Sellers scores 4th Late Model Stock Car triumph of season, trims deficit to four in point chase

SOUTH BOSTON, VA. — Peyton Sellers ended a two-week skid without a victory at South Boston Speedway with a strong run Saturday night in NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series racing action.

Sellers, who resides in Danville, Va., started from the pole position and led every circuit to score his fourth triumph of the season in the 150-lap race for the Barkhouser Late Model Stock Car Division. Sellers claimed the pole position for the start of the race after reeling off a qualifying lap of 15.686 seconds.

Heading into the night, Sellers trailed two-time winner Drew Herring of Benson, N.C. by 10 points in the season-long Late Model Stock Car title chase. Sellers' victory Saturday, combined with a fourth-place run by Herring, enabled Sellers to whittle the current deficit down to four points.

Owen Miller of Emporia, Va. started third, threatened Sellers early on for the first-place position, and wound up with a season-best run of second in the 24-car field.

Brandon Butler of Petersburg, Va. placed third for the night, while Herring, who began the night from the eighth slot, worked his way up to a fourth-place run.

Scott Worley of Long Island, Va. rounded out the top five drivers in the field and was followed by Jonathan Cash of Oxford, N.C. in sixth place and Ryan Rhodes of Sanford, N.C. in seventh.

The nine lead-lap cars were rounded out by outside front row starter Ryan Gray of Raleigh, N.C. in eighth and Terri Williams of Emporia, Va., who finished ninth. Richard Storm of Partlow, Va., who was not on the lead lap at the close of the race, rounded out the 10 drivers in the field.

Only 10 of the cars that started the event were on the track when the checkered flag fell as six caution periods and one red-flag session slowed the field and caused a good deal of attrition.

Just call Jonathan Bailey the one-armed bandit.

Despite having to drive with one arm Saturday night in the 50-lap event for the Limited Sportsman Division, Bailey, who resides in Keysville, Va., started from the pole position and led all 50 laps to score his third triumph of the season. Bailey suffered a dislocated shoulder last weekend, but has still managed to wheel his racecar around the four-tenths mile asphalt oval.

The win, the third of the season for Bailey, vaulted him atop the point standings in the Limited Sportsman ranks after Justin Snow of Danville, Va., who entered the night with an eight-point edge in the point chase, collected a 16th-place finish.

Snow set the fast qualifying time in the race with a time trial lap of 16.292 seconds, but was sent to the rear of the field when a post-qualifying inspection revealed that Snow's tires did not meet track specifications.

Snow roared through the field into the top 10 before suffering engine problems and parking his ride on lap 35.

Tommy Peregoy of Red Oak, Va. started second in the 16-car field and finished in the runner-up position. Bruce Anderson of South Boston, Va., who tallied a season-best third-place finish, followed him.

Brian Pembleton of Amelia, Va. finished fourth in the event, while Andrew Perry of Hillsborough, N.C. rounded out the top five finishers.

Kenny Bowes of Danville, Va. managed sixth-place run for the night, while Bill Moshenek of Providence, N.C. was seventh and was followed in the top 10 by Billy Myers of Hurt, Va. in eighth, Timmy Langford of Amelia, Va. in ninth and Danny Willis, Jr. of Cluster Springs, Va. in the 10th position.

Joey Throckmorton of Scottsburg, Va. completed a clean sweep of racing action in twin races for the competitors in the Virginia Army National Guard Pure Stock Division.

Throckmorton did not start from the pole in either event, however, he grabbed the lead in the early stages of both races and was never headed once he got in front.

Throckmorton roared to first place on the ninth lap of the opening race with a pass of Brandon Baker of Durham, N.C. and then grabbed the lead position on the fifth circuit of the nightcap when he slid past Lee Anderson of Gladys, Va.

Three cautions slowed the first race of the night, which was trimmed to 27 laps due to the length of the event. One of those caution periods saw the cars of Quain Moore of Callands, Va. and John Franklin of Brookneal, Va. flip over coming out of turn four. Franklin, who was complaining with neck pains, was transported to the Halifax Regional Hospital following the accident. Franklin was treated and released from the hospital and returned to the speedway by the end of the night.

Reid Hodnett of Mebane, N.C. collected a second-place run in the opening Pure Stock race, while Billy Goble of Ringgold, Va. was third. Rounding out the top five drivers in the field were Chuck Watkins of Stem, N.C. in fourth and Anderson in the fifth slot.

Watkins pushed his finishing slot up to a runner-up showing in the second Pure Stock race, which was slowed by only one caution period. Nick Igdalsky of South Boston, Va. was third in the field.

Goble managed a fourth-place run in the Pure Stock nightcap, while Hodnett rounded out the top five drivers in the event.

Craig Goess, Jr. wound up as the winner in the 25-lap Legends Series event after he roared to the front on lap four and held on the remainder of the way.

Goess slipped past Cliff Daniels on the fourth circuit to inherit the lead spot on the track. Daniels wound up as the runner-up in the field.

C.E. Falk placed third in the event and was followed in the top five by Cameron Patrick in fourth place and Kevin Yeatts in the fifth slot.