The most prestigious race in Late Model history is set to begin in just over a week at Orange County Speedway, where over 30 of the best drivers from around the country will look to become the first to take home the $30,000 paycheck in the CARS Tour-sanctioned Old North State Nationals.
Along with the CARS LMSC Tour regulars and a couple of notable Late Model heavyweights, numerous track regulars at Orange County have also filed early entries for the Old North State Nationals. One of them is Durham, North Carolina native Camden Gullie, who wants nothing more than to be the first winner in the historic event.
“It would be huge if I won,” Gullie said. “It would be my first victory if I won, but a win in the biggest Late Model Stock race ever would just be a great accomplishment all by itself. We’re looking forward to it, and hopefully, we’ll have a car to get ourselves in the race.”
In his first full season at Orange County, Gullie found himself in contention to win on almost every weekend, as he led the Late Model point standings at the track for several weeks before ultimately finishing six points behind 2018 track champion Daniel Moss.
Gullie also expanded his horizons by competing in Twin 75-lap Late Model features at South Boston Speedway on August 11, as well as entering the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway, which he failed to qualify for.
After competing against many of the best Late Model drivers in 2018, Gullie wanted to approach the 2019 season by testing himself as often as possible. Gullie ultimately found that opportunity in the CARS Tour and plans to compete in all 11 events on the series calendar.
“The CARS Tour has always had great car counts,” Gullie said. “Orange County normally doesn’t have great car counts on a weekly basis, and I want to surround myself with cars that I know can help me gain more experience and the CARS Tour provides that.”
Gullie was formally introduced to the CARS Tour at Orange County in the Thrifty Tire/Puryear Tank Lines 300 in 2018, where he brought his #01 Commercial Refinishers/Chandler’s Towing Ford home in the 11th position one lap down. Gullie had intended on competing in the season finale at South Boston Speedway, but issues during the weekend prevented him from taking the green flag.
Gullie’s next start would come at Southern National Motorsports Park, but he struggled to find speed in his car during the weekend and took the checkered flag four laps down in 21st. Gullie was disappointed by his performance, but he entered the MTP Tire 300 at Hickory confident that he could overcome the slow start and bring home a solid finish.
The weekend began with promise for Gullie, as he qualified his Late Model in the fourth position and was able to run inside the Top 5 until a competition caution came out at Lap 40. Gullie’s strong start came to an end shortly afterward, as contact with Justin Carroll in turn 4 sent his car around in front of the rest field, which collected several other drivers and knocked him to the rear of the field.
Despite receiving minimal damage in the accident, Gullie would never get back to the front, as he was involved in a couple of other incidents that included a major accident on the frontstretch on Lap 127 that brought his evening to a premature end. Carroll expressed his frustration towards Gullie following the late-race crash, but Gullie admitted that he has already shifted his attention towards the upcoming Old North State Nationals.
“I thought I gave Justin Carroll enough room, but I guess that’s just a racing deal,” Gullie said. “Right now, we just have to get over it, move on and learn from our mistakes.”
Under normal circumstances, racing a crowded field at his home track would serve as an advantage to Gullie, but with a star-studded pre-entry list for the Old North State Nationals that is expected to include names like Bubba Pollard and Peyton Sellers, Gullie knows that speed will be imperative to secure a starting spot in the 200-lap Late Model feature.
Gullie knows that a car with a solid drive off and good rotation through the corners will help him when it comes time to take the checkered flag, but Gullie and his team plan to micromanage the upcoming weekend to make sure that he has a car more than capable of contending for the win.
“We have to make sure that our car is good for qualifying,” Gullie said. “We’ll have to learn all we can about the track on Friday and how it changes on Saturday so that we can make the right adjustments for qualifying. Hopefully, we’ll qualify inside the Top 5 so that we can get locked into the race. You don’t want to get stuck in one of those qualifying races, as I have a feeling they are going to tear up a bunch of stuff.”
The qualifying heat races for the Old North State Nationals will be held immediately after single-car qualifying along with a last chance qualifier, but the number of cars that will transfer in through each race will be determined once the official entry list is released. The green flag for the inaugural Old North State Nationals will fly on Sunday at 3 p.m.
(Cover photo by Kimberly Austin)
