SOUTH BOSTON, VA :: A pair of North Carolinians, Deac McCaskill and Josh Oakley, split wins in Saturday night’s Whelen Night NASCAR Late Model Twin 75’s at South Boston Speedway.
MCaskill, of Raleigh, North Carolina, took the lead from former NASCAR Whelen All American Series National Champion Philip Morris of Ruckersville, Virginia on the 35th lap, and held off former NASCAR Whelen All American Series National Champion Peyton Sellers of Ringgold, Virginia in a 19-lap sprint to the finish that followed the last of the race’s two caution flags to pick up the win.
The victory, which came by a margin of .542-second, was McCaskill’s first win of the season at South Boston Speedway and his sixth victory for the season.
Austin Thaxton of South Boston, Virginia finished third, with two-time defending NASCAR Whelen All American Series National Champion Lee Pulliam of Alton, Virginia and Myatt Snider of Charlotte, North Carolina rounding out the top five finishers in the 20-car field.
With the top six finishers of the first race being inverted for the start of the second race, Oakley, of Rougemont, N.C., started on the pole with Snider sharing the front row.
Oakley jumped into the lead at the outset and held the top spot the entire race, fending off challenges from Snider, Thaxton and Pulliam after the restarts that followed the race’s three caution periods.
Thaxton battled Snider for second place throughout the race, finally getting the spot with eight laps to go. Snider tried to rally back twice, but Thaxton was able to hold on to grab the runner-up spot and give himself a pair of top-three finishes for the night.
Matt Bowling of Ridgeway, Virginia finished fourth with Pulliam rounded out the top five finishers.
Oakley’s victory, his third of the season at South Boston Speedway, came by a margin of 3.852 seconds.
Willis Wins Limited Sportsman Division Race
Danny Willis Jr. of Cluster Springs, Virginia captured his third pole of the season and followed it with a flag-to-flag win in the night’s 50-lap Limited Sportsman Division race.
Willis fended off a bid from J.D. Eversole of Richmond, Virginia in an eight-lap dash that followed the last of the race’s three caution periods to score his second victory of the season. His margin of victory was .975-second.
Former South Boston Speedway Limited Sportsman Division Champion Billy Myers of Hurt, Virginia finished third with Bob Davis of Thaxton, Virginia and Charles Barnes of Chase City, Virginia completing the top five finishers.
Next Event At South Boston Speedway
South Boston Speedway will celebrate Independence Day with its annual pre-Fourth of July racing extravaganza, the Dr. & Mrs. Maresca of St. Lawrence Radiology Presents Thunder Road Harley Davidson NASCAR Late Model 200 on Thursday night, July 3.
Action at the special Thursday night event will start at 7 p.m. and will be headlined by a 200-lap race for the competitors in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series Late Model Stock Car Division.
Special extra-distance races are also scheduled for the Limited Sportsman Division and the Budweiser Pure Stock Division, with the Limited Sportsman Division drivers battling it out for 100 laps and the Pure Stock Division drivers squaring off in a 50-lap event.
As a special added treat, fans will be treated to a dazzling Fourth of July fireworks display following the night’s last race.
Pit gates will open and registration will start at 12 noon. Practice will run from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. Grandstand gates will open at 4 p.m. and qualifying time trials will begin at 4:30 p.m. A Fan Appreciation event will be held from 5:45 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. on the frontstretch.
The first race of the night will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Advance tickets are priced at $15 each and are on sale at the South Boston Speedway until 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 2. Adult general admission tickets on race day are priced at $20 each. General admission tickets for youth ages 7-12 are $10 each. Kids ages six and under are admitted free with a paying adult.
Adult admission is $10 with kids ages six and under admitted free.
For additional information on any event at South Boston Speedway, please telephone the speedway at 434-572-4947 or 1-877-440-1540. Information can also be found by following South Boston Speedway on Facebook or Twitter.
Race Results
First Late Model Race — 75 Laps
1. #8 Deac McCaskill
2. #99 Peyton Sellers
3. #2 Austin Thaxton
4. #5 Lee Pulliam
5. #2 Myatt Snider
6. #8 Josh Oakley
7. #31 Kaz Grala
8. #73 Bruce Anderson
9. #6 Bobby McCarty
10. #57 Eddie Johnson
11. #7 Michael Maresca
12. #74 Ronald Hill
13. #4 Nick Leitz
14. #19 Greg Davis
15. #3 Philip Morris
16. #40 C.E. Falk
17. #83 Matt Bowling
18. #36 Chris Johsnon
19. #58 Tyler Ankrum
20. #88 Danny Willis, Jr.
Second Late Model Race — 75 Laps
1. #8 Josh Oakley
2. #2 Austin Thaxton
3. #2 Myatt Snider
4. #83 Matt Bowling
5. #5 Lee Pulliam
6. #99 Peyton Sellers
7. #31 Kaz Grala
8. #57 Eddie Johnson
9. #36 Chris Johsnon
10. #7 Michael Maresca
11. #74 Ronald Hill
12. #4 Nick Leitz
13. #40 C.E. Falk
14. #73 Bruce Anderson
15. #3 Philip Morris
16. #19 Greg Davis
17. #58 Tyler Ankrum
18. #6 Bobby McCarty
19. #8 Deac McCaskill
Limited Sportsman — 50 Laps
1. #23 Danny Willis, Jr.
2. #98 J.D. Eversole
3. #5 Billy Myers
4. #19 Bob Davis
5. #64 Charles Barnes
6. #44 Donnie Puryear Jr
7. #53 Libby Privette
8. #9 Trey Crews
9. #58 Daniel Moss