August 22 Event Preview: Final Twinbill To Send Hornets Swarming As Title Fight Renews

Four Division Championship Battles Resume August 22 on Davenport Energy Race Night

By Joe Chandler

Director, Public Relations

South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, VA (August 20, 2026) – The Hornets are dormant today. On Saturday they’ll erupt into a frenzy.

Who will feel the sting when the colony swarms? Who will emerge as the “King Hornet?”

Racing fans will find out Saturday night at South Boston Speedway.

The twin 15-lap races that will be part of the August 22 Davenport Energy Race Night event has the hive of Dollar General Hornets Division competitors buzzing.

As if the title fight wasn’t enough, Italian Delight Family Restaurant is creating more of a buzz by adding an extra $1,000 to the overall purse for the twin-race event.

Each of the Hornets’ two features will pay $250 to win, second place and third place will pay more than twice the normal winnings, and the payout will be double for the remainder of the field.

Come See What All The Buzz is About on August 22! Get Your Tickets Here

Even though the large purse is up for grabs in Saturday night’s twinbill, most of the focus will be on the intense battle for the division championship. With two 15-lap races slated, one or more of the title contenders could feel a nasty sting if things don’t go their way.

“Points-wise it’s a make-or-break night,” said division points leader Landon Milam who carries a slim three-point lead over Chris Penick into the August 22 twin-race event. “If you have a bad race, it can put you behind, possibly cost you the championship.”

Penick, who, like Milam, is seeking his first division championship, agrees.

“This event is definitely important,” Penick noted. “Your goal has to be finish as well as you can in both races.”

The two drivers have a similar approach to Saturday night’s twin-race event.

“I just plan to race like I normally do,” Milam explained. “I want to keep the nose clean, keep all of the body panels on it, and stay out of trouble. Winning at least one race will be great. If I can do that, I think I’ll be alright.

Landon Milam (sixth from the left on the second row) is joined in Victory Lane by race team, family members and friends to celebrate his win in the 20-lap Dollar General Hornets Division race on May 30 at South Boston Speedway. The win was his fourth victory of the season. Milam leads the division point standings.

“I’m going to go out there and continue to keep doing the same things I’ve been doing all season,” Penick pointed out. “I want to try to not make any mistakes, keep the car clean, do the best I can in the first race and see where we go from there. I feel it would be huge if I could get at least one win.”

The pressure continues to build with only two races remaining in the division after Saturday night’s event. Neither driver is letting the pressure get to him.

“I really try to not think about the points,” Milam remarked. “I try to not think about it and let it get into my head. I see the points when the track posts them on Facebook, and that’s about it. I don’t go back and re-look at them. I just want to go out there and have fun.”

“I’ve been trying to keep the pressure off all season,” said Penick. “I just try to not put pressure on myself. I never really expected to put myself in this position in the points, but here we are. This is the highest position I’ve ever been in.”

If one were to attempt to predict the outcome of the twin 15-lap races on Davenport Energy Race Night based on previous division history, one would find that Milam has the edge.

Milam has swept two of the division’s four previous twin-race events (May 2, 2026, June 8, 2024). He also finished second in the first race and won the second race on June 7, 2025).

“I love twin-race events,” Milam said. “I’ve done pretty well with them. I haven’t had much bad luck with them, and I hope it stays that way. I’m thinking I’m going to have a pretty good night.”

By comparison, Penick finished ninth and third in the May 2, 2026 twinbill. He finished fifth in both races on June 7, 2025, and finished sixth in both races on August 9, 2025.

Chris Penick celebrates in Victory Lane following his victory in the 20-lap Dollar General Hornets Division race on August 1 at South Boston Speedway. The win was his second of the season.

However, Penick’s overall performance this season makes him a solid pick as well. His eight Top-5 finishes and 10 Top-10 finishes equal Milam’s totals in those categories. Penick’s two wins and three poles are also reasonably close to Milam’s four wins and four poles.

“I knew when we came out here this year we had a top-contending car,” Penick noted.

“It’s been a strong season. We’ve been consistent. I want to finish out these last four races strong and have some fun.”

There is a third challenger lurking behind the scenes, two-time division champion Jason DeCarlo. DeCarlo stands 12 points behind Penick and 15 points behind Milam and could potentially become a factor in the title chase if Milam and Penick should falter.

