Three-Sport Athlete Anna Mayo Adding Her Fastest Sport as a Fourth This Saturday at South Boston Speedway

A High School Standout On The Field, Mayo Aims to Earn Respect on the Track

By Joe Chandler

Director, Public Relations

South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, VA (April 16, 2026) – Anna Mayo is like many young racers approaching the start of their respective racing seasons, experiencing a mix of joy, excitement, and nervousness.

There is no doubt about one thing though – she can hardly wait for the start of the 25-lap Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division race that will be part of the six-race Bojangles Race Day event on Saturday afternoon, April 18 at South Boston Speedway.

“I’m more happy than nervous,” the Halifax County (VA) High School senior said. “I’ve been eager to get into the car and race. I’ve been excited all winter with us working on the car and everything that goes with it. It will mean a lot to have all of the people and supporters I have come see me be in the car again.”

Saturday’s 25-lap Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division race will be Mayo’s second career race. She finished eighth in her first race, a 25-lap race held in September of last year.

See Anna Make Her Mark. Get April 18 Bojangles Race Day Tickets Here!

“I feel I did pretty well for my first race, the Halifax, Virginia resident remarked. “Obviously, I need more practice and more time to get better.”

Mayo has been around racing all her life. Her father, veteran racer Bruce Mayo, has competed in the Pure Stock Division at South Boston Speedway for more than two decades.

“That’s how I have come to love the sport,” she pointed out. “My dad has been racing since when I was little. I’ve always wanted to race since I saw him out there doing it.”

Racing is a tough sport and has its obstacles.

“All of the time we’ve spent working on the car is the hardest thing,” she pointed out. “It’s just dad and myself. We’re a two-man team.”

Mayo said there are some difficult lessons to be learned in racing.

“The hard thing is trying to learn how to get better and realizing that I am not going to be the best as soon as I get out there,” she explained. “It’s going to take time to get better. Some of it is learning how to race with other cars. It’s hard to be out there racing with a bunch of other people. You don’t really know what they’re going to do, and they don’t know what you’re going to do.”

The high school senior has been involved in three other sports along with racing. She is a current player on the Halifax County High School varsity girls soccer team, played basketball on the high school’s varsity girls basketball team and plays recreation league softball.

“Soccer is probably my number one sport right now,” Mayo said, “but racing has always been up there since I was little. Soccer has taught me a lot about how to be mentally strong and be prepared for anything and everything that could happen. Sports, as a whole, teaches you patience and sportsmanship.”

Her father, Bruce Mayo, a four-time winner in the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division at South Boston Speedway, is looking forward to seeing his daughter compete in Saturday’s Bojangles Race Day event at South Boston Speedway.

Anna Mayo and her father Bruce Mayo analyze data from a practice run at South Boston Speedway

“I’m tickled to see her out there,” he remarked. “I’m super proud of her. Anna has been absorbing a lot of information. We came over to South Boston Speedway and practiced the car last year. She did real well right off the trailer. She ran her first race at the last race of last season. Anna got a lot of comments from a lot of different drivers that watched her, how she handled the car, and how she ran her line.

“We’re hoping to build on that this year,” he continued. “We’re not setting any lofty goals. We just want her to learn and get better.”

Like any father that has a daughter out of the track racing, Mayo goes through a mix of emotions.

“It’s nerve-wracking sometimes,” he admitted. “The good thing is I’m thinking about what we need to do with the car to make her better. As far as my nerves go, I try not to think about what is actually happening as far as her being in the car.”

The veteran racer has competed in only two races since being involved in a spectacular crash at South Boston Speedway in the final race of the 2024 season. He says he hopes to be able to race again sometime around mid-season.

“I ran one race at Orange County Speedway and one race here at South Boston Speedway last year and then put Anna in the car,” Bruce Mayo explained. “I’ve been working on a car for myself, but Anna is the priority this year. We’re going to try everything we can to keep her out here every race we can.

“That wreck (in 2024) did take some wind out of my sails,” he continued. “That was the hardest hit I’ve ever had anywhere. It was pretty bad. It killed the car. I had a couple of injuries I had to get over after that.

“I definitely want to get back out here and compete,” Mayo added. “The desire is still there,” added Mayo. “I’m hoping that I will be back, maybe at mid-season. It’s a great class and a great group of people that race here.”

Six races will be featured in the Saturday afternoon, April 18 Bojangles Race Day event at South Boston Speedway, the last of the three daytime racing events on the track’s 2026 season schedule.

A 125-lap race for the Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division, the longest race the division’s competitors will encounter at South Boston Speedway until mid-June, headlines the afternoon’s racing action. Fans will also see the first twin-race event of the season for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division competitors who will battle it out in twin 30-lap races.

In addition, there will be a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Dollar General Hornets Division. The regional touring East Coast Flathead Ford Racing Association will be making its only visit of the season to South Boston Speedway for this event and will be featured in a 25-lap race.

The race day schedule has practice starting at 10:25 a.m. and frontstretch spectator gates opening at 10:30 a.m. Qualifying starts at 1 p.m., pre-race ceremonies will start at 1:45 p.m. and the first race of the day will get the green flag at 2 p.m.

Bojangles representatives will be handing out gift cards at the gate starting at 10:30 a.m. and continuing while supplies last.

Adult advance tickets are priced at $12 each. Adult admission at the gate on race day is $15. Suite passes are $40 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, veterans and military personnel, first responders, healthcare workers and students with ID may purchase tickets for $12 each at the gate on race day. Kids ages 12 and under are admitted free.