Story by: Corey Latham ~ [email protected]

Halifax, VA(March 16, 2011) — South Boston Speedway has always been a well attended track, with competitors and fans alike. While each division is strong and on par with other tracks, the Limited Late Model division is always large and the first race of the season was no exception with 16 cars strong ready to take the green flag. It was wild and rough, but it ended just like the season did in 2010, with Justin Snow once again the class of the field.

As the Limiteds rolled out and took the green, it was underway, the 2011 season of racing and the 54th for South Boston had started. Two of the big dogs in the Limited division would make up the front row with defending champion Justin Snow on the pole and Danny Willis Jr. to the outside, Darrell Gilchrist and Mike Jones would line up right on their tail. Snow would jump out to the early lead but things would get interesting very quick.

South Boston was implementing a new procedure for the 2011 season, the “Cone” restarts. Following in the ways of first Bowman Gray Stadium and then Ace Speedway last season, a cone is set out on the track before each restart and if anyone wants to advance their position to the unpopular outside line they may do so. It didn’t take but two laps and the first one was coming into play as Ken Morgan takes a spin. 2010 Motor Mile Speedway Limited champion Anthony Barnes would be the first to try his luck but it would to be no avail as Snow and Willis powered by once again.

Well, the experiment didn’t last long as we didn’t even get down the backstretch after the green before Rob Clary gets turned around taking J.D. Eversole and Ken Morgan into the pileup with heavy damage. Gilchrist would be the first on the next restart to go outside, but he too would be unable to do anything with Snow or Willis, it was becoming evident what most of us already knew, the two veterans were going to be hard to beat on this day.

After a few more spins in the rear, the action begins to heat up after a lap six restart with Gilchrist once again going to the outside. Gilchrist is being helped this season full-time by Late Model ace Deac McCaskill, and the benefits looked to be paying off in the first time out. He would be unable to clear Snow, but Gilchrist would give Willis all he wanted on the outside as they fought down the backstretch. As Willis nosed ahead slightly, Mike Jones in fourth would dive bomb into turn three getting into Gilchrist and sending him extremely hard into the outside wall. His day would be done, he had just gotten a new Hegecock rear clip a few weeks before and another one would be in the near future before that car raced again.

Barnes would once again go high, but the Motor Mile champ would have nothing in store for the front cars and faded after each restart. Two new names would be heading to the front though, one with tons of experience and the other in his first ever race in a full sized stock car. Brian Pembleton has tons of wins at South Boston, but a poor qualifying run had him deep in the field, so naturally the cone was to great benefit to him on this afternoon. Bobby McCarty had just moved up from the Allison Legacy Series and was simply getting seat time, but both would find themselves in the top five before the halfway point.

As the day had been so far, Justin Snow was going to be hard-pressed to be beat. After each restart he would pull away from Willis, with Jones giving Willis all he wanted with many shots to the rear bumper. After a few laps Willis would get some breathing room as the front three had distanced themselves from McCarty in fourth who is doing a phenomenal job in his first start. Pembleton would be right behind though and he would have something to say before this one was settled.

After Anthony Barnes gets turned around off turn two we have our final restart with eight to go and Pembleton once again goes to the outside. As they race into turn one Snow can’t clear Pembleton and they drag race down the backstretch. Pembleton can’t make it work and falls back into second. Usually Willis would be right there to pounce but he once again has his hands full with Jones, who has not been afraid to use the bumper in the 50 lap event.

As Willis and Jones race into turn one, Jones dives to the inside and gets into Willis. Jones seems to back off for a second, then gets right back into the gas still into Willis as smoke flies. The two race all the way through the middle of turn two and off the corner with Jones just pushing into the side of Willis as Willis is completely sideways for the entire ride. In one of the most amazing displays to date Willis saves it and Jones who looked to be the aggressor in this situation falls back through the field. In all the commotion though, McCarty slips by and takes over third, but Willis would be back.

Up front it looks to be all Snow but he did not get away from Pembleton as he had all day from the second place competitor. As the laps wind down Pembleton looks to be able to hang with Snow but can’t get close enough to make the pass. Willis has recovered nicely from a near wreck and has caught McCarty but the laps would run out for him before he could get close enough to battle. Snow would take the win with Pembleton right there, McCarty with a impressive run takes third followed closely by Willis then a ways back to Mark Simpson rounding out the top five.

Snow starts out the 2011 campaign right where he left off, but the usual suspects in Pembleton and Willis will be a force to reckon with once again. Throw in the rookie McCarty who showed he is already above his learning curve, Jones who is exciting to watch every lap, and Gilchrist who will be strong but never got a chance on this day and the Limited division is wide open.

 

Results:
1. Justin Snow
2. Brian Pembleton
3. Bobby McCarty
4. Danny Willis Jr.
5. Mark Simpson
6. Aaron Burnett
7. Blake Stallings
8. Anthony Barnes
9. Mike Jones
10. Charles Barnes
11. Meagan Creech
12. Rob Crary
13. Darrell Gilchrist
14. Austin Thaxton
15. Ken Morgan
16. J.D. Eversole