However, DeCarlo’s situation is unsettled. DeCarlo sold the newer car he has used most of the season after it was heavily damaged in crashes each of the past two races. He still has his original car but will not make a decision until mid-to-late week as to whether he will compete in Saturday’s twinbill.

Cameron Moss is also lurking behind the background. He sits in fourth place in the division standings 17 points behind Milam, 14 points down to Penick and two points behind DeCarlo. If Moss was to have a big night and Milam and Penick falter, Moss could enter the championship conversation.

Anything is possible with four points races remaining in the division championship chase. Saturday night’s twin 15-lap races could be the difference-maker.

SBS Drivers Retain Strong NASCAR National Rankings

Four of the regular competitors in South Boston Speedway’s Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division were ranked in the Top 15 of the NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts Division I national point standings as of August 15.

Trevor Ward was ranked fifth, Landon Pembelton was 10th, Peyton Sellers stood 12th and Conner Weddell was 15th.

Trevor Ward (77) uses the low line as he surges past Peyton Sellers (26) for the lead in a recent Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division race at South Boston Speedway. Ward holds a 22-point lead over Sellers and a 24-point lead over third-place Landon Pembelton entering Saturday night.

South Boston Speedway Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division points leader Drew Dawson was ranked 13th in the NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts Division II national point standings as of August 15. Tristan Brunelli was right behind in 14th and Brian Rundstrom Jr. was ranked 17th.

Johnny Layne of Nathalie, Virginia, who leads South Boston Speedway’s Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division, was ranked 31st in the NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts Division III national point standings as of August 15.

Historically Tight Limited Sportsman Title Chase Resumes Saturday

One of the closest championship chases in the history of South Boston Speedway’s Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division renews Saturday night with a 50-lap race as part of the Davenport Energy Race Night event.

Tristan Brunelli (18) and Brian Rundstrom Jr. (88) battle for the lead in one of this season’s Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division races at South Boston Speedway. The pair are tied for second place in the division point standings one point behind division leader Drew Dawson.

Drew Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia holds a narrow one-point edge over Tristan Brunelli of Powhatan, Virginia and Brian Rundstrom Jr. of Green Bay, Virginia.

Dawson has led the championship battle most of the season, and the one-point lead is the smallest lead he has held. The last month or so has been rough for Dawson as he has not had a Top-5 finish since the June 27 event. Also, his car was destroyed in a crash on July 11. He was able to get a new car and is trying to get a handle on it. He finished eighth and seventh in the twin-race event on August 1 with the new car.

Meanwhile, Brunelli has two victories, and two runner-up finishes in his last four starts. Rundstrom has come on strong with three straight Top-3 finishes that include a win.

Davenport Energy Race Night Notes

The battle for South Boston Speedway’s Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division crown resumes Saturday night with a 100-lap race that will serve as the feature event of the night’s racing action.

That race is the first of four remaining points races for the division.

After a twist from the August 1 twin-race event division points leader Trevor Ward of Winston-Salem, North Carolina finds himself with a little breathing room in the title chase as he holds a 22-point edge over eight-time South Boston Speedway champion Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia.

Landon Pembelton of Amelia, Virginia, who has been in second place in the standings most of the season, dropped to third place, 24 points behind Ward and two points behind Sellers. Teenager Conner “C-Weed” Weddell of Centerville, Maryland sits in fourth place 32 points out of the lead and eight points behind Pembelton. Bobby McCarty of Kernersville, North Carolina rounds out the top five in the standings, 16 points behind Weddell.

Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club Returns Saturday

The Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club returns to South Boston Speedway Saturday for a 35-lap race in what will be its third and final visit of the season to the .4-mile oval.

Shayne Lockhart of Chesterfield, Virginia has won the Modified Division in the group’s last four visits to South Boston Speedway. He won the division in both of the club’s visits to the track in 2025 and won both of this season’s two previous outings on March 21 and June 13.

Bobby Griffin of Stokesdale, North Carolina was the Sportsman Division winner at the March 21 event and Josh Roberts of Carson, Virginia was the Sportsman Division winner in the June 13 event.

Fan Info You Need to Know About Davenport Energy Race Night

The event schedule for the Saturday, August 22 Davenport Energy Race Night event has registration and pit gates opening at 2 p.m., practice starting at 3:25 p.m., frontstretch grandstand gates opening at 3:30 p.m., trackside parking gates opening at 5:30 p.m., qualifying at 6 p.m., pre-race ceremonies starting at 6:45 p.m. and the first race of the night starting at 7 p.m.

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, 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.