The Hampton Heat at Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway is shaping up to be a fight for supremacy amongst Late Model Stock Car racing’s elite drivers but two of the best drivers in the Southeast region will not be among what is expected to be a nearly 30-car field.
Late Model Stock Car racing’s most decorated driver, five-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National Champion Philip Morris won the Hampton Heat just last year but he won’t be making the trip to Hampton, Virginia this weekend according to an announcement on his Facebook page.
The post states; “Sorry to disappoint but this weekend we will not be racing at Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway this weekend‼️ We’ll be back racing the following weekend.”
Morris was expected to be a contender for the win this weekend and despite being 53 years old, Morris is in the best shape of his life, which would have prepared him for an expected heat index in the triple digits this weekend.
Another driver that won’t be competing in this weekend’s 11th Annual Hampton Heat is 2018 CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car champion and 2017 Hampton Heat winner Bobby McCarty. McCarty’s car was heavily damaged in a major late-race crash on a restart with 16-laps to go at Carteret County Speedway during the most recent CARS Tour race last Saturday.
McCarty also announced his withdrawal from the Hampton Heat via Facebook on Sunday afternoon while reflecting on a rough night at Carteret.
After reflecting on his car getting destroyed at Carteret McCarty stated; “We was suppose to be running Hampton this weekend but that will not be possible with how tore up the car is. It’s really disappointing but we will regroup.”
Despite these two drivers decision not to compete in the Hampton Heat, the field for the race is expected to be star-studded with previous Heat winners Lee Pulliam, CE Falk, Woody Howard and Peyton Sellers. Local hot shoes Greg and Danny Edwards along with Connor Hall, Mark Wertz and Brenden Queen will all also be looking for a win this weekend.
One out of town driver who could make a splash this weekend is Mike Looney. He’s third in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National points on the heels of seven wins this season including one in his first visit to Langley Speedway several weeks ago. He’s sure to be a contender along with Timothy Peters, who will be the lone car out of the Nelson Motorsports stables this weekend.
RACE22.com will have RACEDAY LIVE Updates from the event starting with practice on Saturday at 12:30pm.
Cover photo by Jaden Austin.
