Event Recap: Ward, Krantz Split Wins in Twin 75-Lap Late Model Stock Car Races Saturday Night at South Boston Speedway

By Joe Chandler

Director, Public Relations

South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, VA (August 9, 2025) – Championship contender Trevor Ward and 14-year-old Darren Krantz Jr. split wins Saturday night in the twin 75-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division races that headlined the Davenport Energy Race Night event at South Boston Speedway.

Ward, who stood two points behind Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia in the division championship chase entering Saturday night’s twinbill, won the opening 75-lap race to earn his fifth win of the season at South Boston Speedway.

The Winston-Salem, North Carolina resident took the lead from Sellers with eight laps to go in an intense battle for the lead and drove to a .945-second win over the seven-time South Boston Speedway champion.

“My guys really needed that win,” Ward remarked. “It was a good race, a good, clean hard race. The car was very good. We were able to back our pace down and let him (Sellers) get away a little bit, cool everything down and make another run at him.”

Sellers said Ward was just a little better than he was at the end of the race.

“Trevor and I put on a show that first race,” Sellers noted. “He was just a little better than I was. I faded a little bit in the last 10 laps.”

Mark Wertz of Chesapeake, Virginia finished third with Blake Stallings of Danville, Virginia and Jacob Borst of Elon, North Carolina rounding out the top five finishers in the 17-car field.

Krantz, of Huntington, New York, won the second 75-lap race, edging Landon Pembelton of Amelia, Virginia by .858-second after a torrid battle that saw the lead change hands four times, with three of the lead changes occurring in the last nine laps of the race.

“It didn’t come easy,” Krantz said of his win. “I had to go out there, fight for it and race hard. It was very hard and aggressive racing. It was all fun racing, though. I couldn’t be more thankful for my team getting me here.”

Pembelton, who finished sixth in the opening 75-lap race, started fourth but needed only 16 laps to grab the lead. He led twice for a total of 52 laps including a stretch of 51 laps. A caution period with nine laps to go created a torrid battle between the two drivers with the lead swapping hands three times over the final nine circuits.

“It was very fun,” Pembelton said of the race. “He (Krantz) was just a little better than us at the end,” Pembelton said.

Sellers finished third, Stallings finished fourth and Wertz rounded out the top five drivers in the 17-car field. Ward finished 10th in the nightcap after his car developed a misfire as the result of an alternator failure.

Winslow Earns Win In 50-Lap Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division Race

Eric Winslow of Pelham, North Carolina earned his first South Boston Speedway win of the season, edging Nathan Crews of Long Island, Virginia by .483-second in the 50-lap Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division race that was part of Saturday night’s Davenport Energy Race Night event at South Boston Speedway.

The win was Winslow’s first win at South Boston Speedway since sweeping a twin-race event on April 20, 2024. He had competed in one previous event here this season.

Brian Rundstrom finished third in his first start of the season at South Boston Speedway with Tyler Garretson of Centerville, Arkansas and Tristan Brunelli of Powhatan, Virginia rounding out the top five finishers in the 15-car field.

Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division points leader Zach Peregoy of Clarksville, Virginia, who was bidding for his third straight win, finished sixth.

Johnny Layne Wins 25-Lap Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division Race

Johnny Layne of Halifax, Virginia took the lead from division points leader B.J. Reaves of South Boston, Virginia with four laps to go and won the 25-lap Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division race that was part of Saturday night’s racing action at South Boston Speedway.

Layne, who had competed in only one event this season prior to Saturday night’s race, took the lead from Reaves with four laps to go and edged Reaves by .683-second. Layne led twice for a total of 18 laps with Reaves leading twice for a total of seven laps.

Dillon Davis of Nathalie, Virginia, Andrew Turner of Sutherlin, Virginia and Zach Reaves of Danville, Virginia completed the top five finishers.

DeCarlo Sweeps Twin 15-Lap Dollar General Hornets Division Races

Division points leader Jason DeCarlo of Chase City, Virginia won both of the twin 15-lap Dollar General Hornets Division races that were part of Saturday night’s Davenport Energy Race Night event. The sweep gives DeCarlo four wins this season at the .4-mile oval.

