HAMPTON, VA :: Race season 2013 at Langley Speedway couldn’t have been any better when race teams heard various rumors and speculations that a brand new track surface was in the works. Track owner Bill Mullis had seen enough of the slowly deteriorated track surface that wasn’t worthy of himself to race on. So what do responsible track owners do? You make means and sometimes, you dig down deep into your own pockets so that dreams come true. That is just what Bill Mullis did and to the delight of 11 different divisions, 10 of them saw track records crushed with speeds you couldn’t miss.
For the Late Model Division, because of the newly repaved track, lap times were nearly a half a second faster on old tires then what the current track record was held by Danny Edwards Jr. Race teams saw an increase in engine RPMs leaving some to change rear gears to compensate so not to punish the engines. Some experienced major spring and shock changes resulting from the new asphalt. Speculation had it, that the competition in the Late Model division could put everyone back on an even keel so to speak or at least close the gap. Needless to say, practice and turning laps even for guys like CE Falk was a must.
At Langley’s opening night in 2013, returning to a full time ride was Nick Smith who showed just what the new asphalt and a fast hot rod can do when he set a new Langley Speedway Late Model track qualifying record at 15.292 sec, 92.990 mph. But how would this brand new race surface respond to an event with nearly a full field of Late Models on it? Opening night was awesome with speeds you could noticeably see the difference. CE Falk won that feature that night but what came with the speeds were tires issues. So much so that track officials made changes to the right side tires from Hoosier F-45”s to a harder F-50 tire.
Though the result of a stronger tire was achieved, race teams had to give up a bit on the speed for a stronger more durable race tire. Nick Smith’s track record is safe and uncontested for now. The next Late Model event, CE Falk came away with another win but it was the next race night that lit a fire in the Late Model division. Matt Waltz in 2013 chose to make Langley Speedway his home track and helped himself to twin victories. However, CE Falk has since regrouped and has won the last few weeks bringing his win total 6 on the year and a healthy points to go along with it.
In summary on the racing, it’s been everything we had expected and some key things no one had any idea. The gap that CE Falk had enjoyed over the years has collapsed as for several weeks nothing for the 3 time Langley champion has been overly easy. Because of the new track surface, the second race groove is very slow to come in and we’ve seen many cars shoot into the outside wall because of it. So that means there’s a lot of hard racing on the bottom which has torn up some really good race cars and has hurt some feeling along the way. No doubt there will be more but what’s going on with some of the drivers? Who’s hot and who’s not?
CE Falk: Hardest thing to do in a conversation about Late Model racing at Langley Speedway is not to talk about CE Falk. Want to win a championship? Want to win a race? Bottom line is this; you’ll have to go through Falk to do it. He’s just that darn good and he’s got the stats to prove it. CE Falk is already well in control in the points race, but in 2013, winning races this year will require Falk to do a bit more than just stomp on the gas. The competition at Langley Speedway is after him and they are as close to him as they have ever been. I believe Falk will continue to win but he has got to consistently start qualifying up front better to avoid any race troubles.
Greg Edwards: Langley Speedways 2012 track champion currently sits second in the points but so far winless in 2013. Plagued with tire issues, hub failures, Edwards is fortunate to be where he is now in the season. But there’s a strong since of determination in Edwards and his race team to overcome the issues on the track. The savvy veteran he is, Greg Edwards and crew will make a charge and cut into CE Falk’s points lead. If they can find that tenth of a second, look for Edwards taking pictures in Victory Lane.
Nick Smith: He’s back! Nick Smith is a familiar face around Langley Speedway and after racing in the legend series and a part time run in the Late Models. Nick Smith is back in a brand new car with great sponsorship and a big smile on his face as he holds the current track record at Langley Speedway. But it’s been an expensive season so far as Smith has experienced a big crash and motor failure just laps short of victory. The misfortunes find Smith 11th in points with little chance to become the champion. But that may be the all motivation this guy needs to win and it won’t be long either.
Matt Waltz: Yeah, he’s back too! He’s already collectied two wins in 2013 after taking a year and a half away from Langley Speedway. Racing at Motor Mile and South Boston may have been helpful for Waltz Racing. But a couple of weeks ago, motor failure hurt Matt Waltz’s chances at a track title. But I’m thinking those two wins a couple of weeks back sparked a ton of new confidence as Waltz continues to show fast laps all season long. Not to mention the battles with CE Falk last week, winning will be the only thing in mind for Matt Waltz.
Dude Gibbs: Well, we saw him once last year and didn’t perform bad. But he too is back and committed to a full race season at Langley Speedway. No doubt to race fans, Dude is one of those guys who just loves to race and compete. Always smiling, having fun at the racetrack and surprisingly very competitive in 2013. Gibbs sits third in points thanks in part to some nifty racing and keeping his nose clean. His car has been really good on long runs and after watching him last week he’s willing to do what no one else will and that’s fight on the outside on a restart. It’s paid off for him too but remains winless, with another tenth or two, Gibbs can win.
Casey Wyatt: After great news of sponsorship, new horsepower and sporting the brightest colors around Langley Speedway, it’s not been a bad start to 2013 for Casey Wyatt. Though winless, he is sitting fourth in points and the confidence level is huge for his race team. In recent weeks, Wyatt is finding speed one mph at a time. Results are beginning to show as the finishes are beginning to mount in his favor. But he’ll have to avoid misfortunes like last week’s broken wheel hub lugs that put him out of competition. Wyatt is at his best in the second feature of twin races. He knows he’s still short but believes he can win, with some good fortune, I do too.
There are familiar names around the track not mentioned above that has shown promise but have shown more misfortunes and disappointment. Guys like Dean Shiflett, Wesley Falk and Mark Wertz are good examples of having one week really strong finishes then something going wrong the next. Duane Shreeves, who started off hot but has since cooled down, and the fact we haven’t seen Danny Edwards Jr competing since his car was crushed at the beginning of the season. As for the rookie of the year, the serious competitors are Brenden Queen, who is a really talented racer, along with Justin Carroll – both are still in high school.
It’s really like this, this has so far been the most thrilling Late Model race season at Langley Speedway in some time. The asphalt helped the smaller teams a lot more than it did the track’s bigger teams. Though so far, Langley Speedway has still proven to be CE Falk’s playground, race teams there have had enough and with the many cars as good as CE Falk’s hot rod is, expect some really great racing between now and the Hampton Heat in late July. I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see someone else make a statement and step up their performance like Terry Carroll did just last week.
So, what’s going to happen and what should we be looking for? All I can say is that there’s a war brewing in the Langley Speedway Late Model Division. CE Falk is still winning and proving that he wants it much more. With so many fast cars and great drivers up there battling him, these worlds are destined to collide. The hard racing that we’re seeing will eventually have to be labeled as somebody is going to be done dirty. In talking to a few of the guys, the deed has already been done. No doubt in my mind, some of the best short track racing is yet to come and arguably enough, the best Late Model racing in 2013 may just be found at Langley Speedway.
