SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (June 16, 2021) – Sunday is Father’s Day, a day of celebrating fathers, a day on which fathers are recognized for loving, encouraging, supporting, providing for and protecting their children and families.
At South Boston Speedway and other speedways across the nation there are numerous examples of fathers walking in lockstep with their sons and daughters, helping in every way possible to get them a leg up in the sport of auto racing.
Two South Boston Speedway competitors, Jason Myers of Hurt, Virginia who races in the Limited Sportsman Division, and Nathan Crews of Long Island, Virginia, who competes in the Budweiser Pure Stock Division are among those that will be celebrating their fathers on Sunday.
Myers’ father, Billy Myers of Hurt, Virginia enjoyed a successful career racing at South Boston Speedway. The elder Myers won numerous races and won the Limited Sportsman Division title at “America’s Hometown Track” in 1997 and in the back-to-back seasons of 2000 and 2001.
“He’s pretty much had all of the influence in my racing,” Jason Myers remarked when asked about the influence his father has had on his racing. I grew up watching him race. He won a lot of races and a lot of championships. I think he raced at South Boston Speedway from 1986 until 2005 and didn’t miss a race here. I was a part of all of that and when I got a little older, I decided I would do the same thing.”
When Jason Myers is racing at South Boston Speedway, his father, Billy, is right there with him, working on the car and doing whatever is needed.
“He’s definitely my biggest fan,” Jason Myers said of his dad. “We still turn wrenches together. It’s a great bonding experience.”
Jason Myers did not begin his racing career at a young age like so many racers are doing today. When he decided to go racing, his father was supportive.
“I was a high school athlete,” Jason Myers explained. “I played a lot of football. Once I got out of college dad hadn’t been racing and then he got back into it in 2015. I went to the track a few times and I was like ‘hey, I want to give it a try.’ He gave me one of his probably 20-year-old cars. We threw a body on it, pulled it out of the woods and I took off racing. I haven’t stopped since.”
South Boston Speedway Budweiser Pure Stock Division competitor Nathan Crews of Long Island, Virginia will be celebrating his father, Bruce Crews of Long Island, Virginia this weekend.
Like Myers, Crews’ father is a former South Boston Speedway Limited Sportsman Division (formerly known as the Street Stock Division) champion. Bruce Crews won his championship in 1995 and won numerous races at South Boston Speedway during his career.
Nathan Crews is the defending Budweiser Pure Stock Division champion and his family-owned team has won the two previous South Boston Speedway Budweiser Pure Stock Division championships. He, like others, will be celebrating the day with his father.
“I can’t thank him enough for all he has done for me and my racing career,” Nathan Crews said, “not just my racing career, but for my whole life. He’s always supported me whether it was running track or playing baseball. He was always there. He was the same way with my brother, Daniel. To have Daniel out here at South Boston Speedway running Limited Sportsman and running as well as he is running really makes my dad proud.”
Nathan Crews says his dad is always there to help.
“I couldn’t do it without him,” remarked Nathan Crews. “He’s somebody to always lean on and talk to and ask advice on what direction I need to go, how does this stuff look, and things like that. He’s always there to give me an answer. I’m more than grateful for that.”
Nathan Crews said his father made things tough on both him and his brother when they started racing. It wasn’t fun, but today he is glad his father gave them that experience.
“He made us start our first 15 races at the back,” the younger Crews explained. “We had the slowest car everywhere we went so we had to earn wherever we finished. Now, if we have to start last, we know what to do and how to race. That’s just something you can’t teach somebody just by bringing them out here and starting them out. It’s a process and I am grateful I had somebody that made me go through it.”
NASCAR racing returns to South Boston Speedway on Saturday night, July 3, with the track hosting its biggest event of the season.
The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort racing program will feature a 200-lap race for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division competitors. That race will be the first race of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown series and will headline South Boston Speedway’s big Fourth of July Weekend celebration.
A 50-lap race for the Limited Sportsman Division competitors, a 30-lap race for the Budweiser Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Budweiser Hornets Division are also included on the four-race program.
South Boston Speedway will wrap up its Celebrate America Campaign with the July 3 event and will stage a dazzling Fourth of July fireworks show that will be one of the best in the region following the conclusion of the night’s final race.
The first race of the night will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Advance adult general admission tickets for the July 3 event are priced at $15 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, southbostonspeedway.com, through Friday night, July 2.
Adult general admission tickets at the gate on race day are priced at $20 each. Kids ages 12 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. Seniors ages 65 and older, military personnel, first responders, healthcare workers and students, with ID, will be admitted for $15 on race day.
The latest news and updates about South Boston Speedway and its racing events can be found on the South Boston Speedway website and through the speedway’s social media channels.
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