Story by: Langley Austin ~ [email protected]

Radford, VA(August 20, 2011) — With nights getting cooler around the region, race fans know that it means that race season is heading to an end and at Motor Mile Speedway, there’s just four Late Model Stock Car races remaining with a doubleheader on tap tonight.

Here’s a little preview for you to have all the info before heading to watch the Twin races.

NOT DONE YET …
Motor Mile Speedway had become affectionately known over the last decade as the “Morris Mile”, but this season there’s an upstart looking to change all the record books with Philip Morris setting records at his other “home track”. Not many of you reading this article could have told me who Lee Pulliam was a little over a year ago, but turn the page to August 20, 2011 and he’s one of the best Late Model Stock Car racers in the region with wins at Motor Mile, South Boston and Caraway, just this season.

Pulliam, who used to call South Boston his home track, now lets his home reside in Dublin, VA, at the track formerly known as the New River Valley Speedway. Motor Mile Speedway as the 4/10 mile short track is now known has a rich history in it’s 24 year existence, but as the record books have recently been reading the same drivers name over and over, Pulliam is looking to change that.

Pulliam has all, but scratched his name in the record book as the 2011 Late Model Stock Car champion, but that isn’t the only record he’s going to own. He recently set the single season win record, a mark held until two weeks ago by Morris at 12. Pulliam is at 13 and with four races remaining on the schedule and him having won all, but three races this season, he’s on par to finish it out with as many as 17 wins.

BRIDESMAID …
The 2011 season for Frank Deiny, Jr. has been full of one thing more than any other and it isn’t trips to victory lane, but rather it’s the number of times he’s finished second to Pulliam at Motor Mile and Morris at South Boston. He did finally ‘slip’ into victory lane a couple of races ago when while leading, his foot slipped off the pedal and Pulliam ran into the back of him causing damage to his racer.

Deiny drove off into the sunset and picked up his first win of the season, in what has been a challenging season for wins, but has seen him finish second eight times. FDJ as he’s known around the pit area started this season as a distant second place finisher, but as the season has wore on, he’s now a close second. In the most recent race, Deiny could stay on Pulliam’s bumper for several laps every restart and one slip by the young driver would have resulted in another victory for the veteran driver.

Though Pulliam has vowed to win all the races left on the schedule this season, don’t be surprised if Deiny isn’t able to ‘slip’ by for another victory before the final curtain falls.

ON THE VERGE …
Kris Bowen started out his Late Model Stock Car career at Caraway Speedway and he has one win to his credit, but everyone knows that when you come north to Virginia, the competition hightens. Bowen found that out when he moved to Motor Mile Speedway and moving there has made him step up his program. He’s been racing a new Marlowe Racing Chassis this season and every week he’s been inching in on Pulliam and Deiny, who have been a 1-2 duo.

Bowen isn’t very well known, in fact I’d be certain that some of the people reading this either don’t know who he is or they’ve simply only heard his name. However, Bowen is not only about to break through with a Late Model Stock Car victory in Virginia at Motor Mile, known as the toughest track in the region, but he’s also about to become a household name. Bowen’s been flying under the radar, but it won’t shock any of the other drivers if he breaks through in these last four races.

OFF HIS GAME …
Davin Scites started off the 2011 season with one of his biggest Late Model Stock Car victories in a $5,000 to win Late Model Stock Car race at Caraway Speedway. It was the first leg of the Super 5 Series and opened the door for him to have a chance to win a $25,000 bonus. Then as the gates swung open at Motor Mile, he was the driver on Pulliam’s bumper with the best chance to win.

Turn the page to August 6th and Scites wasn’t even in the mix at the front of the field. Not because the field has caught up to him, but because he is simply off his game. Where did it all go wrong? For Scites it started with a first lap crash at Caraway Speedway in the third leg of the Super 5 Series, where he crashed hard on the front straightaway. He’s since got his car clipped with a different chassis builders front clip and it seems things aren’t working the same for the veteran driver.

However, don’t expect Scites to stay down long as he’s never been a back marker and he’s not about to be one of the drivers you see fighting to stay on the lead lap. Look for him to get his program together and get the new front suspension figured out … after all it’s about time to head to Martinsville again.

NEW MAN CALLING THE SHOTS …
Mike Looney has been out most all of this season due to the financial struggles of his small team, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been at the track. Looney is never too far from Motor Mile Speedway when the engines fire and this weekend he’ll get his first shot as a ‘big time’ crew chief as he steps in to help a struggling team.

Looney will be atop the pit box for young Michael McGuire, who has struggled since picking up a win early in the season after Pulliam had issues and failed to finish. McGuire, who comes from a very successful racing family with his father, Tim being the inaugural Late Model Stock Car champion at the then Pulaski County Speedway(now Motor Mile). McGuire’s uncle is also a fairly accomplished Late Model Stock Car driver with his biggest wins coming at Martinsville Speedway in the seasons biggest annual race, the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 300.

Looney will now try to lead McGuire in the right direction and get his top five performances bumped up to be able to compete with the season long dominator, Pulliam. McGuire has shown that he has the talent to compete at this level, now he hopefully has someone who can lead him and guide him to stardom.

HUNTER WHO?
Hunter Devers … yeah, Hunter Devers finished third in the most recent race at Motor Mile and that surprised a lot of people, who had been used to him running near the back of the pack. Hunter Devers … he’s one of Frank Deiny, Jr.’s development drivers, a member of the FDJ Army. Now that you’ve been formally introduced, get ready to get to know him a little better as now that he’s moved into a newer car with the team and got all of his bumps and bruises out of the way, he may well be a top five driver every week.

Again … Hunter Devers, learn and remember his name.

MOVIN’ ON UP …
Every year there’s a few drivers who start out the season as top twenty, top fifteen or top ten drivers and end the season in the top five or even in victory lane. Kris Bowen is one of those such drivers, but of course we’ve already told you that and there’s several other drivers who could wind up winning or racing among the top five in these last four races.

Two of those drivers who stand out from the crowd are Harrison Rhodes, who started the season in the top ten and has raced into the top five. He’s becoming a contender, one of the drivers like Bowen, who could with a few adjustments on his car be right there with Pulliam and Deiny. Another is Adam Long … he’s been racing Motor Mile for the past few seasons and he’s had his moments, but this season has been struggling. Long however has started to get the hang of it the last few races and is now a solid top ten racer.

Long could easily break into the top five this weekend and Rhodes could easily race up into the top three and even compete for a win. Look for these two along with Bowen to be strong contenders as the season comes to an end.

16 DOWN, 4 TO GO …
Pulliam 13, Deiny 1, Josh Berry 1, McGuire 1 … With 16 races in the books at Motor Mile Speedway, thats the score and with four races remaining the score will certainly change starting with tonights twin races.