston Speedway General Manager Chase Brashears.
“Their professional flyover program will add an incredibly special moment to our Independence Day weekend celebration. Fans will want to arrive early as they will be treated to a flyover during the national anthem, and then a brief demonstration before the first green flag.”
The Bandit Flight Team is composed of a group of highly-trained, experienced pilots that combine their love of flying with an appreciation for vintage military aircraft. In flying their aircraft, the members of the Bandit Flight Team preserve the military Warbird heritage and salute returning military veterans.
The July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort at South Boston Speedway is one of many events the group is performing at this year. The Bandit Flight Team performs at all the N.C. State football games and at NASCAR events at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway and Dover Speedway.
In addition, The Bandit Flight Team performs at Durham Bulls baseball games, the Raleigh, North Carolina Christmas Parade, and Rally for the Cure.
The July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort is South Boston Speedway’s premier showcase event. Among the special festivities is 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.
The July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort is the opening race of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown and pays $10,000 to the winner of the 200-lap NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race. Other events in the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown are 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.
Among the 36 drivers that have filed entries for the July 1 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort are six-time South Boston Speedway champion Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia who has five wins at South Boston Speedway this season, Carter Langley of Zebulon, North Carolina who has won six of his 12 starts at South Boston Speedway this season, 2022 South Boston Speedway Champion Layne Riggs of Bahama, North Carolina, the top two drivers in the CARS Late Model Stock Tour standings, defending series champion Carson Kvapil who drives for JR Motorsports and Brenden Queen, who competes out of the Lee Pulliam Performance stable.
Also among the entries are last year’s race runner-up, Jacob Borst of Elon, North Carolina, Bobby McCarty of Madison, North Carolina who won the race in 2021, Mike Looney of Catawba, Virginia, Landon Pembelton of Amelia, Virginia, Sam Yarbrough of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Stacy Puryear of South Boston, Virginia, Brandon Pierce of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, and Jared Fryar of Trinity, North Carolina.
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.
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.
SBS PR
