For the second time this season two-time NASCAR national champion and six-time South Boston Speedway champion Peyton Sellers has swept a twinbill at South Boston Speedway.
Sellers won both races of the twin 65-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division races that headlined Saturday night’s Boone Tractor Race Night presented by Billy’s A/C Service event at South Boston Speedway to run his season win total at South Boston Speedway to five on the season.
The sweep of Saturday night’s twinbill gave him wins in three of his last five starts at the .4-mile oval.
“It was a solid night,” Sellers remarked. “We couldn’t ask for any better, being fastest in practice, qualifying on the pole and winning both races. What could you do better?”
“This car has been running really well,” Sellers added. “We’ve been “off” a little bit. Tonight, we made good gains on it. I think we finally have a baseline we can work off of.”
Sellers edged former Virginia champion Mike Looney of Catawba, Virginia by 1.769 seconds in a 37-lap green-flag run to the finish that followed the last of the race’s three caution periods.
Kyle Dudley of Roanoke, Virginia finished third, about six seconds behind Sellers with 15-year-old Max Reaves, a Toyota development driver, finishing fourth in a car out of the Sellers Racing stable in just his second Late Model Stock Car race, and Ryan Wilson of Randleman, North Carolina finishing fifth.
With the top six finishers of the first race inverted for the start of the second race it didn’t take long for Sellers to take the top spot. Sellers passed Wilson for the lead on the ninth lap and led the final 57 circuits to take the win.
Sellers crossed the finish line 3.192 seconds ahead of Reaves with Blake Stallings of Danville, Virginia finishing third driving Sellers’ back-up car.
It was a great gesture of sportsmanship on the part of Sellers and his team to offer Stallings the opportunity to drive the team’s back-up car.
Sellers started the night with a 16-point lead over Stallings in the chase for the division championship. Stallings was involved in an incident on the 15th lap of the first race that heavily damaged his car and prevented him from racing it in the nightcap.
“I hated Blake had bad luck,” Sellers said. “I want to beat him on the track. That was why it was only natural that we offered him our (back-up) car.”
Stallings was very grateful and very appreciative of the opportunity that Sellers and his team gave him to drive their back-up car. That opportunity allowed Stallings to stay alive in the division championship chase.
“I’m extremely humbled by the opportunity H.C Sellers, Bert Sellers and Peyton gave me to allow me to get behind the wheel of their back-up car. They said ‘be respectful with it, but treat it as it’s yours and race your race.”
Dudley finished fourth and Austin Thaxton of South Boston, Virginia completed the top five finishers.
Twin No. 1
Peyton Sellers
Kyle Dudley
Max Reaves
Ryan Wilson
Toby Layne
Jacob Borst
Stacy Puryear
Blake Stallings
Austin Thaxton
Craig Moore
Raymon Pittman
Twin No. 2
Peyton Sellers
Max Reaves
Blake Stallings
Kyle Dudley
Austin Thaxton
Mike Looney
Toby Layne
Stacy Puryear
Ryan Wilson
