By Joe Chandler
Public Relations Director, South Boston Speedway
South Boston, VA…..One thing was abundantly clear during Saturday’s Open Practice Day at South Boston Speedway – competitors are genuinely excited about getting back to racing at “America’s Hometown Track.”
Twenty-two cars spread among South Boston Speedway’s four regular NASCAR racing divisions were on track during Saturday’s day-long open practice event, a good sign there should be plenty of good competition on the .4-mile oval this season.
“It (South Boston Speedway) is an enjoyable place to come to,” said veteran NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division competitor Mark Wertz of Chesapeake, VA.
“We enjoy the racing here and we enjoy the hospitality. We were geared up to come to Open Practice/Media Day here last year, had the car set up and ready to go and got a call on the Wednesday before saying the track had shut down (due to COVID-19). It was kind of a heartbreaker. This has been a year in the making getting back here, and we’re looking forward to it.”
Late Model Stock Car Division driver Trey Crews of South Boston, Virginia is excited about returning to action at South Boston Speedway.
“I’m looking forward to this year,” said Crews, a winner in 2019 at South Boston Speedway.
“I live a mile away from the track, so it’s really nice having the speedway in my back yard, so to speak. South Boston Speedway is my home track, my roots, and it’s awesome to see the track back open.”
Limited Sportsman Division driver Jason Myers of Hurt, Virginia was also excited to get back onto the speedway.
“It’s been a long last year,” Myers remarked.
“All of us racers want to come out here and have some fun. Obviously due to circumstances we didn’t get to have a whole lot of fun in 2020. I couldn’t be happier than to be able to race this year.”
Limited Sportsman Division competitor J.D. Eversole of North Chesterfield, Virginia is also excited to see racing return to South Boston Speedway.
“I’m happy just to be here practicing today,” Eversole said with a big smile.
“We were ready to go last year, ready to make a run for the championship and didn’t get to race. I came here to practice once last year, and I haven’t really raced since then. I’m excited to be back.”
Eric Winslow of Pelham, North Carolina, who will compete in the Limited Sportsman Division at South Boston Speedway, had planned to sit out the 2020 season. He is excited to return to racing this season.
“I had already planned to sit out, but it (sitting out as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic) puts it in perspective what great freedoms you have when something is taken away and you have a year where your hands are tied.
“I think it’s going to be a great year,” Winslow said of the 2021 season.
“I think people are going to get behind things like racetracks, bowling alleys and things like that opening back up. I think you will see record numbers once you can have record numbers.”
First-year Late Model Stock Car Division competitor Zach Lightfoot of Smithfield, Virginia and Stuart Crews of Long Island, Virginia recorded the fastest laps among the Late Model Stock Car Division drivers on hand. They turned an identical fast lap of 15.064 seconds and 95.592 mph.
Myers posted the best lap of the day among the Limited Sportsman Division drivers with a best lap of 15.254 seconds and 94.401 mph.
South Boston Speedway will open its 2021 season on Saturday, March 20, with the 2 p.m. running of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Twin 75s racing program.
The six-race card will be headlined by twin 75-lap races for the Late Model Stock Car Division and twin 25-lap races for the track’s Limited Sportsman Division. A 30-lap race for the Budweiser Pure Stock Division and a 15-lap race for the Budweiser Hornets Division will round out the afternoon’s action.
Grandstand gates will open at 12:30 p.m. Qualifying starts at 1 p.m. and the first race of the day will get the green flag at 2 p.m.
The latest news and updates about South Boston Speedway and its racing events can be found on the new South Boston Speedway website at www.southbostonspeedway.com and on the speedway’s social media channels. Fans can also subscribe for e-mail updates on the speedway’s website.
