SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (Sept. 27, 2022) -- Many people may not immediately recognize Carter Russo, but if the 16-year-old from Rougemont, North Carolina continues his steady progression in South Boston Speedway’s Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division that will change.
Russo, a rising junior at Orange High School in Hillsborough, North Carolina, has spent the 2022 season quietly improving and steadily making his way forward in his first season of racing at the .4-mile South Boston Speedway oval.
Entering the 50-lap Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division race that will be part of the Davenport Energy Night event on Saturday night, August 6 at South Boston Speedway Russo sits in third place in the division point standings with four Top-Five finishes and nine Top-10 finishes. Russo has three top-three finishes that include two second-place finishes and a third-place finish. His most recent runner-up finish came in the track’s last event on July 16.
“It’s been a good year for my first year here and racing against this much competition,” Russo remarked. “We came up here to race for the competition. We were told there was a lot of competition here, and there definitely is. Some of these guys I’m racing against have been racing for more years than I have been alive.”
Consistency has been a hallmark of Russo’s season at South Boston Speedway. His ability to finish in and right around the top five every race is what has vaulted him into the top three in the division point standings.
“That’s what we wanted, being consistent, staying out of the wrecks, keeping our nose clean and bringing the car home in one piece every night,” Russo pointed out.
The success Russo has enjoyed this season has come as a little bit of a surprise.
“We really didn’t know how we were going to sit because this is a NASCAR track and there is real good competition up here,” said Russo. “We were just hoping to be competitive. We didn’t know what we were going to have. We came up here and found we were pretty good. We have been right there with the frontrunners since. A third-place or fourth-place finish in. points and win Rookie of the Year would please me way more than I would have ever expected to have done.”
As is the case with many racers, Russo started racing go-karts as a youngster and took gradual steps forward, finding success along the way.
“One day I went to an indoor go-kart track and got into a league that had events every Saturday morning,” Russo explained. “Those guys started getting Bandolero cars and I got interested in it. I went and tested to make sure I’d like it and wasn’t way off or anything. I won a national championship and a state championship in Bandoleros in 2020 in the Summer Shootout. I moved up to a Limited Late Model last year at Orange County Speedway and finished second in points and won Rookie of the Year there.”
South Boston Speedway will kick off the track’s month-long 65th anniversary celebration with the Davenport Energy Night event on Saturday night, August 6. To focus attention on the track’s 65th anniversary, twin 65-lap races for the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division competitors will headline the night’s six-race program.
Along with the pair of NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division races, the night’s action will include a 50-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division.
Fans will get a taste of racing history as the competitors of the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club hit the track in their high-horsepower vintage Modified and Late Model Sportsman racers for a 25-lap race.
The Davenport Energy Night race day schedule has grandstand gates opening at 5:30 p.m., qualifying starting at 6 p.m. and the first race of the night getting the green flag at 7 p.m.
Advance adult general admission tickets for the Davenport Energy Night event are priced at $10 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, southbostonspeedway.com. Advance tickets may also be purchased by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.
Tickets at the gate on race night will be $15 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $10 each at the gate on race night.
The latest updates and news for both fans and competitors can be found on the speedway’s website, southbostonspeedway.com, and through the track’s social media channels. Information may also be obtained by phoning the speedway at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.