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Max Sangillo is only in his second season racing in the Hornets Division at South Boston Speedway. And yet, the Prince Edward County resident already has a Top Five finish under his belt, after some changes that were announced Tuesday night. 

The changes involve results from Saturday night’s race at South Boston Speedway. Originally, Cameron Goble took the win, but he was disqualified on Tuesday. A post-race technical inspection found the rear steer of Goble’s No. 18 to be out of compliance. 

“Per our track rulebook, any components not explicitly specified as adjustable must remain stock,” explained Jeff Bomar. He works as director of operations for South Boston Speedway. “We do not have a rule for rear steer in our Hornets division, which means this component falls under Rule 5-10 General/Other, that all components not listed in our rules must remain stock. The factory toe links were adjusted outside of the OEM specifications for the year, make and model of this car, therefore we made the decision to disqualify the No. 18.” 

Max Sangillo learns about cars

So, what does that have to do with Sangillo? With Goble disqualified, everyone else moved up the results list by one. That means Jason DeCarlo officially won the race, with Steven Layne in second, Sangillo’s cousin Jordaine Penick in third, Landon Milam in fourth and Sangillo rounds out the top five. 

Earlier this season, in speaking with The Herald, Sangillo said he’s learned a lot this year, both about driving on the track and the mechanics of working on the cars. He has some great help in that area. His uncle, Michael Penick of Michael’s Power Sports, built his cars. To date, he’s had three different vehicles. Sangillo said he hopes this year’s model will help him climb the points ladder. He’s off to a good start. 

Penick moves up the board 

The season’s also been a good one for Sangillo’s cousin. Jordain Penick has already done a lot for a teenager entering her third season in the Hornets Division.  Over the last two seasons, she’s logged one Top-5 finish, put up 16 Top-10 finishes and recorded her highest career finish, placing fifth last June. So far this season, Penick has blown that away, finishing in the Top Five in every race. With Tuesday’s decision, the sophomore at Randolph-Henry High sits now in third place in the division, just seven points out of the lead.
Both Penick and Sangillo will get a chance to move further up the points standings next week, when the Hornets Division returns to South Boston. On Saturday, May 4, the first Late Model race starts at 7 p.m., with the Hornets Division wrapping things up as the last event of the night. It’s also First Responder Appreciation Night, with a parade lap of fire trucks, emergency vehicles and police cars from various agencies across the region taking place during pre-race ceremonies. All first responders also get in free with a valid ID badge.