Brandon Pierce won his first career Late Model Stock Car Division race at South Boston Speedway in May of 2018. Now, with two career Late Model wins under his belt, Pierce is hoping to score the biggest win of his career in Saturday night’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort at South Boston Speedway.
“I only have two wins, but I’m hoping to add one this weekend,” Pierce remarked.
“This race is one of the four or five premier marquee events for Late Model Stock Car racing. Winning this race would be huge for many reasons. I will be having a lot of friends, family and one of my sponsors, along with Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort here. This is also the start of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown series.
“A win would also be big just because I came here as a little boy watching Lee Pulliam, Philip Morris, Matt Bowling and guys like that before I got a chance to race them,” Pierce continued. “Thunder Road Harley-Davidson has been sponsoring this race well before I started racing here. It would be special to win their race.”
Pierce has a solid record in South Boston Speedway’s showcase 200-lap NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division race. His best finish in the event is fourth, and he has only one finish outside of the top six.
The Oak Ridge, North Carolina resident has a lot of optimism heading into Saturday night’s event. His crew chief, former NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion Lee Pulliam of Alton, Virginia, won this event six years in a row from 2011 through 2016.
“I’m just glad to be here at South Boston Speedway and be able to be a part of this race again,” Pulliam said.
“It’s a special race for us. It would mean a lot for me as a crew chief to win this race. I’ve won that Thunder Road trophy several times and it would really be cool to win it and get to take it down the street to Thunder Road and put it up for Brandon’s dad.”
The former national champion said he, Pierce and the team have been working hard all season and look forward to Saturday night’s race.
“We’re really putting a lot of effort into running well,” Pulliam noted.
“We’ve been working really hard all year. Brandon’s done a good job of putting some solid races together here lately. We’ve been able to get the cars a little better each week because of that. We’re really looking forward to it.”
Pierce says it will take a lot of patience and discipline to have a successful night in Saturday night’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort.
“You have to take care of your equipment and be there at the end,” Pierce pointed out.
“Obviously, you need to be up front, but it’s 200 laps so you don’t have to necessarily make any super bold moves at the beginning. You just have to keep your eyes open and position yourself well throughout the race.
“Our goal is to qualify somewhere in the top six or top eight,” Pierce continued.
“The pole would be fantastic, but I want to be somewhere in the top six or eight and kind of hang out from there, get to the halfway break and start to slowly pick them off from there. We’ll try to position ourselves and save enough car to try to make a really hard charge in the last 50 laps or so.”
Saturday night’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort is South Boston Speedway’s richest and most prestigious NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division race of the season. It is the opening race of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown Series and pays $10,000 to win. Also on the line for the competing teams is the R&S Race Cars $1,000 Halfway Leader Award and the $500 Sunoco/Sparks Oil Company Pole Award.
Along with the 200-lap Late Model Stock Car Division race, Saturday night’s action will include a 50-lap Limited Sportsman Division race, a 30-lap race for the Budweiser Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Budweiser Hornets Division.
Saturday night’s event will close out South Boston Speedway’s Celebrate America Campaign. There will be patriotic pre-race ceremonies and fans will be treated to a colorful Fourth of July fireworks show following the conclusion of the night’s final race.
Fans will be treated to a pre-race driver autograph session on the track at 5:15 p.m., giving them the opportunity to meet the drivers and get an up-close look at the cars that will be in action during the event.
Grandstand gates will open at 4 p.m. and qualifying will begin at 4:30 p.m. Pre-race ceremonies will start at 6:35 p.m. and the first race of the night will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Advance adult general admission tickets for Saturday’s event are priced at $15 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, through Friday night, July 2.
Adult general admission tickets at the gate on race day are priced at $20 each. Kids ages 12 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. Seniors ages 65 and older, military personnel, first responders, healthcare workers and students, with ID, will be admitted for $15 on race day.
The latest news and updates about South Boston Speedway and its racing events can be found on the South Boston Speedway website and through the speedway’s social media channels.
SBS PR
- Lincoln Speedway To Host $20,000 To Win Race Thursday Night, May 9 - May 6, 2024
- Mack Leopard scores Non-Wing Micro win at US 24 Speedway - May 6, 2024
- Kaulig Racing – Race Recap | AdventHealth 400 - May 6, 2024