Chris Owens’ Picks …
1. Philip Morris: With one win this season at South Boston, Morris is the one to beat this weekend after winning at Martinsville. Others will say that he hasn’t been the best at SoBo, but when the big races roll around, Morris always steps up his game and I look for him to do just that.
2. Lee Pulliam: Lee Pulliam set Martinsville on fire two weeks ago. He was fastest in every practice, won the pole and led a lot of the 200 lap feature on Sunday. After some mechinical problems relegated him to a 6th place finish. Pulliam had five wins on the season and proves to be one of the cars to beat come race day.
3. CE Falk: CE had several good runs early in the season at South Boston. He was leading the second race of the season until a run in with Justin Johnson knocked him out of the lead and the race. I think CE will once again run in the top 5 for the majority of the race and give Pulliam and Morris a run for there money late in the race, if he doesn’t have a run in with Justin Johnson once again.
4. Mark McFarland: After setting the USAR Pro Cup Series on fire for several years, we haven’t heard much from McFarland, but after running in one of the Heat Races at Martinsville in replacement of Derrick Lancaster, who had to leave the track for personal reasons. Now he is back at SoBo racing one of Lancaster’s cars and with more time in the seat I look for him to run in the top 10 for most of the day and bring home a solid finish.
5. Natalie Sather: Sather has ran much of the season at SoBo this year. With several good runs during the season, her last race was Motor Mile a month ago where she brought home a top 5 finish. She has proven she can run with the best in the Late Model Stock ranks, so look for her to be contending for a top 10 finish this weekend at her biggest race of the year.
Corey Latham’s Picks …
1. Lee Pulliam: Even though he didn’t win Martinsville, Pulliam seems to have the upper hand on Morris and the others going into South Boston this week. Sitting on the pole and leading every practice at Martinsville, Pulliam could of been the one with the grandfather clock if a late battery problem hadn’t halted his drive for victory. Pulliam has collected five wins this year at SoBo, and has become the hottest driver as the season nears an end.
2. Philip Morris: It’s hard not to put the Martinsville winner in the top spot, but SoBo is a different track, and the 2003 SoBo champ has not been on his usual game there in over a year and a half. He did win the last race there after a fierce battle with CE Falk, but before that he has dominated races and simply fell off towards the end. Some have gave Morris flak over the Motor Mile and Jim Dean situations, but the fact is, he hasn’t forgot how to drive and is dangerous anytime he shows up to a track, and his Martinsville win reinstated that he is still the “Big Dog” and one of, if not THE best that has ever strapped into a Late Model.
3. Brandon Butler: Making only his second start of the year, Butler is looking to qualify better so he can finish better, unlike what he did at Martinsville a few weeks ago. Butler had a good car, but having to transfer through a heat race made him burn his stuff up early, he still showed how good he really was moving into the top 10 before the halfway break passing more cars than anyone. Smooth as silk and patient, 300 laps suits the former track champion fine, he should be a force with 30 laps to go.
4. Eddie Johnson: If there is anybody that doesn’t pull for Eddie Johnson, something is wrong with you. Low-budget, hard-nosed, old-school, and at the same time never known to cause problems on the track, he is the guy that brings back memories of what racing used to be, when it was pure. Never a good qualifier, Johnson knows that qualifying and practice doesn’t pay anything, and at the end of the day you look around and say “Where did he come from?” And that’s not by chance that he is there at the end, he has been doing it just like that for longer than most if the field this weekend has been alive. Oh, and although this race a year ago was 50 laps shorter, he is still the defending champion of the season ending race for the Late Models here.
5. Josh Oakley: He may not of set the world on fire this year, but the more he runs the better he gets. And this race being 300 laps, seems to suit his style and car better than anything he has faced all season. Earlier this year during the week of the 4th, SoBo had their second biggest race of the year, a 200 lap affair and Oakley may have well been in victory lane if the race was 50 laps longer. His car seems to come to life at the end of the longer races, and with this being the longest, he may be the one to turn some heads this Saturday. It wouldn’t be a surprise to me though.
Doc Love’s Picks …
1. Philip Morris: Philip jumped between Motor Mile (6 wins) and South Boston (1 win) in 2010 and accrued 16 top 5 finishes between the 2 facilities. As I told you before Martinsville, Philip is focused more than ever and is riding high fresh off his 2nd victory at Martinsville. This weekend it will be business as usual.
2. Justin Johnson: South Boston has been the “House of Justin” over the past 2 seasons. Justin raced to 9 victories this season on his way to back-to-back track championships plus the 2010 NASCAR VA State Championship. Justin is set to defend his turf this week end.
3. CE Falk: 2010 track champ at Langley (9 wins) and competed at Motor Mile (1 win) and South Boston emassing 21 top 5 finishes and was the runner-up in the NASCAR VA State Championship by only 4 points. Has really preformed very well away from his home track.
4. Eddie Johnson: Eddie may still be looking for his 1st victory this year but he did win this event last year and can still get it done!! Eddie has raced to 5 top 5’s and 14 top 10 finishes at SoBo this year.
5. David Latour: David has got to be one of the most improved racers in 2010. David travels to SoBo from Advance, NC every week just to compete with the best in the business and it is paying off. David is currently 5th in points at SoBo with 6 top 5’s and 15 top 10 finishes on the season. This young gun is certainly developing into an excellent racer.
