One of Late Model Stock Car racing’s greats, Stacy Compton, is getting back in the saddle and returning to Late Model Stock Car competition.
Stacy Compton confirmed to RACE22.com that he would be returning to the cockpit during a private test session at Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, North Carolina. Compton, 44, won the track championship at South Boston Speedway in 1994 and then, in the late 90s and early 2000s, he raced some in NASCAR’s major leagues. During his NASCAR career, Compton scored two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victories at the road courses of Portland International Raceway in Oregon and Heartland Park Topeka in Kansas.
Now, teamed up with Steve James, Compton is back in a Late Model where he will race in the Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS) Late Model Stock Tour as well as possibly traveling to race some at South Boston Speedway and Motor Mile Speedway in Virginia.
“We’re going to probably play some,” Compton told RACE22.com. “Fortunately, Steve gave me the opportunity to come out and play again. We’re going to run the CARS Tour, we may run some at South Boston. We’re probably going to pick and choose some. We may go to Motor Mile. South Boston is certainly close to home for both of us. We’re really not sure exactly where we’re going to run as far as, probably not going to run for points anywhere. We’re just going to try to go out some and win some races.”
Compton reminisced on his early racing career, prior to his days in NASCAR racing.
“I started racing go-karts when I was six-years-old for a year or two and then went Late Model racing back in the late 80s and early 90s,” Compton remarked. “I won a track championship in 1994. I used to be running against these guys when Wayne Patterson was running so we’ve got some history together. I had a lot of fun running Late Models all over, South Boston, Motor Mile, Orange County, all the racetracks that we grew up watching.”
Compton is excited about getting back behind a Late Model. For him, it’s not just a chance to get back to the roots of racing but back to racing in general after being out of the cockpit for a handful of years.
“It’s fun,” Compton explained. “I always loved Late Models. It’s kind of where our heart’s always been at. I really enjoyed the Truck Series, Sprint Cup Series and Xfinity Series. But it’s fun to get back to the grassroots of racing. I always loved racing, I always loved driving.
“I didn’t get out from behind the wheel because I wanted to. Sponsorship goes away and when you’re in NASCAR, when sponsorship goes away, you can’t keep doing it. I was fortunate to be in the sport for a long time. It is fun being back behind the wheel in good stuff where you know you have a shot to go out and win races.”
