Over 20 cars are expected to compete at East Carolina Motor Speedway in tomorrow afternoon’s $6,000-to-win Ronnie Barnette Memorial, the 200 lap Late Model Stock Car race that will mark the final chapter of the 2016 season.
Among the drivers who will compete tomorrow are track regulars Louis White, Thomas Burbage and Jeff Shiflett. Shiflett won the track championship at the Robersonville, North Carolina bullring back in September but the track has again been dominated by White. The veteran racer has scored eight wins on the season at East Carolina Motor Speedway and won the Ronnie Barnette Memorial last year when it was a Limited Late Model race. Burbage has scored three wins on the season and has his sights set on a fourth.
However, the East Carolina Motor Speedway contingent will see a fierce invasion of outsiders.
Dylan Ward, who won the Mischa Sell Memorial race at Ace Speedway as well as that track’s Limited Late Model championship, has one win at East Carolina this season with hopes for a second. South Boston Speedway champion Matt Bowling, who has won the Hampton Heat 200 and the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown in his career, will be there, looking for another big win in another big race. Then, there is the Langley Speedway contingent made up of Brenden Queen, Casey Wyatt and Brandon Gdovic, among others.
While the Late Model Stock Car race will be the headline act for the Ronnie Barnette Memorial, there will be plenty of action supplied by the Bandolero, U-CAR and Street Stock divisions which will also all be in action on Saturday.
The green flag will drop on the second running of the Ronnie Barnette Memorial at 1:30pm, with the Late Model Stock Car race scheduled to roll off at 3:30pm. Qualifying will commence at 12:15pm.
The Weekly Racer will have live updates from the Ronnie Barnette Memorial on Twitter (@TheWeeklyRacer) all day on Saturday.
