SOUTH BOSTON, VA (Oct. 3, 2023) -- The Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Virginia Is For Lovers CARS Tour event Saturday night, October 7 at South Boston Speedway is highlighted on Layne Riggs’ calendar.
Riggs, the 2022 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series National Champion and 2022 South Boston Speedway NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division champion, won 16 races a season ago in winning the national title, 10 of them at South Boston Speedway.
Last October he battled for the lead against Carson Kvapil and Landon Pembelton all night in the 2022 edition of the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour race at South Boston Speedway. Driving his family’s car, Riggs led 53 laps of the 125-lap race before finishing a close second to Kvapil.
The Bahama, North Carolina resident is returning to South Boston Speedway for the 125-lap Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour race that will highlight Saturday night’s Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Virginia Is For Lovers CARS Tour event at the .4-mile oval, this time driving an entry for Kevin Harvick Inc. headed by crew chief Chad Haney.
“This is the race we circled on the calendar saying we should go win this one,” Riggs remarked. “It (South Boston Speedway) is a track we have a lot of notes on, and Kevin’s and Rodney’s experience is a lethal combination. It’s the race we should win.
“I thought we ran well here last year, and, frankly, should have won the race,” he continued. “I’m super thankful to Kevin Harvick and Rodney (Childers) and all of them for letting me drive this car and to be surrounded by such talented people and applying my knowledge of racing here, winning the championship here and meshing it with their knowledge from Cup cars and many years of experience to build a really fast racecar.
“They have a lot of faith in me,” Riggs added, “and I have a lot of faith in them. We’re building fast racecars and building the KHI program.”
Winning Saturday night’s 125-lap Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour race would be big for Riggs who will be making his fourth start of the season in the Kevin Harvick Inc. entry.
“I think it would be more of proving again that I am the dominant force here at this racetrack,” Riggs said. “It would be awesome to win for Kevin and Delana Harvick and Rodney. They deserve to be in Victory Lane with all of the financial funding, time, and effort that the guys on the race team are putting in. There are a lot more people involved that are bringing their minds together to build this program. Winning for those guys is what it’s all about.”
Riggs and the KHI team recently tested the car at South Boston Speedway and Riggs was pleased with the results.
“From what I felt on the track, I think I have a really, really strong car,” he pointed out. I said it (the car) was comparable to what it felt like every race I won here at South Boston Speedway last year. I think that’s pretty scary for the competition to know.”
While Riggs is confident heading into Saturday night’s event, he knows he faces a tough task against the high level of competition in the CARS Tour ranks.
“Any CARS Tour race is hard to win,” Riggs noted. “From what I have seen so far, this is harder to win than a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. Having near-perfect days is what it takes to win races on the CARS Tour now. The competition is getting stiffer and stiffer, I think this year especially, considering the new management, the people, and car count every weekend. Winning one of these races is more prestigious than it ever has been, and people put extra effort and stay up later the extra night to make sure they can try to win the race on the weekend.”
The Saturday night, October 7 Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Virginia Is For Lovers CARS Tour event at South Boston Speedway will feature the top drivers of the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour along with former NASCAR star and popular racing personality Kenny Wallace who will be making his Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour debut in the event. Wallace will drive an entry out of the R&S Racecars stable located near South Boston Speedway in Cluster Springs, Virginia.
Three races including Saturday night’s event at South Boston Speedway remain in the chase for the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour championship. Kvapil, of Mooresville, North Carolina, the winner of last year’s race at South Boston Speedway, leads Brendan Queen of Chesapeake, Virginia by 34 points entering Saturday’s event. Mason Diaz of Manassas, Virginia sits in third place, 100 points out of the lead.
Saturday night’s Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Virginia Is For Lovers at South Boston Speedway includes three races highlighted by the 125-lap race for the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour.
A 100-lap race for the CARS Pro Late Model Tour and a 25-lap race for the regional touring Virginia Mini-Cup Racing Association will round out the night’s racing action.
An exciting championship battle is being waged in the CARS Pro Late Model Tour. Caden Kvapil of Mooresville, North Carolina leads Katie Hettinger of Abingdon, Virginia by one point in the series championship battle heading into Saturday night’s 100-lap CARS Pro Late Model Tour race with Ashton Higgins of Weaverville, North Carolina in third place, 63 points out of the lead.
Advance adult general admission tickets for the Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Virginia Is For Lovers CARS Tour event 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 7 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.
Saturday’s race day schedule has practice for the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Late Model Stock Tour and CARS Pro Late Model Tour being held from 11 a.m. until 1:15 p.m. Practice and qualifying for the Virginia Mini-Cup series is set from 3:30 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
Spectator gates will open at 3:45 p.m. CARS Tour qualifying starts at 4:15 p.m. A Fan Fest driver autograph session on the frontstretch of the speedway is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. until 6:15 p.m. Driver introductions and pre-race ceremonies start at 6:30 p.m. The first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
The latest news and updates about the Autos By Nelson 250 presented by Virginia Is For Lovers CARS Tour event and other South Boston Speedway events can be found on the speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, 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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