SOUTH BOSTON, VA (June 4, 2023) -- The lengthy string of nine wins that Carter Langley and six-time South Boston Speedway champion Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia had achieved between themselves at South Boston Speedway this season was broken in Saturday night’s Bojangles Night Race event, but not before Langley had extended the string one more time.
Langley, of Zebulon, North Carolina, won the first race of the twin 75-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division races that highlighted the Bojangles Night Race event, edging Sellers by just a few feet at the finish line to record his fifth win of the season and extend the string.
Aaron Donnelly of Stafford, Virginia won the second race, edging Sellers by about a foot as they crossed the finish line, and crashed into the wall in the first turn after taking the checkered flag. The damage to the car was extensive enough that the car had to be towed to victory lane by a wrecker.
“It was a heck of a way to get my first Late Model win,” Donnelly said with a big smile. “I’m glad to finally get a win tonight. We needed this win badly. I was going to do whatever it took.”
Donnelly and Sellers battled each other hard in the closing laps, making contact as they approached and crossed the finish line. Donnelly’s official margin of victory was .088-second.
“Peyton ran me clean,” Donnelly pointed out. “My car started going away the last 15 or 20 laps. He could have jacked me up and probably have wrecked me and won the race. I kind of forced the issue. I wanted to get my first win bad. I’ve been on the other side with him. I was doing my best to not let it happen again tonight.”
Donnelly said coming to the finish line “we didn’t hit too hard. I kind of ran into him and he didn’t run me into the wall. I appreciate him not wrecking me in the last corner.”
Donnelly took the blame for the last-lap crash.
“I was so focused on where Peyton was,” he explained. “I looked back up and got too high on the straightaway. I was going too fast and couldn’t get the car back down. I was going to win at all costs.”
Sellers, who has four wins at South Boston Speedway this season, ended the night with a pair of runner-up finishes. He said it wasn’t a bad night.
“It was good racing for the fans,” Sellers remarked. “We came up on the short side of it but it’s all about putting on a show for these fans. We had a good average for the most part. You hate to let them get away from you like that too.”
Sellers noted that Donnelly was good on the high side of the track.
“He was rim-riding the whole night,” Sellers said. “He made a lot of speed. On that last corner, he made way more speed than he had the few laps before. When he sent it off in there, I really thought I could get to him and at least get a nose out ahead of him. At the end of the day, it just didn’t work out. He had a good car.”
Langley took the lead from Sellers with six laps left in the race and then had to fend off Sellers in a three-lap dash to the finish that followed the race’s only caution period to win the first 75-lap race.
He had to settle for an eighth-place finish in the second race due to an issue with his car’s clutch. It was the first time he had not finished in the top three at South Boston Speedway this season.
“Peyton puts up a great fight,” Langley pointed out. “I try to give him a run for his money every week. We had a good car in the first race, and I felt we had a really good car for the second race. I was going down the backstretch at the start of the (second) race and was ready to take green flag and the clutch pedal went to the floor. I couldn’t get the car into gear until we came off of turn three. It put us behind.”
Mike Looney of Catawba, Virginia finished third behind Langley and Sellers in the first 75-lap race. Trevor Ward of Winston-Salem, North Carolina finished fourth and Thomas Scott of Efland, North Carolina finished fifth.
Looney finished third in the second race as well with Landon Pembelton of Amelia, Virginia and G.R. Waldrop rounded out the top five finishers.
The nightcap ran caution free and saw two lead changes between Donnelly and Sellers. Donnelly led all but four laps of the race.
Nathan Crews Scores First Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division Race Win
Nathan Crews of Long Island, Virginia, who had won two South Boston Speedway Pure Stock Division championships, scored his first career win in South Boston Speedway’s Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division Saturday night and did it in a dominant fashion.
Crews grabbed the lead with a three-wide move in the third turn on the opening lap and led the entire 50-lap distance, scoring a 7.644-second win over runner-up Bob Davis of Thaxton, Virginia.
With the win Crews became the fifth different driver in as many races to visit Victory Lane in the division this season.
Dusty Garus of Summerville, South Carolina finished third with Carter Russo of Rougemont, North Carolina and Drew Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia rounding out the top-five finishers. The second-place effort by Davis and the third-place finish for Garus were their best efforts of the season to date.
Johnny Layne Sweeps Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division Twinbill
Johnny Layne of Halifax, Virginia had a big night Saturday night, sweeping the twin 15-lap Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division races held during Saturday night’s Bojangles Night Race event at South Boston Speedway.
Saturday night’s sweep gives Layne, a two-time former division champion, four wins in the season’s first five races.
Layne won the pole and led the entire race in the first race, edging B.J. Reaves of South Boston, Virginia by .429-second. Zach Reaves of Danville, Virginia finished third with Jarrett Milam of Keeling, Virginia and Caleb Sanford of South Boston, Virginia completing the top five finishers.
Starting seventh in the nightcap as the result of an inverted start among the top finishers of the first race, Layne quickly got to the front of the field, speeding past Reaves on the fourth lap to take the lead.
Once in front, Layne was able to stay there the rest of the way and finished .473-second ahead of Sanford. B.J. Reaves finished third, Bruce Mayo of Halifax, Virginia finished fourth and Scott Phillips of Halifax, Virginia rounded out the top five finishers.
Cameron Goble Scores Victory In The20-Lap VSP HEAT Hornets Division Race
Cameron Goble of Ringgold, Virginia won Saturday night’s 20-lap Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division race at South Boston Speedway and became the first repeat winner in the division this season.
There had been different winners in the season’s first four races heading into this event.
The finishing order of the race is being reviewed and a final decision on the official outcome will be made in the coming week.
Next Race At South Boston Speedway
NASCAR racing will return to South Boston Speedway on Saturday night, June 17 with the Sentara Health Prelude to the 200.
First Responders Night presented by Viny’s Italian Restaurant will be held as part of the 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.
Twin 60-lap races for the Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division will headline the night’s racing action. Also scheduled are twin 30-lap races for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division.
Practice will start at 3:30 p.m. and qualifying will begin 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 for fans and competitors 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.
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