Event Preview: Sellers, Ward, Pembelton Set to Continue Battle for South Boston Speedway Late Model Stock Car Title in Saturday Twinbill

By Joe Chandler

Director, Public Relations

South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, VA (August 21, 2025) – The chase for South Boston Speedway’s Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division championship is inching closer to its climax with two nights of racing and three points races remaining in South Boston Speedway’s 2025 points season.

The gap between first place and third place in the standings is only 14 points heading into the twin 75-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division races that will headline the Saturday, August 23 Sentara Health Race Night event at South Boston Speedway.

Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia, who is seeking a record eighth South Boston Speedway championship, holds a slim seven-point lead over Trevor Ward of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Landon Pembelton of Amelia, Virginia, who sits in third place, trails Ward by seven points and is 14 points down to Sellers.

The outcome of Saturday night’s twin-race event could play a big role in how the championship chase shakes out in the season’s final points race on September 6. That can bring a lot of pressure on the trio of title contenders in this weekend’s twinbill.

“We apply a lot of pressure on ourselves to win anyway,” Sellers remarked. “We want to be competitive. We want to put ourselves in good position. We‘ll just keep our nose down. We’ll stay focused and come back knowing we’re in contention for another championship.”

The two-time NASCAR national champion said the track championship chase will not be decided until the final race on September 6.

“We all know that,” Sellers pointed out. “Points are going to fall how they’re going to fall. Trevor is running too well. We’re running too well. Landon is running well. They (Ward and Pembelton) had a few bad races, and we’ve had a few bad races. That’s what has got us so tight right now.”

Ward was two points behind Sellers entering the twin-race event on August 9. Ward won the first race of that event with Sellers finishing second, creating a tie for the division lead. An unfortunate mechanical issue left Ward with a 10th-place finish in the second race. Sellers finished third in the race and left the track with a seven-point lead over Ward.

“I hate we didn’t get to finish the second race the way we wanted to,” Ward said after the August 9 event. “It’s going to be hard to win the championship. There are still three races to go. You’ve got to stay in it, and we’ll keep fighting for it. I’d like to win my first championship, and I’d love for it to be here at South Boston Speedway.”

At the end of the August 9 event Ward was optimistic about this weekend’s twin-race event.

“I think we found a little bit of speed,” he pointed out. “We’re racing to win. We’re going to work a little harder and try to capitalize on both races.”

Pembelton lost three points to Sellers but cut his deficit to Ward from nine points to seven points with finishes of sixth and second in the twin-race event on August 9.

Asked if he feels any pressure entering Saturday night’s twin-race event Pembelton replied, “absolutely not. Peyton is going for his eighth championship. He’s been doing this for many years. He is one of the greatest (drivers). Trevor has been racing a long time.

“All we can ask for is to contend for wins,” Pembelton continued. “We’re bringing great racecars to the racetrack. I think we have another bullet in the chamber to go after them on these last two nights. We’re going to work on our other car a little bit. I really think there is going to be a bullet in the chamber that they haven’t seen yet.”

Pembelton feels this weekend’s twinbill will be pivotal in determining the division title.

“It’s really going to come down to the twins,” he pointed out. “I’m not saying it’s going to decide it, but it’s going to be game-changing going into the last race. We’ve just got to contend. That’s all we can do. I don’t have the wins those guys have, but we have had consistency behind us. If you run well every week, and I feel we’ve been very consistent this year, it will pay off in the end.”

Six races are slated for the Saturday, August 23 Sentara Health Race Night event with twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division will highlighting the night’s racing action. Also slated for the event are 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.

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.