After Rocky Start, Borst is Finding His Way Back Among the Frontrunners in South Boston Speedway’s Late Model Division

By Joe Chandler

Director, Public Relations

South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, VA (May 20, 2025) – After a rocky start to the 2025 season Jacob Borst is starting to find his way back among the frontrunners in South Boston Speedway’s Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division.

A crash in practice during the March 22 season-opening twin-race event forced Borst into a start-and-park effort for that event leaving him 18th in the division point standings. He has rebounded well in the aftermath, climbing from 18th in the point standings to fifth place in the point standings heading into the twin 75-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division races that headline the Oak River Realty Race Night event on Saturday night, May 24 at South Boston Speedway.

“We’ve had good progress, and we’re getting better each race and are figuring things out more each race,” Borst said. “We’re getting back to where we were last year. We have pretty good speed. I think we’ll get better each week. We haven’t won a race yet, but I feel like we have one coming.”

The 2025 season has been a challenge for the Elon, North Carolina resident who is a full-time student at Liberty University. After a crash last fall during a heat race at Martinsville Speedway that destroyed the front chassis clip of his car, Borst and his family team made the decision to make and build their own front clips – a task many racers and teams defer to a professional chassis builder.

“We had to make the decision that if we’re going to keep on racing, we’re going to have to get more self-sufficient,” Borst explained. “Everything has gone up in price, so we decided to tackle that and build our own (front) clip. It has been a little challenging.”

Borst and his team built their first front chassis clip in preparation for the 2025 South Boston Speedway opener.

“We did it not really knowing what it (the car) was going to do,” Borst remarked. “We tested a fair amount and were really happy with the car. It was probably one of the best cars I’ve had. Dad and everybody that is part of our team learned a lot doing it. Breaking down everything and being able to learn a lot more has made us better as racers.”

Unfortunately, Borst was involved in a crash during practice at the season-opener, a crash that destroyed the front clip they had built. That necessitated that they build another one.

“That was challenging doing it part-time,” said Borst. “I go to college full-time, my parents go to work full-time, and we have all-volunteer help. It was a rush to get everything back together. It was a real challenge to build another clip and hopefully be able to duplicate it.”

Borst finished sixth in each of the two 100-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division races at South Boston Speedway that followed.

“I felt we did really well,” Borst noted. “To come out with two sixth-place finishes with the competition we race against, I couldn’t really complain.”

Borst posted his best finishes of the season with a second-place finish and a fifth-place finish in the twin 75-lap races on May 10, an acknowledgement that progress is being made.

“I’m really proud of my team,” he pointed out. “We have all-volunteer help. For us to go out there and run well with all of the top guys that are here every week, I feel like we’re doing better than what a lot of people should think. We still have work to do. We’re still trying to figure things out. We’re trying to carry the momentum we have from the last race to the next one.”

Borst, now in his fifth season competing in South Boston Speedway’s Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division, has won at least one race in each of his previous seasons competing in the division. His goal is to keep that streak alive.

“We have a car capable of winning,” he pointed out. “It’s all about consistency. It’s all about track position. It’s all about playing your cards right and being in the right place at the right time. If we can keep this momentum we have going, keep up the hard work, and keep getting better each week, I feel there is a win coming.”

In addition to the twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division, the six-race Oak River Realty Race Night event will include twin 30-lap Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division races, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Dollar General Hornets Division.

During the May 24 Oak River Realty Race Night event, South Boston Speedway will be Racing In Remembrance: Honoring Fallen Heroes, Veterans, and Active-Duty Personnel. All active-duty military and veterans will get in free when purchasing tickets at the gate.

The event will also feature a special pre-race ceremony in honor of Memorial Day. Among the participants are the South Boston American Legion Post 8 Honor Guard which will perform a rifle salute, and the Halifax County High School JROTC Color Guard which will conduct the Presentation of the Colors.

Advance adult tickets for the Oak River Realty Race Night event are priced at $12. Tickets at the gate on race day will be $15 each. Suite tickets are available for $40 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $12 each at the gate only on the day of the event.

The latest news and updates about the Oak River Realty Race Night event and all of South Boston Speedway events can be found on the speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours, and through the track’s social media channels.