SOUTH BOSTON, VA (June 17, 2023) -- Carter Langley and Peyton Sellers repeated an earlier performance Saturday night, splitting wins in the twin 60-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division races that highlighted the Sentara Health Prelude to the 200 at South Boston. Speedway.
The pair had split a twin-race event at South Boston Speedway on April 1.
Langley, from Zebulon, North Carolina, won the first 60-lap race, taking the lead from Sellers with 13 laps to go and edging Sellers by 1.881-seconds at the finish. It was the sixth win of the season for Langley at South Boston Speedway.
Eddie Slagle of Powhatan, Virginia, Jacob Borst of Elon, North Carolina and Camden Gullie of Durham, North Carolina rounded out the top five finishers in the race that saw the lead swap hands twice among the two drivers.
Sellers took the lead from Langley on the tenth lap and, at one point, appeared to have the race in hand. However, Langley rallied and sped past him to take the lead on lap 48.
“I really didn’t think I had anything for Peyton,” Langley remarked. “The car just came to life once the sun went down.”
Sellers was confident about his chances to take the win after taking the lead from Langley early in the race.
“I thought I was going to have enough to hold him off,” Sellers noted. “I think he was sandbagging on me a little bit. That’s part of racing. He did a good job. He made a good run to the top side, and I couldn’t move up.”
With the top eight finishers of the first race inverted for the start of the second race, it took Sellers and Langley some time to get to the front of the field.
Sellers won a mid-race battle with Gullie, taking the lead from Gullie on the 36th lap. Two caution periods in the last 22 laps of the race, the last of which created a restart with 13 laps to go, gave Sellers an opportunity to cool his tires. That proved to be the difference.
Sellers got a good start on the restart, opened up a small lead, and held it the rest of the race. His margin over Langley was .400-second.
“That restart helped us, no doubt about it,” said Sellers who earned his fifth win of the season at South Boston Speedway and his eighth victory for the season. “I was able to cool the tires and get a good run for the last 10 laps of whatever it was. Sometimes you’ve got to be luckier than good, and tonight we were good, but we were lucky too.”
Langley had closed the gap on Sellers and was battling Sellers for the win until the final caution flag flew. That caution flag hurt Langley’s effort.
“The last restart really hurt us because I couldn’t take off on the short run,” Langley explained. “He and I were going to duke it out to the end. Peyton had a really good short-run car and that’s what paid off.”
Borst finished third, Mark Keesee of Altavista, Virginia earned a fourth-place finish and Jessica Cann of Kernersville, North Carolina rounded out the top five finishers. It was the best finish of the season for both Keesee and Cann at South Boston Speedway.
Gullie, who had led 32 laps of the race, finished sixth after being involved in the mishap that resulted in the race’s final caution flag with 13 laps to go.
Myers, Crews Take Victories InBudweiser Limited Sportsman Division Twinbill
After there had been five different winners in the season’s first five races in South Boston Speedway’s Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division repeat winners emerged in Saturday night’s twin 30-lap races.
Jason Myers of Hurt, Virginia and Nathan Crews of Long Island, Virginia split wins in the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division twinbill, with both drivers earning their second win of the season at the .4-mile oval.
Myers, from Hurt, Virginia, won the first 30-lap race, edging Crews by .649-second to earn the victory. Jared Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia and Justin Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia finished third and fourth respectively, and Carter Russo of Rougemont, North Carolina rounded out the top five finishers.
There were two lead changes among Myers and Jared Dawson, with Dawson leading for 10 laps and Myers leading twice for a total of 20 laps.
Crews won the nightcap, driving to a 2.445-second win over Chris Donnelly of Montross, Virginia. Myers finished third, Bob Davis of Thaxton, Virginia finished fourth and Ross Mountcasel of Crewe, Virginia completed the top five finishers.
Scott Phillips Scores First Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division Win Of The Season
Saturday night was a big night for defending Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division Champion Scott Phillips of Halifax, Virginia.
Phillips won the 25-lap race held as part of the Sentara Health Prelude to the 200 at South Boston Speedway, earning his first win of the season at South Boston Speedway.
The Halifax, Virginia resident scored a dominant win, speeding under the checkered flag 4.216 seconds ahead of division points leader Johnny Layne of Halifax, Virginia.
Bruce Mayo of Halifax, Virginia, B.J. Reaves of South Boston, Virginia and Zach Reaves of Danville, Virginia finished third through fifth.
Kendall Milam Wins 20-Lap VSP HEAT Hornets Division Race
Kendall Milam of Keeling, Virginia won Saturday night’s 20-lap Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division race at South Boston Speedway, picking up his second win of the season.
Milam finished 1.079-second ahead of Dillon Davis of Nathalie, Virginia to earn the win.
Landon Milam of Keeling, Virginia, D.J. Moser of Ringgold, Virginia and Jordaine Penick of Drakes Branch, Virginia completed the top five finishers.
Next Race At South Boston Speedway
South Boston Speedway will host its showcase event, the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort on Saturday night, July 1.
Highlighting the event is a 200-lap race for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division paying $10,000 to win. That race is the first race of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown.
Also scheduled are a 40-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 20-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division.
A special Fourth of July fireworks show will be held immediately following the final race of the night. Special patriotic festivities will be featured during pre-race ceremonies and a driver autograph session is scheduled on the frontstretch following qualifying.
Friday, June 30 will be Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 Practice Day. Practice will run from 11 a.m. until 7:45 p.m. and fans can watch practice free of charge and visit with drivers after practice.
The tentative race day schedule for the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort on Saturday, July 1 has registration and pit gates opening at 10 a.m. Frontstretch spectator gates will open at 12:30 p.m. Practice starts at 1 p.m. Backstretch and Turn 4 trackside tailgating gates will open at 3:30 p.m.
Qualifying for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division is set for 4:15 p.m. An autograph session is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Pre-race ceremonies are slated for 6:35 p.m. and the first race will start at 7 p.m.
Advance adult general admission tickets are priced at $20 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 $25 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $20 each at the gate on race day.
Fans and competitors can find the latest updates and information on the speedway’s website and through 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.
RACE RESULTS:
CLICK HERE for June 17 race results.
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