The 2022 season has been a big turnaround for South Boston Speedway Hornets Division competitor Jason DeCarlo.
The Chase City, Virginia resident enters the 20-lap Hornets Division race that will be part of the Saturday night, June 4 Bojangles Prelude to the 200 event at South Boston Speedway holding a six-point lead over second-place driver Steven Layne of Nathalie, Virginia. In his five starts this season DeCarlo has won a pole and finished in the top three in four of his five starts.
That solid early-season performance has DeCarlo on track toward a big improvement over his rookie season in 2021 in which he recorded five top five finishes, eight Top-10 finishes and finished 6th in points.
“The season has been going really positively for us,” DeCarlo remarked. “I’m still looking for that win which has been eluding us. Hopefully we can get one or two this year and keep the points lead the rest of the season.”
DeCarlo credits having had more experience for the big turnaround this season.
“It’s that,” DeCarlo noted, “plus we changed a few things in the car trying to make it run a little better and be more competitive. The car is pretty much where it needs to be right now. I also have a heck of a spotter in Jonathon Bailey. He’s in my ear telling me what’s going on and pushing me, like I used to do for Kevin Currin.
“I’ve been lucky too,” he added. “There’s a lot of luck involved in this sport. You need things to go right for you and have some good luck. I hope our good luck doesn’t change.”
While DeCarlo entered the 2022 season looking to better his record of 2021, he was not expecting his results to be this good at this point in the season.
.“We were hoping to be a top-three car all the time and be in the top three in points,” DeCarlo said.
“To be leading the points five races into the season is nice.”
The one big item missing for DeCarlo is a win.
“Our expectations have been exceeded in every way except in getting a win,” DeCarlo pointed out.
“I’ve been so close to winning so many times. I don’t know what we’ve got to do to get a win, but as long as we continue to consistently run in the top three, I’m still going to be happy.”
The Hornets Division points chase is a close one as only 22 points stand between DeCarlo and fourth-place driver, two-time former division champion Kevin Currin of Chase City, Virginia.
“The points are tight,” DeCarlo said. “Kevin (Currin) would be right up there if he had not trouble and could not start the race one night. The Milams have had some bad luck this season and that sucks for them because Kendall Milam is running strong. It’s easy to see what happens when you have one bad night.”
DeCarlo enjoys the racing and the high level of competition that is present in the Hornets Division this season.
“I think we’ve got one of the tightest and largest fields of cars we’ve had in a long time,” DeCarlo pointed out. “We have around 12 cars every week. Everybody has a chance to win. We don’t have one person that is blowing the doors off of everybody. It’s fun. It’s good hard racing.”
Six races will be featured in Saturday night’s Bojangles Prelude to the 200 event at South Boston Speedway. A 100-lap race for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division competitors headlines Saturday night’s action. Saturday night’s 100-lap Late Model Stock Car Division race will be the last race for the division at South Boston Speedway prior to the speedway’s showcase 200-lap Late Model Stock Car race on July 2 and track officials have added special bonuses for this weekend’s race.
Twin 30-lap races for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division competitors, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division, the 20-lap Hornets Division race and a 15-lap race for the Mills Family Practice Champ Karts will round out the night’s action.
The schedule for Saturday’s Bojangles Prelude to the 200 event has registration and pit gates opening at 2 p.m. Practice begins at 3:30 p.m., grandstand gates open at 5:30 p.m., qualifying starts at 6 p.m. and the first race of the night gets the green flag at 7 p.m.
Advance adult general admission tickets for the event are priced at $10 each plus a $1.50 processing fee and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, through Friday night, June 3. Advance tickets may also be purchased 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 night will be $15 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $10 each at the gate on race night.
The latest updates and news for both fans and competitors can be found on the speedway’s website, southbostonspeedway.com, and the track’s social media channels. Information may also be obtained by phoning the speedway at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.
SBS PR
