By Joe Chandler
Director, Public Relations
South Boston Speedway
SOUTH BOSTON, VA (June 5, 2024) – Every event at South Boston Speedway is important to drivers chasing division championships and race wins. However, the Saturday, June 8 Oak River Realty Race Night event at South Boston Speedway carries a somewhat deeper sense of importance for the drivers in two of the track’s four racing divisions.
For the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division drivers, the twin 75-lap races that will headline Saturday night’s six-race card mark the final opportunity to take home a win and hone car setups under race conditions before gearing up for the track’s 200-lap race on Saturday, June 29 that marks the opening race of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown.
Along with that, Saturday night will be a historic night for the competitors in the track’s Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division as they will compete in twin 15-lap races, marking the first time in the division’s history that competitors will battle it out in a double-race event.
A 50-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division and a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division are also set as part of Saturday night’s Oak River Realty Race Night event.
With the season closing in on the midway point there is a six-way battle in progress for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division title. There have been five different winners in six races with two-time NASCAR national champion and current division points leader Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia being the only repeat winner. Craig Moore of Rougemont, North Carolina, Blake Stallings of Danville, Virginia, Kyle Dudley of Roanoke, Virginia and Jacob Borst of Elon, North Carolina have one win each.
Only 19 points separate the top six drivers with Sellers leading Dudley by 12 points. Stallings sits in third place 14 points back, Borst is in fourth-place 15 points back, Mike Looney of Catawba, Virginia is in fifth place 17 points out of the lead, and Stacy Puryear of South Boston, Virginia is 19 points behind Sellers in sixth place.
Saturday night’s twin 15-lap races for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division have the potential to create a big swing for drivers in the division championship chase.
Former division champion Jason DeCarlo of Chase City, Virginia holds a 10-point lead over Steven Layne of Nathalie, Virginia entering Saturday night’s double races. Jordaine Penick of Meherrin, Virginia and Max Sangillo of Farmville, Virginia are tied for third place and stand 12 points behind DeCarlo. First-year competitor Dustin Davis of Nathalie, Virginia sits in fifth place 18 points behind DeCarlo, and Daniel Byrd of Midlothian, Virginia is 20 points out of the lead in sixth place.
Cameron Goble of Ringgold, Virginia has won three of the division’s four races with DeCarlo having one win. DeCarlo is the only driver to have posted a Top-5 finish in all four races. Goble, Layne, and Penick have three Top-5 finishes in four races.
Over in the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, only 15 points stand between first-place and fifth-place. Defending division champion Jason Myers of Hurt, Virginia holds a six-point edge over Eric Winslow of Pelham, North Carolina. Cory Dunn of Salem, Virginia is in third place 11 points out of the lead, and Nathan Crews of Long Island, Virginia and Drew Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia are tied for fourth place 15 points out of the lead.
There have been four different winners in five races with Winslow being the only repeat winner. Myers, Nathan Crews and Drew Dawson have one win each.
Defending division champion Johnny Layne of Halifax, Virginia leads the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division with two wins in three starts, but the division championship chase continues to be a close.
Layne enters Saturday night’s 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division with a narrow four-point lead over Zach Reaves of Danville, Virginia, the winner of the division’s most recent race on May 11. B.J. Reaves of South Boston, Virginia sits in third place seven points behind Layne with Kenny Mills of South Boston, Virginia in fourth place 10 points out of the lead, and Bruce Mayo of Halifax, Virginia occupying fifth place, 15 points behind Layne. There is only a 20-point difference between Layne and former division champion Scott Phillips of Halifax, Virginia who sits in eighth place in the standings.
Saturday’s Oak River Realty Race Night event schedule has registration and pit gates opening at 2 p.m. Practice will start at 3:30 p.m. and run until 5:15 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 Oak River Realty Race Night event are priced at $12 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 $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.
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