Fourteen-Year-Old Tristan Brunelli Quickly Checking Off Goals in South Boston Speedway’s Limited Sportsman Division

By Joe Chandler

Director, Public Relations

South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, VA (August 5, 2025) – Fourteen-year-old Tristan Brunelli had several goals when he started his first career stock car race in South Boston Speedway’s Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division in early April.

The young Powhatan, Virginia resident quickly checked some of them off of his list, and the outlook is promising for him to cross off the remainder as the track’s points season nears its end.

“When the season started, we wanted to go for the Rookie of the Year Award and wherever we ended up in points was where we ended up,” Brunelli explained. “We also wanted to get a few podium finishes and hopefully get a win.”

Brunelli earned his first career stock car race win in his sixth career stock car race when he took the checkered flag in the 50-lap Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division race on May 10. He has earned three podium finishes (Top-3 finishes) thus far and, along the way, led the division point standings a few weeks.

The early win came as something of a surprise.

“I didn’t expect it to come that quick,” Brunelli remarked, “but when the tables fall in the right place it works. It was a big accomplishment for everyone that has worked as hard as they have and great to see the hard work pay off.”

Not only has Brunelli earned a win and three Top-3 finishes this season he occupies second place in the division point standings entering the 50-lap Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division race that will be part of the six-race Davenport Energy Race Night event Saturday night, August 9 at South Boston Speedway. Brunelli stands 18 points behind division leader Zach Peregoy in the championship chase and holds a 12-point cushion over Drew Dawson, who sits in third place in the standings.

More importantly, Brunelli holds a 36-point edge over his closest challenger for Rookie of the Year honors, 14-year-old Trace Daniel of Sutherlin, Virginia. All of that gives Brunelli a good feeling as the South Boston Speedway points season winds down to its final three nights of racing.

“We conquered all of those goals, and now, whatever happens is essentially a bonus,” Brunelli said with a smile. “We’re sitting second in points now, 18 points back. There are no other rookies really close to us. Unless we have a bad few nights, we should be able to win that.”

When Brunelli started the 2025 season he knew he would be competing against a lot of drivers that have a great deal more experience than he has. Yet, he was not intimidated.

“iRacing and things helped with that, so I wasn’t coming in with no experience,” Brunelli said. “I just take them as another person.”

He did admit it is tough being 14-years-old and competing against the more experienced drivers.

“It’s really hard,” he said. “You’ve got to be careful who you race with because if you mess with the wrong person they will come back at you later.”

Young racers have a lot to learn. For Brunelli, the toughest thing has been learning the art of passing another competitor.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is passing, how to pass people,” he pointed out, “not just dive-bombing somebody, because that normally ends up in a wreck.”

Brunelli sees the final three races of the season for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division as an opportunity to finish the season on a high note after having posted two Top-5 finishes in his last four starts.

“I feel like we’ve fallen off a little bit the past few races,” he remarked. “We’re trying to get the car back to where it was in May when we were running really strong. I want to try to win another race and, if we can, I’d like to try to win the championship.”

Six races are scheduled for the Saturday, August 9 Davenport Energy Race Night event at South Boston Speedway with twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division headlining the night’s racing action. Also scheduled for Saturday night’s event are a 50-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and twin 15-lap races for the Dollar General Hornets Division.

Advance adult tickets for the Saturday, August 9 Davenport Energy 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 9 Davenport Energy 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.