Kimberly Smith’s Picks …
1. Stacy Puryear: I think that he had one of the cars to beat at Martinsville, but missed it slightly in qualifying, thus forcing him to run a heat race and if not for that he would have been in the mix at the end. Coming to his home track of choice for 2009, where he already has one win, I expect him to be at the top of his game.
2. Ronald Hill: How can he not be a person to watch, after his run-ins with Tommy Lemons, Jr. in late fall? He’s a hard nose racer, who won’t give an inch to anybody and you have to like that and when Ronald is on his game, he’s always in the mix.
3. Jeb Burton: His first time at Martinsville, the young son of former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor, Ward Burton, turned out the performance of a lifetime. First he qualified in the race on time and then proceeded to have a strong run until getting run over late in the goings. South Boston is his home track and he should be able to flex his muscle a little more.
4. David Latour, Jr.: He ran really strong all year at South Boston in his first full-time campaign on the historic oval and finished 5th in the points despite destroying his car in an Indepence Day weekend crash. David has proven he’s a top contender and in this big race, he has the chance to make his mark on South Boston Speedway.
5. Michael Hardin: Maybe Michael can change his luck. The young driver seems to have some of the worst luck in racing, but with a change in car number due to driving for veteran car owner and South Boston Speedway champion, Bob Uncer, it might just be what the doctor ordered. However, he’s got big shoes to fill as Kelly Kingery has proven that the car Hardin will be driving can compete if he gets up on the wheel.
Langley Austin’s Picks …
1. Bruce Anderson: Bruce Anderson has shown that when given the chance to compete with the big dogs that he won’t back down. Bruce has also proven time and time again that he can win races and contend for wins at South Boston and this weekend could be the perfect chance for him to strut his stuff all the way to victory lane.
2. Matt Bowling: WOW, Matt Bowling could easily be considered the “Surprise of the Year” as the young driver showed everyone what he was made of by qualifying in the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300 at Martinsville on time. Now, he’ll be out to prove his abilities in the biggest race of the year at his home track in the Danville Toyota 300.
3. Jeb Burton: Jeb Burton’s qualifying performance at Martinsville, where he made the biggest Late Model Stock Car race of all on time, didn’t come as surprise to me. After all, I predicted that the young second generation driver would be one of the drivers to watch at Martinsville and he will again be one of the drivers to watch at South Boston … after all it’s his home track.
4. Justin Snow: Many of you recognize this name more from the Limited Late Model ranks and after all you should as he’s one of the most recent track champion at South Boston in the Limited division. Justin is now ready to step his game up in the Late Model Stock Car race and with a 300-lap affair, if he can keep himself out of trouble, he’ll be in the mix for this big event, proving he has what it takes to stay in a Late Model if someone will give him the chance.
5. Nick Smith: He may not be in the more successful DA Motorsports ride this weekend that he won races in last year and this season, but Nick Smith is hooked up with veteran car owner, Bob Uncer. Despite missing the show at Martinsville in Uncer’s ride, the same one he’ll be in this weekend, this take no prisoners type driver will be up on the wheel fighting for everything the car has in it.
Mason Dunn’s Picks …
1. Lee Pulliam: At Martinsville he had one of the strongest cars of the weekend and a contender for the win until battery problems caused his motor to lose power. After winning the Martinsville pole and taking the halfway leader award, Pulliam was still able to pull out a top five finish at the end of the day. This weekend with South Boston being Pulliam’s home track expect Pulliam and the Sellers Racing team to bring their A-game to bring home the crown jewel of the South Boston season. Pulliam qualified on time in fifth last year and finished in the very same position.
2. Mark McFarland: McFarland stepped into Derrick Lancaster’s car for the heat race at Martinsville when a family emergency called Lancaster away from the track Sunday morning. McFarland jumped into a car with a seat too small for him and with absolutely zero track time and nearly drove from the rear of the field into a transfer spot for the big show. Given a seat fit for him and some practice time who knows what McFarland can do. McFarland did not compete in this event last year.
3. Terry Carroll: I know what you’re thinking, who is Terry Carroll? Carroll a regular at Langley Speedway has shown some muscle and determination at the big races this season between transferring into the show at the Hamlin Short Track Showdown with no sheet metal on one side of the car and driving to a 15th place finish as well as qualifying in on time at Martinsville and driving to another solid 15th place. Carroll transferred in through the last chance race in 2009 and finished 22nd at the end of 250 laps.
4. Philip Morris: OK don’t really think I need to go too deep into this one. Morris won the Martinsville race for the second time and for the first time ever for sponsor Clearance’s Steak House, so obviously not only does he have a great car but he also has plenty of momentum heading into this weekend’s 300 lap race. Like I said, don’t really need to explain this one too much, Morris finished eighth in the 250-lap version of this race in 2009.
5. Wes Falk: Drove his way into the big show at Martinsville while driving a car that only had fourth gear then drove from his 42nd starting position to running solidly inside the top 15 before being caught up in one of the many multi-car wrecks in the late stages of the race relegating him to a 23rd place finish. In the 2009 version of this event, Falk transferred in through the last chance race then drove from the 31st starting spot to finish 14th. Given the motivation of the disappointing day at Martinsville, be sure to keep an eye on the younger of the Falk brothers.
