Tight points battles are raging, and for the drivers in contention for the championship in South Boston Speedway’s four NASCAR-sanctioned racing divisions their hopes and dreams rest on the outcomes of the final two nights of racing and the final two races that remain in the speedway’s 2023 points season.
The first of those events, the Italian Delight Family Restaurant Night Race on Saturday night, August 19, will feature a 100-lap race for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division and the season’s longest and richest race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 75-lap chase that will pay $1,500 to the winner.
A 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division, a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division and a 25-lap race for the regional touring Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club will round out the night’s racing action.
The most closely watched battle is in the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division where Carter Langley of Zebulon, North Carolina holds a slim five-point edge over two-time NASCAR national champion Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia.
The pair have been in a see-saw battle all season. In the twin-race event on August 5, Langley finished sixth in the first race while Sellers finished 11th after a tire suddenly went down with three laps to go while he was leading the race. Sellers made up a lot of ground points-wise in the second race, taking the win while Langley was forced to the sidelines early due to an electrical short-circuit and finished 11th.
Sellers, who has won six South Boston Speedway championships, says he is not changing his approach heading into the season’s final two races.
“We race to win,” pointed out Sellers who has six wins, four pole wins and 15 Top-5 finishes in his 17 starts.
“We’ve been giving it every effort every time. Things like cutting a tire, things like getting caught up in an incident when Trevor (Ward) blew up, you can’t predict that stuff. You can’t do anything to avoid that stuff. It’s just part of racing. We’ve just got to go to work every day and try to maximize everything we can do.”
Langley, who has seven wins, one pole win and 13 Top-5 finishes in 17 starts, had his worst night of the season in the August 5 twinbill. He is looking to bounce back with a strong effort Saturday night.
“It’s going to be intense, for sure,” Langley said in looking ahead at the championship battle over the last two events. “I’m not going to change my approach. At the beginning of the year, I came here to win races. That’s what I’ve been focusing on, just getting this car fast every week and having a shot at winning. We’re just going to show up and try to win races.”
Four drivers are in contention for the title in the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division where there have been seven different race winners this season. Jason Myers of Hurt, Virginia holds a 16-point edge over 16-year-old Carter Russo of Rougemont, North Carolina. Bob Davis of Thaxton, Virginia is in third place 27 points out of the lead and 11 points behind Russo. Drew Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia sits in fourth place and still has title hopes, trailing Myers by 30 points and trailing Davis by three points.
The title race in the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division has narrowed down to a battle among three drivers. Johnny Layne of Halifax, Virginia leads defending division champion Scott Phillips of Halifax, Virginia by 20 points. Zach Reaves of Danville, Virginia is in third place 24 points behind Layne and four points down to Phillips.
There is plenty of excitement remaining in the championship battle in the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division where five drivers are in contention for the championship. Kendall Milam of Keeling, Virginia holds a narrow five-point lead over Dillon Davis of Nathalie, Virginia entering Saturday night’s event.
D.J. Moser of Ringgold, Virginia is in third place 10 points out of the lead and five points out of second place. Landon Milam of Keeling, Virginia sits in fourth place 16 points out of the lead and six points behind Moser. Jason DeCarlo of Chase City, Virginia is in fifth place, 26 points out of the lead and 10 points behind Landon Milam.
Saturday’s race day schedule has frontstretch spectator gates opening at 3:20 p.m. Practice begins at 3:30 p.m. and qualifying starts at 6 p.m. The first race of the night will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Advance adult general admission tickets are priced at $12 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 $15 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $12 each at the gate on race day.
The latest news and updates about the Italian Delight Family Restaurant Night Race and all of South Boston Speedway’s events can be found on the speedway’s website and 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
