Sellers wins without the best car

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Peyton Sellers admitted he didn’t have the best car, but it was good enough to deliver a win in the 100-lap NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division race that headlined Saturday night’s Southside Disposal Memorial Day Weekend Showdown at South Boston Speedway.

Sellers, of Ringgold, sped past pole winner Stuart Crews of Long Island to take the lead on the 14th lap, with Thomas Scott following him to the front. From there, the race became a battle between Sellers and Scott, with Scott hounding Sellers for the lead for most of the remaining 86 laps.

Scott, of Efland, North Carolina, made several runs at Sellers for the lead, but Sellers fended off Scott’s challenge each time. Sellers gradually inched away from Scott over the last 15 laps, crossing the finish line 1.518 seconds ahead of Scott to take the win.

Email newsletter signup

“It’s good to put this Clarence’s Steak House car in Victory Lane,” Sellers said.

“We didn’t have the best car here tonight. Thomas Scott did. I just kept it (the car) on the bottom. I really didn’t have to make the car wide. I was just able to slide up, and I had good grip off the top side and the bottom. I was just able to beat him on drive-off (off of the corners).”

Scott had multiple opportunities to take the lead but was unwilling to move Sellers out of the way.

“If it had been anybody else, I probably would have used him up a little more,” Scott said.

“They’ve been working hard and he’s running for a national championship. If I wrecked my boss, it would have put me in a weird spot.”

Scott said he felt good knowing he had the best car.

“It feels good to have the best car,” Scott said.

“I ran my right rear tire pretty hard trying to pass him a few times. He was holding strong on the top. When it came time to go the last 15 laps, I just didn’t have any right rear (tire) left to get off of the corner and he was able to get away from me a little bit.”

Jacob Borst of Elon, North Carolina finished third with Crews finishing fourth and Landon Pembelton of Amelia rounding out the top five finishers.

Chris Johnson of Ashland finished sixth and was followed by Carter Langley of Zebulon, North Carolina, Trey Crews of Halifax, Camden Gullie of Durham, North Carolina and Chris Denny of Timberlake, North Carolina.

EVERSOLE CAPTURES LIMITED SPORTSMAN DIVISION VICTORY

It has been two full seasons since J.D. Eversole of North Chesterfield won a NASCAR Limited Sportsman Division race at South Boston Speedway. The long drought came to an end Saturday night in the first 25-lap race of what had been scheduled as twin 25-lap races.

Eversole took the lead on the opening lap of the race and fended off a challenge from Drew Dawson of Nathalie in a two-lap dash to the finish that followed the last of the race’s three caution flags to secure his first win of the season.

Dawson finished second .569-second behind Eversole with Eric Winslow of Pelham, North Carolina finishing third. Daniel Crews of Long Island and Andrew Amos of Callands rounded out the top five finishers.

JOHNNY LAYNE SCORES

HIS FIRST WIN

Johnny Layne of Halifax had to wait through a lengthy rain delay, but the wait was worth it as he captured his first win of the season in Saturday night’s 30-lap Budweiser Pure Stock Division race.

Layne led twice in the race, leading all but seven laps enroute to a 1.242-second win over runner-up Justin Dawson of Nathalie. Scott Phillips of Halifax finished third in his best outing of the season. Bruce Mayo of Halifax and Randy Hupp of Halifax completed the top five finishers.

Rain washed out the night’s scheduled second 25-lap Limited Sportsman Division race and the 15-lap Budweiser Hornets Division race.

NEXT RACE

South Boston Speedway will continue its Celebrate America Campaign when NASCAR racing action returns to “America’s Hometown Track” Saturday, June 12, with the Halifax Insurance NASCAR Late Model Twin 75s racing program.

Twin 75-lap races for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division will headline the five-race card. A 50-lap race for the Limited Sportsman Division, a 30-lap race for the Budweiser Pure Stock Division and a 15-lap race for the Budweiser Hornets Division are also included in the night’s racing action.

The race day schedule has registration and pit gates opening at 2 p.m. Practice will begin at 4 p.m. and grandstand gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Qualifying will start at 6 p.m. and the first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m.