Kyle Dudley achieved two major milestones when he won the 100-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division race on April 20 at South Boston Speedway to become the division’s fourth different winner in as many races this season.
First, the win was Dudley’s first career South Boston Speedway win. Along with it, Dudley became the 100th different driver to win a NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division race at South Boston Speedway since the division became the track’s feature division in 1983.
“It’s a dream come true,” Dudley remarked after his win. “This is such an awesome day and such a real experience. I’m so proud of the team and the guys for all of this work.”
Ironically, the Roanoke, Virginia resident initially wasn’t all-in on competing in the April 20 race at South Boston Speedway. Dudley and his team had struggled in their previous three races at the .4-mile oval this season. He had posted a fifth-place finish in the season-opener and had logged a pair of seventh-place finishes in a double-race event on April 13.
“I’ve really been frustrated,” the 2022 Motor Mile Speedway NASCAR Late Model champion and five-time former Franklin County Speedway Late Model champion said.
“We came here only twice last year and were really fast both times,” Dudley pointed out. “This year we came here and struggled. We were so discouraged after the first couple of weeks I didn’t know if we’d ever be competitive.
“We went to work on the car,” continued Dudley. “We changed everything on it – the shocks, springs, sway bar, you name it, we messed with it.”
It wasn’t until he had a good day during Friday’s pre-race practice day that Dudley decided to compete at the .4-mile oval on Saturday.
“I told the guys I really wasn’t committed to coming here and racing, but we’ll go to practice on Friday with all of the changes we made, and if we’re good, we’re staying,” Dudley explained.
“We were really good.”
Dudley’s car was stout throughout the 100-lap race.
“We were able to keep people where we needed to and maintained our lead,” Dudley pointed out. “I could kind of do what I wanted with the car. I could run the car where I needed to, free it up if I needed to, or tighten it up and not abuse the right-side tire. I felt we had more in the tank when we needed it.
“Hat’s off to my crew,” he added. “Everybody’s been working hard on this thing. You don’t get to drive racecars like that very often.”
Dudley noted that winning a race against the level of the competition seen at South Boston Speedway is a big achievement.
“There are six or eight cars here that can win on any given week,” Dudley pointed out. “To come here and outrun these boys, you’re doing something right. It’s just who makes the right changes and how circumstances play out.”
Dudley’s win puts him only six points out of the lead held by Peyton Sellers heading into the God’s Pit Crew Race Night presented by Billy’s A/C Service event on Saturday night, May 4.
While Dudley is in a great position in the track point standings he says he does not intend to get involved in points racing.
“I know we’re running well,” Dudley remarked. “Sometimes when you get into points racing it feels more like a job than fun. We come to have fun. We don’t want to get into the stress of having to worry about everything, so we’re going to keep going like we have been and try collect trophies.”
Six races are slated when NASCAR racing returns to South Boston Speedway with the God’s Pit Crew Race Night presented by Billy’s A/C Service event on Saturday night, May 4. Double 75-lap races for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division will headline the night’s racing action. A 50-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, double 15-lap races for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division, and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division will round out the event.
First Responder Appreciation Night will be held as part of the Saturday, May 4 event. All first responders will be admitted free with a valid department ID/badge or a department roster signed by the chief with accompanying government-issued ID. In addition, there will be a parade lap of fire trucks, emergency vehicles and police cars from various agencies in the area during pre-race ceremonies.
The God’s Pit Crew Race Night presented by Billy’s A/C Service event schedule has registration and pit gates opening at 2 p.m. Practice will run from 3:25 p.m. to 5:05 p.m. Frontstretch spectator gates will open at 3:30 p.m. Qualifying is set for 6 p.m., pre-race ceremonies are scheduled for 6:45 p.m. and the first race of the night will start at 7 p.m.
Advance tickets for the God’s Pit Crew Race Night presented by Billy’s A/C Service event are priced at $12 each. Advance tickets may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.comor 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.
Fans and competitors can find the latest news and updates from South Boston Speedway 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.
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