Tyler Hughes is returning to Dominion Raceway for the first time this season with hopes of picking up a victory in Thursday night’s Virginia Lottery 100 while also preparing for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300.
The 21-year-old from Cordova, Maryland finished second in points to Doug Barnes, Jr. last season and has always been strong at Dominion. In 2016, he picked up the victory in the first Late Model race ever held at the track.
“This is my first time back at Dominion since our run for the title there last year,” Hughes told Race22.com. “We’ve always had great success there and I think we’ve found a few things to make us even a little better. I’m excited to get back there and see what we can do.”
Hughes had had success in recent seasons with wins at Dominion Raceway, Langley Speedway, and Southern National Motorsports Park, but he has been shut out of victory lane this season. He hopes to change that on Thursday night, and a victory at Dominion would be more than just getting in the win column, it would also be his first triumph since his father, Don, passed away last October.
“Still looking for the first win this year, after how rough this year has been for me,” Hughes remarked. “I haven’t won since losing my dad back in October, so I’d love to get one for him.”
As Hughes continues during a rocky season, he is hoping for a confidence booster before heading to Martinsville Speedway next weekend for the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, Late Model Stock Car racing’s most prestigious race. This will be his first attempt in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300.
“I’ve had such an up and down year this year, I’m not sure if I can rely on momentum from Dominion to Martinsville,” Hughes explained. “At one point, we get a good run, go back out, have another good run going and something stupid has happened. I prep every racecar and myself to do one thing and that is to win races. Not sure if we can get momentum going, but a good run would be a big confidence booster for my team and I.”
Thursday night’s race is not a practice session for Martinsville either. Hughes is taking a brand-new car to Martinsville Speedway next weekend. His goal on Thursday is to just win.
“Although it might seem like a test session for Martinsville, I’m not using it as one,” Hughes said. “We built a new car that we plan on racing at Martinsville so I really didn’t want to put that car at any type of risk to get hurt before that race. We’ve tested it at Dominion once and have intentions to testing it again, but just want to make sure we’re taking the best piece possible to the biggest race of the year.”
Thursday night’s Virginia Lottery 100 at Dominion Raceway will commence at 7pm at the Thornburg, Virginia facility.
