Daniel Earning His Place Among the Top Competitors in South Boston Speedway’s Limited Sportsman Division

By Joe Chandler

Director, Public Relations

South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, VA (August 14, 2025) – Fourteen-year-old Trace Daniel is quietly earning a place among the top drivers in the highly competitive Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division at South Boston Speedway.

Daniel may not be as flashy as his fellow teen racers but his current fifth-place standing in the division point standings with two points races remaining in the track’s 2025 points season shows the solid performance he has put together this season.

His best effort of the season has been a runner-up finish which came in the second race of a twin-race event on June 7. He has logged a pair of seventh-place finishes and has six Top-10 finishes in his 11 starts, three of them coming in his last five outings.

Daniel is chasing Rookie of the Year honors in the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division. While he trails fellow 14-year-old Tristan Brunelli who occupies second place in the division point standings, he says his season has already exceeded the expectations he had when he strapped into his car for the division’s season-opener in early April.

“I wanted to have a few Top-5 finishes and finish at least in the top seven in points,” Daniel noted. “I didn’t think we would finish second in the race we did. Right now, we’re fifth in points, which I feel is pretty good. I wasn’t expecting being top five in points.”

The second-place finish on June 7 did a lot for his confidence.

“It boosted my confidence a lot,” he remarked. “The biggest accomplishment would be a win, but I see the second-place finish as a big accomplishment for myself and our team.”

The young racer admitted being nervous when he started competing in the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division at South Boston Speedway. Daniel entered the 2025 season at South Boston Speedway with little previous seat time in a full-bodied stock car.

“It was my first time competing at South Boston Speedway against all of the competition that is here,” Daniel explained. “I ran six Limited Sportsman races at Orange County Speedway last year just to get some seat time. I had one third-place finish. We either got wrecked out or we had a mechanical issue in the others.

“It’s always been my dream to race here,” Daniel continued. “I came here watching my dad, Kenny Daniel, and a lot of the great drivers like Lee Pulliam race here. This is something I’ve really wanted to do for a long time.”

Learning the .4-mile South Boston Speedway oval has proven to be Daniel’s biggest challenge.

“This track is so much different than Orange County,” Daniel pointed out. “Running the groove here is a lot different and going into the turns is a lot different. The whole track here is a lot different.”

Daniel says it’s tough being 14-years-old and competing against more experienced drivers.

“Sometimes I think they hold a little against you because they don’t like being beaten by a 14-year-old,” he remarked. “You’ve just got to keep your head up. You can’t let them get into your head.”

The battle for South Boston Speedway’s four division championships resumes on Saturday night, August 23 when NASCAR racing returns with the Sentara Health Race Night event.

Twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division will headline the six-race card. A 50-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division, a 20-lap race for the Dollar General Hornets Division and a 25-lap race for the regional touring Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club are also included as part of the night’s racing action.

Advance adult tickets for the August 23 Sentara Health 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, military, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $12 each at the gate only on the day of the event.

The race-day schedule has registration and pit gates opening at 2 p.m. and practice starting at 3:25 p.m. Frontstretch grandstand gates open at 3:30 p.m. and backstretch and Turn 4 trackside parking gates open at 5:30 p.m. Qualifying starts at 6 p.m. and the first race of the night will get the green flag at 7 p.m.

The latest news and updates about the August 23 Sentara Health Race Night event and all 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.