Millington Excited, Confident Ahead of the June 28 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway

By Joe Chandler

Director, Public Relations

South Boston Speedway

SOUTH BOSTON, VA (June 20, 2025) – Ryan Millington feels the extra preparation he and his team are devoting to their efforts and confidence from a solid outing at South Boston Speedway last fall will pay off in the 19TH running of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 on Saturday night, June 28.

Millington skipped the last two zMAX Cars Tour events to prepare for the 200-lap race that serves as the kickoff race for the Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing and pays $10,000 to win. The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 will be Millington’s first race outside of the zMAX CARS Tour this season.

“We’re really excited for this one,” Millington said during a break in a recent testing session at South Boston Speedway.

“It’s a very special race. We sat out the last couple of CARS Tour races trying to prepare to come here and be really ready to go. We ran really well here last year at the CARS Tour race, so I had this one circled on our schedule to try to come and win it. I think we’ve got a good shot at it. We’ve got a good car, and I’m really looking forward to it.

“This race has always been a big one for everybody for a long time now,” Millington added, “so to be able to walk away and say we had a good run or possibly have won the race would mean a lot to myself, my dad, and everyone that puts a hand on the car. Hopefully we can make it happen.”

Millington, who has two Top-5 finishes in six starts on the zMAX Cars Tour this season and has two career wins on the circuit, had a great night in last fall’s zMAX CARS Tour race at South Boston Speedway. He won the pole, led the first 100 laps of the 125-lap race, and finished third.

That gives the Statesville, North Carolina resident a lot of confidence entering South Boston Speedway’s showcase NASCAR Late Model Stock Car race.

“We haven’t been here a lot, but we’ve always run well when we have come here,” Millington said. “We’re shooting to come here and have a Top-3 run, and I don’t see any reason why we can’t. We qualified on the pole last year for the CARS Tour race and led the race until the last restart. I’ve always had a good feel for what you need around this place and we’ve got it. We’ll come back with a little bit of confidence knowing we’ve got a good piece.”

Millington says that while the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 will be a tough race he likes the challenge.

“I like the longer races,” Millington remarked. “Tires are a really huge thing at the end of it, so it’s a lot of fun and it falls into the drivers’ hands as to who can hustle all night long and put their car in the right spot at the right time. This track is one of those tracks where you have to run real hard all night, and you have to be smart to not tear your stuff up.”

Millington points out track position is going to be critical in the 200-lap race.

“I think it’s the big key,” he noted. “There is always a big pileup here at some point during that race, so I think being far enough up so that you hopefully miss it if there happens to be one is the key. You want to be in the Top-3 or Top-5 for the (mid-race) break. Being in that mix when it comes to that point in the race is going to be important.”

Millington knows the competition at South Boston Speedway is tough every week and will be especially tough in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200. He does, however, have a driver in mind as to the driver to beat in the race.

“The one (driver) I have on my mind is my buddy Trevor Ward,” Millington pointed out.

“We talk a good bit every once-in-a-while. He always runs well up here. He works really hard and has good equipment.

“He’s kind of in the same boat as us,” Millington continued. “It’s just him and his buddy Corbin that do all the work on the car, and it’s just me and my dad (Scott Millington) to do all of ours. We’re kind of in the same boat, but we both know what’s going on with the ins and outs of our racecars and that makes us better. It should be fun to race against him.”

Four races are scheduled as part of the 19th running of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 on June 28 at South Boston Speedway. Along with the 200-lap race for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division, there will be a 40-lap race for Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 15-lap race for the Dollar General Hornets Division A colorful patriotic Fourth of July fireworks show will follow the last race of the night.

Advance adult tickets for the Saturday night, June 28 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 event are priced at $20 each. Tickets at the gate on race day will be $25 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $20 each at the gate only on the day of the event.

The event schedule for the June 28 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 has registration and pit gates and frontstretch spectator gates both opening at 10 a.m. Rotating practice sessions for the four divisions will run from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Backstretch and Turn 4 tailgate gates open at 3:30 p.m.

Go Halifax Late Model Stock Car group qualifying starts at 4:15 p.m. Adriver autograph session is slated from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Pre-race ceremonies will start at 6:30 p.m. and the first race of the night will start at 7 p.m.

The latest news and updates about the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 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.