It has taken a lot of years of trying but Burt Myers has finally broken the ice by earning a victory at South Boston Speedway.
The veteran racer from Walnut Cove, North Carolina took the lead from Mike Speeney on the 86th lap and held off former NASCAR star Ryan Newman and Jake Crum in a two-lap dash to the finish following the race’s final restart to win the 99-lap Battle of SoBo SMART Modified Tour race that headlined Saturday afternoon’s Hitachi Energy Power Up Race Day event at South Boston Speedway.
Myers’ margin of victory over Newman was .410-seconds.
“I can remember watching my dad race here back in the old SMART days a long time ago, and I got to be in Victory Lane with my dad that day, but I haven’t been able to celebrate it with me with my win,” Myers noted.
With the victory, Myers continues to have a shot at the tour championship.
“The fashion we did it in is a pretty good day for us,” Myers said. “The car wasn’t great in the beginning, but the longer it ran the better it got. It didn’t have raw speed, we learned that when we tested here last week, but we had a car that could go for a long time and be fast for a long time. We made the right adjustments at the pit stop to be able to hold onto the lead and drive away.”
Newman felt good about his runner-up finish after having worked his way up from his 12th starting spot.
“We were good,” the South Bend, Indiana native remarked. “We were a little bit behind the eight-ball on track position. We had a chance on the restart, but he (Myers) didn’t go, then he kind of went, and then he finally went, but I had to give it (the lead) back to him because he didn’t go in the zone that I thought he was going to go. I tried to predict it (the restart) and had a good run on him getting into (turn) one and I tried to cross him over, and he had just enough nose on me going into (turn) three.”
Title contenders Luke Baldwin of Mooresville, North Carolina and Freehold, New Jersey native Danny Bohn finished fourth and fifth respectively. Joey Coulter of Miami Springs, Florida, pole starter Patrick Staropolia of Houston, Texas, Brandon Ward of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Anthony Bello of Newtown, Connecticut and Daniel Yates of Lexington, North Carolina rounded out the top 10 finishers in the race that was extended to 100 laps due to an overtime finish. Championship title contender Carson Loftin had a tough day and finished 16th.
The race was highly competitive with four lead changes among four drivers. Myers led twice for a total of 28 laps. Baldwin led the most laps, leading the field for 39 circuits. Jonathan Cash led the first 28 laps of the race, and Speeney led five laps.
Jeff Melton Wins 50-Lap STAR Super Stock Tour Race
Jeff Melton of Mooresville, North Carolina started on the pole and led every lap enroute to winning the Stars Align Biggie 50 STAR Super Stock Tour race presented by Harrison and Learn Community Management Saturday afternoon at South Boston Speedway.
Melton collected $1,000 for winning the race that marked the regional touring series’ first-ever visit to South Boston Speedway. He also won the Volt Battery Pole Award for the event.
Gary Ledbetter finished second, .615-second behind Melton with Cody DeMarmels of Maiden, North Carolina, Jay Henson of Lexington, North Carolina and Chris Riendeau of Weathersfield, Vermont rounding out the top five finishers.
Mike Cooper, who entered the race occupying second place in the point standings, finished 11th and series points leader Alby Ovitt of Raleigh, North Carolina finished 12th after both were involved in a crash.
A dozen cars started the race that was slowed by four caution periods.
Mendenhall, Dalton Capture Wins In 25-Lap Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club Race
Steve Mendenhall of Clayton, North Carolina started on the pole in his 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air and scored a flag-to-flag overall race win and the Sportsman Division win in the 25-lap race for the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club Saturday afternoon at South Boston Speedway.
Barry Dalton of Danville, Virginia, driving a 1936 Chevrolet coupe, won the Modified Division chase with an overall fifth-place finish in the race.
The top five finishers in the race were Mendenhall, Sportsman Division points leader Josh Roberts of Carson, Virginia, Bobby Griffin of Stokesdale, North Carolina, Kevin Floars of Clayton, North Carolina and Dalton. The top four finishers were Sportsman Division competitors.
The latest news and updates at South Boston Speedway 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
