By Joe Chandler
Director, Public Relations
South Boston Speedway
SOUTH BOSTON, VA (October 7, 2023) – For Deac McCaskill the 125-lap Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour race that headlined Saturday night’s Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Virginia Is For Lovers at South Boston Speedway resembled a picture from the past.
The Raleigh, North Carolina resident created a reproduction of a familiar picture from the past at South Boston Speedway, riding the high line all night and making it pay off, this time with his second victory of the season in the series and his first CARS Tour win at South Boston Speedway in five years.
“I have a lot of great memories here doing that,” McCaskill remarked. “I went on the bottom for one lap, and that was it. I was committed to the high line the whole time. It’s crazy. I’ve been here for two days testing and I was on the bottom about every lap. I didn’t go up to the top until the race started.”
McCaskill edged 2022 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series National Champion and 2022 South Boston Speedway NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division champion Layne Riggs of Bahama, North Carolina by .352-second, or by about four car lengths for the win and the $7,000 winner’s prize.
While McCaskill led all 125 laps of the race he had a tough battle throughout, having to fend off both Riggs and former CARS Tour champion Bobby McCarty. Riggs made several runs at McCaskill during the second half of the race, pulling up beside McCaskill on the inside on multiple occasions. Each time, McCaskill would forge a small margin between them.
“It was hard,” McCaskill pointed out. “It was touch-and-go a few times. I just knew if I could keep my momentum going I would be okay.”
Riggs, driving an entry out of the Kevin Harvick Inc. stable, did all he could do trying to get around McCaskill but came up just short.
“It was an awesome race,” Riggs said. “Huge congrats to Deac. It was a lot of fun. I think he and I are the only two that could put on a race that good for the fans to the finish. I’m super glad to get to race with him. He’s been an idle of mine for many years. He’s been racing this track running the high line before I was born.”
The difference, Riggs, said, was track position. “The car was really good,” Riggs continued. “It was a track position game. The high side was so strong tonight. We were so evenly matched that it was tough to do anything with him.”
McCarty, of Summerfield, North Carolina, finished third, less than a tenth of a second behind Riggs. Brenden Queen of Chesapeake, Virginia and series points leader Carson Kvapil of Mooresville, North Carolina, driving a car out of the JR Motorsports stable, rounded out the top five finishers.
Landon Huffman of Claremont, North Carolina, Ryan Millington of Statesville, North Carolina, Chase Burrow of Mechanicsville, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway race winner Trevor Ward of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Chad McCumbee of Supply, North Carolina completed the top 10 finishers in the 29-car field.
Former NASCAR star Kenny Wallace finished 21st driving a car out of the R&S Racecars stable in his CARS Tour debut. The popular racing personality said he enjoyed his visit to the .4-mile oval, his first trip back since 1996.
“The place looks brand new,” Wallace remarked. “They’ve got beautiful suites, and nice asphalt. I’m very impressed and I’m happy because we don’t want to see these racetracks go by the wayside. I’m happy to see South Boston thriving.”
The 125-lap race was punctuated by five caution flags that included a competition caution. The race took one hour and one minute to complete.
Nick Loden Wins CARS Pro Late Model Tour Race
Nick Loden of Stanley, North Carolina surged past Cole Butcher with four laps to go and edged Butcher by .326-second to win the 100-lap CARS Pro Late Model Tour race Saturday night at South Boston Speedway.
The win was the first of the season for Loden on the CARS Pro Late Model Tour. He took home a $4,000 prize.
There were three lead changes between Butcher and Loden, all occurring over the course of the last 15 laps of the race. Butcher, of Porters Lake, Canada, led the first 84 laps of the race but was pressured throughout by Loden and series points leader Caden Kvapil. Loden grabbed the lead on lap 85 and led until a caution flag waved with five laps left in the race.
Butcher surged into the lead for a lap after the restart only to see Loden mount another successful charge to the front with four laps left in the race. Once in front, Loden was able to hang on and secure the win.
Austin MacDonald of Pictou, Nova Scotia finished fourth and Ryan Moore of Mooresville, North Carolina rounded out the top five finishers.
Katie Hettinger of Metamora, Michigan, who entered the race trailing Kvapil by one point in the series point standings, finished sixth with Ashton Higgins of Weaverville, North Carolina, Charlie Keeven of Hazelwood, Missouri, Logan Jones of Fredericksburg, Virginia and George Phillips of Newton, North Carolina rounding out the rest of the top 10 finishers.
Tyler Warriner Wins 25-Lap Virginia Mini-Cup Racing Association Race
Tyler Warriner of Glen Allen, Virginia started on the pole and scored a flag-to-flag win in the 25-lap Virginia Mini-Cup Racing Association race Saturday night. Saturday night’s event was the first visit of the series to South Boston Speedway.
Warriner sped across the finish line 1.449-seconds ahead of runner-up Zach Sprouse of Stafford, Virginia in taking the win.
Noah Matthews of Glen Allen, Virginia, John Hager of Louisa, Virginia and Harley Hatten of Chesterfield, Virginia rounded out the top five finishers.
Next Race At South Boston Speedway
The stars and cars of the SMART Modified Tour will return to South Boston Speedway on Saturday afternoon, October 14 for the Boone Tractor 199 presented by Massey Ferguson.
The Pace-O-Matic 99 for the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic will headline the day’s racing action. A 50-lap race is set for the Carolina Crate Modified Series which will be making its first visit to South Boston Speedway, and twin 25-lap races for the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club will round out the program.
Advance adult general admission tickets for the Boone Tractor 199 presented by Massey Ferguson are priced at $17 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 on Saturday, October 14 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 event schedule for the Saturday, October 14 Boone Tractor 199 presented by Massey Ferguson event has frontstretch spectator gates opening at 10:30 a.m. and practice going from 10:30 a.m. until 12:25 p.m. Qualifying will begin at 1 p.m. and an autograph session is scheduled from 2 p.m. until 2:45 p.m. The first race will get the green flag at 3 p.m.
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