Peyton Sellers distanced himself from the field on a late restart to win the first leg of the Virginia Triple Crown in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway on Saturday. For Sellers that was just business as usual as he picked up his fifth win in 18 starts on the season as this region hits the mid-point of a grueling schedule for drivers in the Southeast region that last from February to November.
Philip Morris was just ten points back of Sellers a month ago in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National standings but after several tough outings and car count drops have kept him from keeping pace with Sellers, who has had full car count in every start at South Boston Speedway. Both drivers struggled in the Sunday race at Southern National Motorsports Park with a strong field that could have helped gain points for both drivers.
Blaine Perkins, who was third a month ago at our last update of the points standings has fallen to 15th in the standings. Midwest driver Jacob Goede has vaulted to third in the standings just 100 markers behind Sellers for the lead. Goede competes at Elko Speedway and Lacrosse Speedway and has two wins on the season in 4 fewer starts than Sellers.
Nick Sanchez notched his first win of the season at Myrtle Beach Speedway this past weekend and finds himself hanging steady in the fourth position. Sanchez with just 12 starts is only 126 points behind Sellers. Sanchez has been bouncing around from track to track but competes at Myrtle Beach Speedway often. With high car counts there and more wins potentially on the horizon he could climb into the thick of the battle for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National title.
Thomas Beane, who finally notched his first win of the season two weeks ago, holds steady in fifth with Northeast drivers Keith Rocco and Todd Owen in sixth and seventh respectively. Local Late Model Stock Car drivers Jeff Oakley and Mike Looney find themselves in eighth and ninth just ahead of Midwest driver Zach Telford.
In the State battles, Sellers has vaulted ahead of Morris, who was four points ahead of Sellers at our last update nearly a month ago. Sellers holds a 44 points advantage over Morris who is 62 markers ahead of Looney. Oakley and Langley Speedway driver Greg Edwards complete the top five.
In North Carolina, Beane holds a 30-point advantage over another Hickory Motor Speedway competitor Chris Hudspeth. Bowman Gray Stadium Modified drivers Tim Brown, Burt Myers and Jonathan “JonBoy” Brown complete the top five currently. Bradley McCaskill, who abandoned the CARS Tour to compete for the North Carolina State Title is 11th in points but has a long way to go to compete for the state championship despite competing in races at Southern National Motorsports Park, East Carolina Motor Speedway, Bowman Gray Stadium and Hickory Motor Speedway.
In South Carolina, Sam Yarbrough leads with four victories over winless Justin Milliken. The two compete head to head weekly at Myrtle Beach Speedway with incredible car counts keeping them at the head of the pack. Both drivers have ventured to other Palmetto State venues with Yarbrough competing in select races at Anderson Motor Speedway and Milliken making a one-off start with Hawk-McCall Motorsports at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. Neither has won outside their home track. Tommy Lemons, Jr., Brian Vause and Sanchez complete the South Carolina top five.
In Tennessee where Kingsport Speedway is the only NASCAR Whelen All-American Series sanctioned weekly venue, track points leader and winner of the most races this season Nik Williams leads the state points. Williams has a 28 point advantage over last years State champion Zeke Shell, who missed the first race of the season and is tied with Joey Trent for the second spot. Wayne Hale is fourth and Ronnie McCarty, who missed three of the nine events so far this season sits fifth. McCarty is tied with Williams with three victories on the season but after missing three races is 66 points back in the State standings.
Cover photo by Jaden Austin.
Current NWAAS National Standings Top Ten:
(Updated July 1, 2019)
1 – Peyton Sellers 462
2 – Philip Morris 418
3 – Jacob Goede 362
4 – Nick Sanchez 326
5 – Thomas Beane 326
6 – Keith Rocco 324
7 – Todd Owen 320
8 – Mike Looney 320
9 – Jeff Oakley 318
10 – Zach Telford 314
Click Here for the full National Standings.
Click Here for the full State by State Standings.
