The region’s best NASCAR Whelen All American Series drivers are preparing to converge on South Boston Speedway to compete for some hefty prize money as part of a special Independence Day holiday weekend event on Friday night.
The Dr. & Mrs. Maresca of St. Lawrence Radiology presents the Thunder Road Harley Davidson 200 racing program is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m. Friday, July 3 at South Boston Speedway and will feature three big money races, the biggest names in the region in short track racing and a fireworks extravaganza at the close of the night.
The featured attraction of the night will be a $5,000-to-win, 200-lap shootout for the competitors in the NASCAR Whelen All American Late Model Stock Car Division.
That race will also be the first of three that make up a unique racing tripleheader — the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown — that pays $10,000 to the winner each year.
The Virginia Late Model Triple Crown consists of Friday’s event at South Boston Speedway, the Hampton Heat 200 on July 25 at Langley Speedway and the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 on Oct. 4 at Martinsville Speedway.
Each of the three races offer big-money purses, and drivers competing in those three events will be racing for additional bonus money, while creating an additional dose of excitement for the region’s NASCAR short track racing fans.
Points will be awarded to drivers based upon their finish in each of the three races. The driver with the highest point total, based on the point structure NASCAR utilizes for the NASCAR Whelen All American Series, will receive the $10,000 Virginia Late Model Triple Crown purse.
Peyton Sellers, a former South Boston Speedway and NASCAR Whelen All American Series national champion, has claimed the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown the past two years.
Former South Boston Speedway NASCAR Whelen All American Late Model Stock Car Division champion Matt Bowling is currently the leader in the 2015 NASCAR Whelen All American Late Model Stock Car standings at America’s Hometown Track.
Bowling has collected one win this season on the historic four-tenths mile asphalt oval and leads two-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion Lee Pulliam, a four-time winner this season at South Boston Speedway, by 17 points in the title chase.
Also scheduled as part of Friday night’s racing action will be a 100-lap battle for the drivers in the Limited Sportsman Division, and a 50-lap shootout for the competitors in the Budweiser Pure Stock Division.
Danny Willis Jr., who is looking for his third consecutive Limited Sportsman Division championship, is 29 points ahead of Trey Crews in his quest to retain his championship. Joey Throckmorton is just two points behind Crews in the chase for the Limited Sportsman Division crown.
In the Budweiser Pure Stock Division, Greg Autry will carry a 25-point lead over Stuart Crews in the championship chase with him into the July 3 event. D.J. Moser is in third place and only trails Crews by five points.
The night of racing will be preceded by a Fan Appreciation Session trackside at 5:45 p.m.
At the close of the evening, the annual South Boston Speedway Fireworks Extravaganza will be held and will once again light up the skies over the four-tenths mile asphalt oval with the best fireworks display in the area.
Advance tickets for the Dr. & Mrs. Maresca of St. Lawrence Radiology presents the Thunder Road Harley Davidson 200 racing program are currently on sale and priced at $15 for adults. Advance tickets are available until 5 p.m. Thursday, July 2. Tickets on the day of the race will be priced at $20.
Pit registration will begin at noon on July 3. Practice for all divisions will be held from noon until 1 p.m.and from 3:15 p.m. until 4:15 p.m. and qualifying time trials will get underway at 4:45 p.m. Grandstand gates will open at 4:30 p.m.
