Stacy Puryear Enjoying Best Season at South Boston Speedway in Years; Seeks 10th Career SBS Late Model Win In Saturday Twinbill - Speedway Digest

Stacy Puryear is enjoying the best season he has experienced at South Boston Speedway in several years. It is a refreshing position for the 53-year-old South Boston, Virginia native who has emerged as a top contender this season with his small race team.

Puryear enters the double 75-lap races for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division that will headline the Saturday, June 8 Oak River Realty Race Night event seeking his 10^th career Late Model Stock Car Division race win at South Boston Speedway. He is among a group of four drivers that have posted four Top-5 finishes in six starts at the .4-mile oval this season. Thus far, Puryear has finished in the top 10 in all six starts, and stands sixth in the division points standings, just 19 points out of the lead and only seven points out of second place.

“We should be able to win here, and we want to,” remarked Puryear who, this season, is seeking his first Later Model win at South Boston Speedway in 10 years.

“We want to get up front and win some races. We’ve worked hard. We’ve prepared hard. We’ve had a good year so far. For a little team, we’re doing well.”

Consistency has been the hallmark of Puryear’s success at South Boston Speedway this season. His four Top-5 finishes came in the first four races of the season, and he posted Top-10 finishes in the double-race event on May 11.

“We’ve been really consistent, kept our nose clean and stayed out of trouble,” Puryear pointed out, “which you’ve got to do. We ran the first four events and had four totally different (chassis) setups on the car, and I’ve found something I like the most. That’s encouraging.”

While Puryear is now in his 37^th year of racing it has not been very often that he has competed for a South Boston Speedway division title.

“I’ve run for a championship here at South Boston Speedway only five years,” Puryear pointed out.

“From 1995 to 1999 we raced for a championship. Then, we didn’t come back until 2010. I was Pro Cup racing at the time. I was also crew chief for Kevin Wood, so I didn’t come back to South Boston to race until 2010. I got another Pro Cup deal in 2011 and went back to Pro Cup racing in 2011 and 2012. Since then, I’ve just been hit and miss with the Late Model Stock Car, just moving around, racing when I had the time and money.”

While he is in a good position, Puryear says he is not actively competing for this year’s South Boston Speedway Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division championship.

“We didn’t have any intention of running all of the races this season,” Puryear explained. “We want to keep going until we have a bad run, a crash, an engine failure, or something like that, which I hope doesn’t happen.”

“We need a little help,” Puryear continued. “We need a little money so we can finish what we’ve started. If we could get some help financially and get a little more help in the shop and at the track on Saturdays, I’d say we’d take a shot at it. We’re competing against some heavy hitters with some heavy help and good sponsorship.”

Puryear pointed out that he faces a high level of competition at South Boston Speedway each week.

“It’s as tough a crowd I’ve seen at South Boston Speedway in several years,” he said. “You’ve got seven cars every Saturday night that can win here, and that’s not counting if some heavy hitters from outside come in. There has always been tough competition, and there always will be tough competition here at South Boston Speedway.

“We’re digging and working hard,” Puryear added, “and we want to get better.”

The Saturday, June 8 Oak River Realty Race Night event at South Boston Speedway will include six races. Double 75-lap races for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division will headline Saturday night’s action. A 50-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division race, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and double 15-lap races for the Virginia State Police Heat Hornets Division are also included on the night’s six-race card.

The event schedule for Saturday’s Oak River Realty Race Night event has registration and pit gates opening at 2 p.m. Practice will run from 3:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Frontstretch spectator gates will open at 3:30 p.m. Qualifying is set for 6 p.m., pre-race ceremonies are scheduled for 6:45 p.m. and the first race of the night will start at 7 p.m.

Advance tickets for the Oak River Realty Race Night event are priced at $12 each. Advance tickets 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.

Fans and competitors can find the latest news and updates about the Saturday, June 8 Oak River Realty Race Night event and all other events at South Boston Speedway on the speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours, and through the track’s social media channels.