First Career Stock Car Racing Victory Makes Brunelli One of the Youngest Drivers to Win a NASCAR Race at South Boston Speedway

By Joe Chandler

Director, Public Relations

South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, VA (May 15, 2025) - Tristan Brunelli was calm and composed as he talked about his first career stock car racing win following the 50-lap Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division race on May 10 at South Boston Speedway.

Instead of being overly excited and emotional as would be expected among many 14-year-olds, Brunelli was somewhat measured in his words, speaking more like a veteran racer that already had several wins under his or her belt.

“I’ve always been the kind of person that doesn’t show a lot of emotion,” the young Powhatan, Virginia resident explained with a smile. “In my head, it’s going crazy.”

That would be expected.

With his win Brunelli become the first of the three 14-year-old racers competing in South Boston Speedway’s Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division to win a race and made him one of the youngest drivers to win a NASCAR-sanctioned race at South Boston Speedway.

“It was very exciting to win my first career race in the Limited Sportsman Division here at South Boston Speedway with this tight of a Limited Sportsman field,” Brunelli said after scoring the win in just his sixth start in a stock car. “It’s really hard to win one of these (races) and when you do it, it feels really good.”

The win propelled Brunelli into second place in the division point standings, 15 points behind division points leader Nathan Crews of Long Island, Virginia and five points ahead of Peregoy who sits in third place. He also became one of seven drivers to lead laps in the division thus far this season.

Racing has been a life-long love for the young racer.

“Before I was born my dad was helping Kyle and Rusty Wood when they were racing modifieds,” Brunelli explained. “They had something like six cars they would work on. When I was about six-months-old, I got introduced to Southside Speedway (in Richmond, Virginia) and watching the races there. That and seeing Kyle do well really got me into it.

“In 2020, we decided to buy a car and bought a Bandolero,” he continued, “and raced at Langley and Dominion. We were really good there.”

His family purchased a Limited Sportsman car last season. After doing some testing, he competed in a pair of Charger Division races at Southern National Motorsports Park in the fall. Those were the only two races Brunelli had competed in prior to racing this season at South Boston Speedway.

Brunelli admitted that it has been an adjustment racing the Limited Sportsman car.

“iRacing and everything else I do has helped,” he pointed out. “iRacing gets it as close as they can, but it’s not exact. There are a few things you can take from that, but the more laps I run, the better I’ve done.”

The high level of the competition in the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division was one of the reasons he and his family chose to race at South Boston Speedway this season.

“We knew we were going to have really good competition here,” he remarked. “I watched a bunch of races last year and saw the competition was tight here. We knew when we came up to this division, we were going to be racing adults. We knew we needed to be really good. You can’t just come out here and win one of these races. You’ve got to really have the car to do it.”

As expected, earning the win was a big boost to the young racer’s confidence.

“It brings my confidence level up going into the next race,” he said. “Obviously, this is just one win, and we can get more as the season goes on, so we’ll just take it one step at a time and see what the next race brings.”

The next event for Brunelli at South Boston Speedway will be twin 30-lap Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division races that will be part of the Oak River Realty Race Night event on Saturday night, May 24. That event, the second twinbill of the season for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, will bring another challenge.

“I’ve always liked the longer races better than the twin races because the twins can get pretty crazy,” he remarked. “We’ll just see what comes of it next week.”

In addition to the twin 30-lap Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division races, the six-race Oak River Realty Race Night event will include twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Dollar General Hornets Division.

During the May 24 Oak River Realty Race Night event, South Boston Speedway will be Racing In Remembrance: Honoring Fallen Heroes, Veterans, and Active-Duty Personnel. All active-duty military and veterans will get in free when purchasing tickets at the gate. The event will also feature a special pre-race ceremony in honor of Memorial Day. Among the participants are the South Boston American Legion Post 8 Honor Guard which will perform a rifle salute, and the Halifax County High School JROTC Color Guard which will conduct the Presentation of the Colors.

Advance adult tickets for the Oak River Realty 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, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $12 each at the gate only on the day of the event.

The latest news and updates about the Oak River Realty Race Night event and all of 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.