The Southeast Limited Late Model Series made its debut at the Anderson Motor Speedway in South Carolina on Friday night. The Pro Division ran 100 laps and the Daytona1 Challengers ran a 50-lap feature event.
Luke Sorrow was the fastest qualifier in the Daytona1 Challenger division, while the No. 16 of Colby Howard picked up fast time in the Pro division, earning the Gale Force Suspension Pole Award and a $150 product certificate.
The Challenger 50 was up first. Sorrow took off with the lead at the drop of the green with Howard settling into second. They ran that way for the first 24 laps of the race until Blake Humphrey got crossed up in turn two and did a gentle spin with his No. 19.
He was able to restart at the tail of the field.
Sorrow made sure he was ready for the restart and pulled his good friend but on-track rival Howard by a full car length into turn one. Andrew Cordell got underneath the No. 16 of Howard and raced him for a full lap before Howard dropped the hammer off the outside groove and powered down in front of Cordell to reclaim second.
Further back in the field, Thad Moffitt, the grandson of NASCAR’S annointed “King” Richard Petty, ran third with his No. 46 until the lap 24 restart when he lost a couple of spots and fell back to fifth. He eventually finished the race in sixth but did a credible job for his first race at Anderson.
Moffitt is in his first year of racing and he’s quickly adapted to the late model stock car wars, showing improvement each time out.
Meanwhile, Howard threw everything including a small kitchen sink at leader Sorrow but just couldn’t find his way around as the 14-year-old Sorrow took home the victory with his Vannory Construction sponsored No. 9, leading all 50 laps in the process.
Howard finished a strong second, with Cordell, Amber Lynn (who ran a steady and consistent race), Blake Humphrey, Moffitt and Everette McMahon rounding out the field.
Howard and Sorrow swapped starting spots for the 100-lap Pro Division feature, with Howard starting on the inside of the front row and Sorrow starting alongside him. Veteran racer Justin Carroll in the No. 57 and the No. 5 of New Englander Anthony Alfredo in the Falk Racing entry started in row two.
When the green flag dropped it was Howard jumping off the inside to take the lead, but Carroll was not going to let him get too far. The first yellow flag of the race was waved on lap two when the No. 46 of Thad Moffitt and the No. 23 of Shon Gibson got together in turn four.
Moffitt went directly to the pits and was out of the event. Gibson initially restarted but pulled his racer pitside and ended his day on lap 11.
On the ensuing restart, Howard spun his tires, slowing his pace and allowing Carroll to race off the outside groove and into the lead. Once out front, Carroll started clicking off laps in the 16. 1 and 16. 2 second range as he pulled the rest of the field by a straightaway.
Howard was able to remain in second, but behind him action started to become more intense as the race moved past lap 30.
Anthony Alfredo, a past winner in the series, ran a strong third with Sorrow and Dylan Hall rounding out the top five early. However, as 34 went up on the lap board, Alfredo was beginning to slow his pace and Luke Sorrow, playing a patience game for the first quarter of the event, took third away and set sail after the leaders.
Hall was next to move up a spot as Alfredo fell back to fifth. The stage was set now for what could be a four car battle in the last half of the race. Sorrow reeled in second-place Carroll and dove underneath the No. 57 to take second.
The question everyone had on their minds was “Would Sorrow have enough speed to catch Howard if the race stayed green?”
That question became moot on lap 71 as the No. 33 of Andrew Cordell had a flat tire and stopped on the back straightaway until the yellow was waved. Now the Vannoy Construction No. 9 of Sorrow would start alongside Howard in what would be the most important restart of Howard’s young season to-date.
The 14-year-old Howard answered the question by getting a superb restart and jumping back out front to take control. Now it was up to Sorrow to put the pressure on and attempt to “worry” Howard into making a mistake.
Hall took over third on lap 73 and appeared to have a podium finish locked up, but suddenly slowed with ten laps left and pulled into the pits and out of the race as Sorrow continued to work over leader Howard.
With just five laps left, the No. 9 of Sorrow buried his car deep into turn three, drew alongside Howard and sped away to a 1.157 second win and a clean sweep of the two features, winning a total of $4,000 in the process!
Howard wound up second to his buddy for the second time tonight. Carroll finished third, Alfredo hung on to finish fourth and fifth went to the No. 33 of Cordell, a nice recovery after the flat tire.
Mitch Walker, Brandon Fox, Dylan Hall, Shon Gibson and Thad Moffitt rounded out the field.
Hayden Humphrey was entered in his No. 07 but had a brake failure in practice, causing a crash that put him out for the balance of the evening. He was uninjured.
