There are few, if any, drivers among the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour competitors that are more excited about returning to South Boston Speedway for the Saturday, September 14 Autos By Nelson 280 than Brenden Queen.
Queen, who drives for former NASCAR national champion and former South Boston Speedway champion Lee Pulliam of Alton, Virginia, wants to add to the win column for Pulliam. Pulliam has 52 career wins at South Boston Speedway as a driver and also has won as a car owner.
“I’d love to get Lee a win at his home track,” said Queen who is looking for his first career South Boston Speedway win. “It’s a hometown race for Lee Pulliam Performance. Lee brings such good cars to the racetrack.
I’m excited to get there, and I’m determined that we’ve got to go there and win the race. That’s what we’re going to try to do.”
The Chesapeake, Virginia resident enters Saturday’s 125-lap zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour race locked into a close battle with Connor Hall of Hampton, Virginia for the series championship. He trails Hall by a narrow three-point margin with three races to go, the first of which is Saturday night’s race at South Boston Speedway.
Queen says he is having no problems fielding the pressure of the tight championship points battle.
“That’s mainly because I’ve been trying to claw myself back into this championship fight all year,” said Queen who has two wins, four poles, nine Top-5 finishes, and nine Top-10 finishes in his 14 starts this season.
“I feel I’ve been racing long enough to learn how to handle the pressure. The fact that we have a shot at the championship is something I’m proud of and shows how good of a race team Lee Pulliam Performance is,” Queen continued. “It (the championship) is kind of theirs (Hall’s team) to lose. I just have to try to win the race, do my thing, and if it’s meant to be and the Good Lord wants it to be us, it will work out. If not, we’ve had a heck of a year. We’re going to keep digging. We’re going to do all we can.”
Queen started 12th and finished fourth in last year’s zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour race at South Boston Speedway. Earlier this season Queen finished eighth in South Boston Speedway’s showcase 200-lap Late Model Stock Car Division race.
Queen feels the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour’s recent switch from the Hoosier ST2 tire to the softer Hoosier F45 tires is to his advantage.
“The ST2s were so inconsistent, and that got us in a hole early,” Queen explained. “At South Boston at the 200, I felt like we had a really good car and qualified third. As soon as we rolled off on our race tires we were in the way, and we hadn’t been like that all weekend.
“I’m excited to be back on the F45s,” he added. “That is what I’ve raced on my whole life. I’m looking forward to that. I think it will provide better racing. South Boston has enough grip that we should be able to race pretty hard all night. It’s same tire we raced on last year.”
The ability to qualify well and obtain good track position are factors Queen sees as the keys for success in Saturday night’s 125-lap race.
“It’s so hard to pass, and with the level of the competition on the tour it’s even harder,” Queen pointed out.
“You’ve got to put yourself in good track position. If you don’t qualify well you’ve got to have a car that can pass on the bottom and have enough grip to make that pass. That’s the only two options I see that you can get to the front and win.”
A 100-lap race for the zMAX CARS Pro Late Model Tour will serve as the co-feature event for
the Autos by Nelson 280 event. The championship chase in that division is tight as well with Spencer Davis leading Kaden Honeycutt by four points and Caden Kvapil sitting in third place 24 points behind Davis.
A 30-lap race for the INEX Legend Car Series is also set as part of Saturday night’s four-race program. Keelan Harvick, the 11-year-old son of NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kevin Harvick, and a number of the region’s top INEX U.S. Legend Car competitors will compete in the 30-lap INEX Legend Car race that will mark the first INEX U.S. Legend Car race at the speedway since 2012.
Rounding out the night’s racing action is a 25-lap race for the competitors of the Virginia Mini Cup Racing Association.
Advance tickets for the Autos by Nelson 280 CARS Tour event are priced at $17 each. Advance tickets 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 $20 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $17 each at the gate on race day.
The Saturday, September 14 event schedule has frontstretch grandstand gates opening at 10 a.m. Practice for the two zMAX CARS Tour divisions going from 11:05 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. Practice and qualifying for the U.S. Legend Car series and the Virginia Mini Cup series will go from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. Backstretch and trackside parking gates will open at 3 p.m.
zMAX CARS Tour qualifying starts at 4 p.m., a Fan Fest driver autograph session will be held on the frontstretch from 5:20 p.m. until 6:05 p.m. Pre-race ceremonies will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the first race of the night will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Information about the September 14 Autos By Nelson 280 CARS Tour event at South Boston Speedway and all of the speedway’s events can be found on the speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours, and through the track’s social media channels.
South Boston Speedway PR
