New leader emerges in Late Model division

Published 12:12 am Saturday, July 15, 2023

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A new leader has emerged in the quest for the hotly contested South Boston Speedway Late Model division championship.

Carter Langley of Zebulon, North Carolina has taken the points lead from six-time South Boston Speedway champion Peyton Sellers of Danville and holds a four-point edge over Sellers entering the twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division that headline the July 15 Billy’s A/C Service Night Race event at South Boston Speedway.

Langley finished eighth in the 200-lap race on July 1 at South Boston Speedway and Sellers finished 17th after his car was heavily damaged in a crash that occurred during the first half of that event.

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Sellers held a five-point lead over Langley entering the July 1 event. Langley finished nine positions ahead of Sellers in the race, an effort good enough to allow Langley, who leads the division with six wins, to regain the points lead in the back-and-forth battle between the two drivers.

“It was definitely a good points night,” Langley remarked after the July 1 event. “Josh Yeoman put a great setup under this car for me to be able to finish the race and gain some track points.”

Reclaiming the points lead was a nice shot in the arm for Langley who has two wins and a runner-up finish in his last six starts.

“It feels good,” Langley said of reclaiming the division points lead. “We’ve just got to keep our heads down, keep on grinding it out, and try to have good weekends every weekend.”

With four nights of racing and a total of six races left in the season for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division, Langley won’t be changing from the approach that has led him to success thus far this season.

“We’re going to come to South Boston Speedway and try to have fun and try to win races like we have done all season,” explained Langley. “I’m not going to change that. Every time I have ever tried to points race, it has never worked out in my favor, so I’m just going to go out and have fun.”

Langley and Sellers have been the pivotal figures in the chase for the South Boston Speedway Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division title. Langley has six wins, 11 Top-5 finishes, 13 Top-10 finishes, and one pole win in his 13 starts. Sellers has five victories, 12 Top-5 finishes, 12 Top-10 finishes, and four pole wins in his 13 starts.

Jacob Borst of Elon, North Carolina stands third in the division point standings and trails Langley by 34 points. Camden Gullie of Durham, North Carolina is in fourth place 79 points out of the lead and Aaron Donnelly of Stafford, Virginia rounds out the top five, standing 123 points behind Langley.

A total of seven races are slated for the July 15 Billy’s A/C Service Night Race event at South Boston Speedway. Twin races will be featured in two divisions with twin 75-lap races set for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division and twin 30-lap races slated for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division.

A 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division, a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division, and a 25-lap race for the regional touring East Coast Ford Flathead Racing Association will round out the night’s racing action.

Saturday’s event schedule has registration and pit gates opening at 2 p.m. Frontstretch spectator gates will open at 3:20 p.m. and practice will start at 3:30 p.m. Backstretch spectator and tailgate section gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Qualifying starts at 6 p.m. and the first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m.

Advance adult general admission tickets are priced at $12 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 $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.