Frank Deiny, Jr. scores victory in season-ending SoBo 300 at America's Hometown Track

SOUTH BOSTON, VA. — Frank Deiny, Jr. grabbed the lead on the 71^st circuit of the SoBo 300 Saturday evening at South Boston Speedway and was never fronted the remainder of the way.

Deiny, who resides in Mechanicsville, Va., bested a 36-car field in the race, which was extended to 304 laps after a late-race caution flag flew and set up a two-lap shootout to the checkered flag. In the process, Deiny pocketed the $15,000 first-place purse money. Over $57,000 in prize money was awarded in the event.

Deiny started the race in the fifth position and had moved into second place 50 laps into the race. He then worked his way around pole position winner Jamey Caudill of Four Oaks, N.C. on the 71^st lap.

Nick Smith of Hampton, Va. motored to a second-place finish in the field after beginning the race from the ninth slot. Smith was up to third by the midpoint of the race and grabbed second place at the start of the second 150-lap segment of the race when Caudill was forced to the pits with mechanical problems.

The race was put under caution at the halfway point to allow drivers and teams a 15-minute break to make minor adjustments to their cars.

Smith made several late charges to try and get past Deiny in the second half of the race, but was unable to do so.

Drew Herring of Benson, N.C., the 2006 Late Model Stock Car Division champion at South Boston Speedway finished in third place after starting from the 10^th position. He was followed across the start-finish line by 2006 NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series national champion Philip Morris of Ruckersville, Va., who finished in fourth place.

Rodney Cook, the 2006 Late Model Stock Car Division champion at Ace Speedway, roared from a 21^st starting spot in the field to finish in fifth place, while C.E. Faulk, III of Virginia Beach, Va. posted a sixth-place run.

Marc Davis of Mooresville, N.C. motored to a seventh-place finish in the field, while Richard Boswell of Mooresville, N.C. managed an eighth-place run.

Curtis Truex, Jr. of Mooresville, N.C. was ninth when the checkered flag flew at the end, while Kelly Kingery of Wirtz, Va. rounded out the top 10 performers and was the final driver on the lead lap.

The race was slowed by seven caution periods, the last of which set up a two-lap sprint to the finish. The final caution flag flew when the lead lap cars of Cliff Daniels of Smithfield, Va. and Jason Dickerson of Ruckersville, Va. got together in the frontstretch.

Kingery and David Triplett, Jr. of Timberlake, N.C. got together for the fifth caution of the race when the two were battling for fourth place on the track with 68 laps remaining.

The sixth caution of the night flew when the lead-lap cars of Joe Gaita of Yorktown, Va. and Jonathan Bailey of Keysville, Va. went spinning in the backstretch.

Caudill claimed $500 for winning the pole position for the race and Deiny collected $500 for leading at the halfway point of the event.

Gaita and Jon Denning of Danville, Va. secured victories in the 30-lap heat races held prior to the SoBo 300. The top nine finishers in each of those races secured spots in the field and three positions were issued to drivers based on point standings at South Boston Speedway this season. The top 15 spots in the field were secured through qualifying time trials.

For more information, visit the speedway’s website at www.southbostonspeedway.com or phone the track at (434) 572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540.