In earning the sweep in what was the third twin-race event in the division’s history DeCarlo became the second driver in the division’s history to sweep both races.

DeCarlo took the lead on the sixth lap of the opening race and edged Landon Milam of Keeling, Virginia by .349-second to earn the win. Dustin Davis of Nathalie, Virginia finished third, Jordaine Penick of Meherrin, Virginia finished fourth and Max Sangillo of Farmville, Virginia finished fifth.

DeCarlo started fifth in the second race in an inverted start among the top five finishers of the first race, took the lead from Jordaine Penick on the fifth lap and drove to a .425-second win over Penick.

Davis finished third, Milam finished fourth and Sangillo rounded out the top five finishers.

Unofficial Results

Sentara Late Model Stock Car Feature 1

Finish No. Name

1 77W Ward, Trevor

2 26S Sellers, Peyton

3 55W Wertz, Mark

4 77P Stallings, Blake

5 25 Borst, Jacob

6 0 Pembelton, Landon

7 9 Goin, John

8 77K Krantz Jr., Darren

9 1G Grady, Andrew

10 8 Scott, Thomas

11 3 Williams, Trey

12 51 Layne, Toby

13 19 Cann, Jessica

14 28 Storm, Dustin

15 1Y York, Jamie

16 38 Keesee, Mark Jr

17 26X Pittman, Raymond

DNS 44 York, Jason

Sentara Late Model Stock Car Feature 2

1 77K Krantz Jr., Darren

2 0 Pembelton, Landon

3 26S Sellers, Peyton

4 77P Stallings, Blake

5 55W Wertz, Mark

6 9 Goin, John

7 1G Grady, Andrew

8 44 York, Jason

9 25 Borst, Jacob

10 77W Ward, Trevor

11 3 Williams, Trey

12 8 Scott, Thomas

13 51 Layne, Toby

14 19 Cann, Jessica

15 1Y York, Jamie

16 28 Storm, Dustin

17 26X Pittman, Raymond

DNS 38 Keesee, Mark Jr

Budweiser Limited Sportsman

1 22 Winslow, Eric

2 3 Crews, Nathan

3 88R Rundstrom, Brian

4 99 Garretson, Tyler

5 18 Brunelli, Tristan

6 12 Peregoy, Zachary

7 75 Dunn, Cory

8 88 Dawson, Justin

9 1 Stanley, Shelby

10 0 Palumbo, Gennaro

11 2 Daniel, Trace III

12 5 Peregoy, Beverly

13 1 Dawson, Jared

14 8 Dawson, Drew

15 19 Davis, Bob

DNS 45 Towler, Justin

Southside Disposal Pure Stock

1 9 Layne, Johnny

2 11 Reaves, Barry

3 63 Davis, Dillon

4 76 Turner, Andrew

5 77 Reaves, Zach

6 1 Phillips, Scott

7 6 Pool, Colby

8 31 Sanford, Jacob

Dollar General Hornets Feature 1

1 54 Decarlo, Jason

2 83 Milam, Landon

3 51 Davis, Dustin

4 7 Penick, Jordaine

5 33 Sangillo, Christian

6 24 Penick, Chris

7 42B Byrd, Daniel

DNS 29 Moss, Cameron

DNS 18 Goble, Cameron

DNS 42X Smith, Jordan

DNS 88 Milam, Kendall

Dollar General Hornets Feature 2

1 54 Decarlo, Jason

2 7 Penick, Jordaine

3 51 Davis, Dustin

4 83 Milam, Landon

5 33 Sangillo, Christian

6 24 Penick, Chris

7 42B Byrd, Daniel

8 42X Smith, Jordan

9 29 Moss, Cameron

DNS 18 Goble, Cameron

DNS 88 Milam, Kendall

Next Race at South Boston Speedway

NASCAR racing returns to South Boston Speedway on Saturday night, August 23 with the Sentara Health Race Night event.

Twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division headline the six-race card. Fans will also see 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 tentative 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.