A clear, but blistering hot day greeted nearly three dozen Late Model competitors as they took to the track for the Thunder Road-Harley Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway. An even mixture of veterans and rookies looked to begin the first leg of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown on a positive note, but experience proved to be important when qualifying came around.
Former South Boston Speedway track champion Peyton Sellers was the only driver to crack the 14-second bracket in qualifying for the 200-lap Late Model feature, and earned the pole as a result of his strong run. Sellers has been one of the most successful drivers in the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown, as he won consecutive championships in 2013 and 2014, and will look to get a head start in his quest for a third Triple Crown with a victory at South Boston this evening.
Defending Virginia Late Model Triple Crown winner Timothy Peters was initially nowhere to be found at South Boston Speedway during the first two practice sessions, as he was busy celebrating his daughter’s birthday. However, Peters proved to have one of the fastest cars once he finally strapped into his #12 autosbynelson.com Late Model, as he sat on the provisional pole for most of the qualifying session before fading to 9th place.
Both Sellers and Peters will have to find a way to stay in front of four-time Whelen All-American Series champion Philip Morris, who enters the Thunder Road-Harley Davidson 200 as the defending winner, and with a 30-point lead in the track’s Late Model standings, having won six out of the eight races this season. Morris showed speed in both of the early practices, but was unable to replicate that in qualifying, as he will line up seventh in the 35-car field.
Current CARS Response Energy LMSC Tour points leader Bobby McCarty will line up on the outside of the front row, while Tyler Hughes, who barely clocked in a lap after encountering mechanical issues on pit road, will start third. 2016 Whelen All-American Series champion Matt Bowling qualified fourth, while Brandon Pierce rounded out the Top 5.
In Limited Sportsman qualifying, Trey Crews will lead the field to the green flag after posting a lap of 15.437 in qualifying. Many drivers had issues with Turn 4 during the session as Kirstin Simmons and Jessica Dana both spun their cars exiting the corner without sustaining any damage, while Boo Boo Dalton bounced off the outside wall coming to the checkered flag, which forced him to settle for an eighth place starting position.
Bob Davis qualified second alongside Crews, while Karl Budzevski, who was fastest in final practice, will start in the third position. Jason Myers will roll off from the fourth position, while Jessica Dana managed to recover from her spin and qualified fifth.
Thunder Road Harley Late Model Qualifying Results:
1. 26 Peyton Sellers- 14.995
2. 22 Bobby McCarty- 15.011
3. 11 Tyler Hughes- 15.024
4. 83 Matt Bowling- 15.074
5. 2 Brandon Pierce- 15.081
6. 09 Bruce Anderson- 15.094
7. 01 Philip Morris- 15.099
8. 17 Stacy Puryear- 15.118
9. 12 Timothy Peters- 15.151
10. 18 Ty Gibbs- 15.196
11. 02 CE Falk III- 15.199
12. 8 Thomas Scott- 15.204
13. 03 Brenden Queen- 15.217
14. 41 Woody Howard- 15.238
15. 2 Trevor Noles- 15.240
16. 24 Mason Diaz- 15.241
17. 3 Nathan Crews- 15.246
18. 29 Stuart Crews- 15.276
19. 24 Colin Garrett- 15.279
20. 28 Jason Barnes- 15.287
21. 57 Justin Carroll- 15.287
22. 87 Mike Looney- 15.321
23. 12 Austin Thaxton- 15.340
24. 22 Grayson Cullather- 15.346
25. 8 Josh Oakley- 15.348
26. 14 Dusty Ellington- 15.351
27. 91 Justin Carroll- 15.438
28. 16 Mark Wertz- 15.449
29. 4 Tim Phipps- 15.480
30. 90 Terry Carroll- 15.531
31. 31 Thomas Beane- 15.612
32. 38 Mark Keessee Jr.- 15.781
33. 64 Charles Barnes- 15.898
34. 22 Eric Winslow- no time
35. 75 Quincy Adkins- no time
Duragloss Limited Sportsman Qualifying Results:
1. 9 Trey Crews- 15.437
2. 19 Bob Davis- 15.550
3. 26 Karl Budzevski- 15.858
4. 17 Jason Myers- 15.596
5. 9 Jessica Dana- 15.604
6. 16 Brandon Jones- 15.652
7. 25 Jacob Borst- 15.663
8. 50 Boo Boo Dalton- 15.704
9. 58 Daniel Moss- 15.712
10. 8 Drew Dawson- 15.762
11. 82 Barry Beggarly Jr.- 15.880
12. 4 Kirstin Simmons- 16.134
