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By Joe Chandler

South Boston Speedway

With the halfway mark of South Boston Speedway’s 2023 race schedule rapidly approaching one of the closest championship points battles in the track’s history is brewing.

Six-time South Boston Speedway Champion Peyton Sellers of Danville, leads Carter Langley of Zebulon, North Carolina by one point entering the twin 75-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division races that will serve as the feature races of the Bojangles Night Race event on Saturday night, June 3 at South Boston Speedway.

Both drivers have earned four wins, eight Top-5 finishes, and eight Top-10 finishes through the season’s first eight races. Sellers has three pole wins and has led a division-high 277 laps thus far this season. Langley has led 80 laps thus far, the second-highest number in the division.

When it comes to twin-race events at South Boston Speedway this season, the two drivers have identical records. Langley and Sellers have each swept one twin-race event. In the other two of the track’s previous twin-race events, the two drivers have split wins.

The one-point margin between the two drivers in the point standings is a difference of one finishing position in one of the eight races.

All of this has created a setup for what both drivers feel will be a close battle between themselves for the rest of the season.

“It has turned out to be a good battle for the points championship this year,” Sellers pointed out. 

“We’ll just keep plugging away and try to make the most of every opportunity and see what happens,” added Sellers. “It’s never easy to win at South Boston. Just when you think you’ve got something figured out, they show up and beat you. It shows the level of the competition at South Boston.”

Langley, who earned his first career win in Late Model Stock Car Division racing at South Boston Speedway in the season-opener, sees a season-long battle with Sellers for the track championship.

“It’s really fun racing with him,” Langley remarked. “I really don’t want to be racing anywhere else but here at South Boston Speedway. Having to beat the best to win races lets you see and feel how good your team is and how good your car is.

“Peyton is good, and their team is really good,” added Langley. “They have a lot of laps around here and a lot of experience with the track. I’m still trying to play catch-up. Honestly, Peyton is teaching me a lot about racing, having fast cars every week, having to drive the car hard, and making sure we have the car set up right. Hopefully we can keep having fast cars every week and we can keep our success going.”

Close battles for division championships are also underway in the track’s three other racing divisions. Jason Myers of Hurt, holds a 13-point advantage over Carter Russo of Rougemont, North Carolina and Ronnie Jones of Kenly, North Carolina in Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division. The remaining two drivers in the top five are within 20 points of the leader.

In the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division Johnny Layne of Halifax, holds a narrow two-point lead over Zach Reaves of Danville. Only 18 points separate the sixth-place driver in the standings from the division leader.

Dillon Davis of Nathalie, holds a slim three-point lead over Steven Layne of Halifax, in the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division. Only 17 points stand between Davis and the seventh-place driver in the standings.

Six races are set for the Bojangles Night Race event on Saturday night, June 3 at South Boston Speedway with twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division headlining the night’s racing action.

Also included on the six-race card are a 50-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, twin 15-lap races for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division, and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division.

The Saturday, June 3 race day schedule has registration and pit gates opening at 2 p.m. Frontstretch spectator gates will open at 3:20 p.m. and practice will start at 3:30 p.m. Backstretch spectator and tailgate section gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Qualifying starts at 6 p.m. and the first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m.

Tickets at the gate on race day will be $15 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $12 each at the gate on race day.