It was a tough task but Peyton Sellers staged a pair of torrid rallies to sweep Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Late Model Twin 75s at South Boston Speedway.
The five-time South Boston Speedway NASCAR track champion powered his way through the field from his fifth-place starting spot, grabbed the lead from rookie Jacob Borst of Elon, North Carolina on lap 12 and edged Borst by 1.315 seconds to win the first of the pair of 75-lap NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division races.
Mike Looney of Catawba, North Carolina, the 2019 NASCAR national runner-up, finished third with Chris Johnson of Mechanicsville, Virginia and Stuart Crews of Long Island, Virginia rounding out the top five finishers.
Sellers started ninth in the nightcap as a result of the top nine finishers of the opener being inverted for the start of the second race. The Danville, Virginia resident took the lead from Mark Wertz of Chesapeake, Virginia on the eighth circuit and appeared to be headed to a comfortable win.
A caution flag on lap 41 closed up the field and set up an intense battle between Sellers and Looney to decide the outcome. The pair made contact as they battled for the lead, with Looney edging in front on lap 42 before Sellers rallied to reclaim the lead on lap 50. Sellers held on for the final 26 laps, crossing the finish line .341-second ahead Looney to complete the sweep of the twinbill and run his early-season win total at South Boston Speedway to four.
Aaron Donnelly of Stafford, Virginia finished third with Wertz and Borst completing the top five finishers
“Any time you can win at your home track is a huge relief,” Sellers said, “but when you can beat this caliber of cars it’s a huge feather in your cap. The competition level is always at a premium here at South Boston Speedway because this place is truly one of the hardest short tracks in the world to get around and get your car worked out around.
“There are a lot of good cars here right now, a lot of young guys with fast racecars,” Sellers continued.
“They are not easy (to beat). When we have a guy like Mike Looney come in and compete with us, we’ve got to bring our “A” game.”
Looney’s third-place and runner-up efforts were his best career finishes at South Boston Speedway.
“We were really close with this new car,” Looney remarked at the end of the afternoon.
“We just got outrun. It was good racing. It was a couple of old veterans beating and banging like youngsters again. Second wasn’t what I was looking for, but I had a good time.”
The veteran racer said the opportunity he had to make a run at Sellers after the lap 41 restart in the second 75-lap race was his best shot at getting the win.
“That’s all we had,” Looney remarked.
“I got a good jump and got around him on the outside, pinched him down pretty good. I got around him and we made a race out of it. I think the cars were nearly equal. He made one less mistake than I did.”
The nightcap was a highly competitive race with four lead changes among four drivers. Sellers led twice for a total of 60 laps. There were two lead changes among three drivers in the first 75-lap race, with Sellers leading a total of 64 laps.
Drew Dawson Scores First Career Limited Sportsman Win
It has been a long two years for Limited Sportsman Division competitor Drew Dawson, but he finally broke the ice, winning Saturday’s 50-lap Limited Sportsman Division race at South Boston Speedway.
The Nathalie, Virginia resident sped past J.D. Eversole of North Chesterfield, Virginia on lap 32 and held on the rest of the way to score his first career victory in the division. He edged Jason Myers of Hurt, Virginia by .963-second to claim the win.
“Words can’t explain how much this win means to me,” Dawson said.
“Just to be able to get my family, my dad, my crew chief, brothers, friends and all in Victory Lane means the world to me. I can’t thank my sponsors enough. I thank my dad. He puts a whole lot of work into this car to get it where it has been.”
Myers passed Eversole with five laps to go to take the runner-up spot, leaving Eversole to settle for a third-place finish. Pole winner Daniel Moss of Danville, Virginia finished fourth after electing to start at the rear of the field to collect passing points in an attempt to boost his points total and Mark Cook of Bridgewater, Virginia completed the top five finishers.
Nathan Crews Wins Third Straight In Pure Stock Division
Nathan Crews of Long Island, Virginia continued his early-season success, scoring his third straight win in Saturday’s 30-lap Budweiser Pure Stock Division race.
Crews took the lead from Johnny Layne of Halifax, Virginia on the 16th lap and edged Layne by .465-second in taking the win.
Bruce Mayo of Halifax, Virginia finished third with Justin Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia finishing fourth and Jimmy Wade of Halifax, Virginia finishing fifth.
The race was slowed by five caution periods.
Jared Dawson Takes Hornets Division Win
Jared Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia earned his first win of the season in Saturday’s 15-lap Budweiser Hornets Division race.
Dawson took the lead from Kevin Currin of Chase City, Virginia on the fifth lap and led the rest of the way to pick up the win.
Steven Layne of Nathalie, Virginia took the runner-up spot with Josh Dawson of Halifax, Virginia, winner of the first two races of the season, finishing third. Dillon Davis of Nathalie, Virginia finished fourth and Andrea Ruotolo of South Boston, Virginia rounded out the top five finishers.
Sauls, Butcher Take Wins In Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club Race
Dwight “Cowboy” Sauls of Apex, North Carolina won in the Modified Division and Greg Butcher of Mocksville, North Carolina won in the Sportsman Division in Saturday’s 25-lap combined race for the competitors of the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club.
Barry Dalton of Danville, Virginia took the runner-up spot in the Modified Division with Jeff Amaral of Davidson, North Carolina finishing third.
Bobby Griffin of Eden, North Carolina took the runner-up spot in the Sportsman Division with Bobby Wallace of Concord, North Carolina finishing third.
Next Race At South Boston Speedway
South Boston Speedway will hold its first night race of the 2021 season on Saturday, May 1 with the running of the NASCAR Late Model 100 racing program.
A 100-lap race for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division will headline the five-race card. The night’s action will include twin 25-lap races 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.
Grandstand gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Advance adult general admission tickets for Saturday’s race are priced at $10 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website www.southbostonspeedway.com through Friday night, April 30. Adult general admission tickets at the gate on race day are priced at $15 each. Kids ages 12 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.
South Boston Speedway is participating in the Advance Auto Parts My Track Challenge, a contest for NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series tracks. Fans have the opportunity to vote for their favorite NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series track through Tuesday, April 27 and can vote up to three times a day. When fans cast their vote they will be entered to win NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series prizes. Votes for South Boston Speedway can be cast at https://bit.ly/VoteForSoBo.
The latest news and updates about South Boston Speedway and its racing events can be found on the South Boston Speedway website and on the speedway’s social media channels.
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