There was no question Corey Heim and Jacob Borst left it all on the track in Saturday night’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 presented by Grand Atlantic Ocean Resort at South Boston Speedway.
There is also no question they gave the fans that packed South Boston Speedway for the pre-Fourth of July showcase event one of the most thrilling finishes in the event’s history.
Heim, driving a car out of the Alton, Virginia-based Lee Pulliam Performance stable, and Borst, an Elon, North Carolina resident, battled side-by-side over the final couple of laps. On the last lap, the pair made contact on the front straightaway as they sped toward the checkered flag. Both cars slid sideways as they crossed the finish line under the checkered flag, with Heim edging Borst to take the $10,000 first prize and the first race of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown series that also includes races at Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway on July 23 and at Martinsville Speedway on September 24.
Heim also pocketed an extra $1,000, sweeping awards for leading at the halfway break at lap 100 and for leading at Stage 1 at lap 50 and Stage Three at lap 150.
“I’ve been in some exciting finishes before, but this might take the tea right there,” Heim said with a huge smile. “This means a lot. I felt like this place owed me one. I came here in 2018 and had issues in the tech shed. We came back with a determination to win this race.”
Borst said he left everything on the track trying to score what would have been the biggest victory of his career.
“I couldn’t do anything differently,” Borst pointed out. “I gave it all I had. That was the only chance I had. He had an excellent car, and we had a good car. I got underneath him, he slipped up. I made a little contact with him on the frontstretch. We both got a little bit of damage, but we were both going for $10,000 and a good trophy.”
The win was a big one for car owner Lee Pulliam of Alton, Virginia, who won the event six years in a row as a driver. Now, Pulliam is a winner as a car owner.
“This is special to me,” Pulliam said. “It’s been two years since we’ve been to Victory Lane. For him to dominate tonight was very special to me. I’m proud. This is my home track. It’s a special place to be in Victory Lane.”
For much of the night, Heim and Borst were in control. Heim, who has two wins in the NASCAR Truck Series this season while driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports, led 191 laps of the 200-lap race. Borst led eight circuits and Carter Langley led one lap.
Defending NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national champion Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia rebounded after being involved in an incident to finish third. Mason Diaz of Manassas, Virginia and Langley rounded out the top five finishers. Mark Wertz of Chesapeake, Virginia and Camden Gullie of Durham, North Carolina finished sixth and seventh respectively and were the final drivers to finish on the lead lap.
Kyle Dudley of Roanoke, Virginia, Bobby McCarty of Kernersville, North Carolina, and Jared Fryar of Trinity, North Carolina rounded out the top 10 finishers.
The race was slowed by seven cautions that consumed 32 laps. There was one red flag for a major crash in turn one with 12 laps to go in the race that involved approximately a dozen cars. The race was stopped for about 50 minutes to allow safety teams and track crews to remove the damaged cars and clean up the track.
KYLE BARNES WINS 50-LAP BUDWEISER LIMITED SPORTSMAN DIVISION
RACE
Kyle Barnes earned his sixth win in nine starts this season at South Boston Speedway, driving to victory in Saturday night’s 50-lap Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division race on the .4-mile oval.
Barnes, a Draper, Virginia resident, took the lead from Justin Dawson of Nathalie, Virginia on the ninth lap and drove to a 1.366-second victory over Jason Myers of Hurt, Virginia. Chris Donnelly of Montross, Virginia finished third with Dawson taking fourth place and Brian Obiedzenski of Franklinton, North Carolina rounding out the top five finishers.
NATHAN CREWS REMAINS PERFECT IN THE SOUTHSIDE DISPOSAL PURE STOCK DIVISION
Nathan Crews of Long Island, Virginia is not competing in the full slate of Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division races at South Boston Speedway this season. When he does compete, he makes it count.
Crews kept his perfect record in the division this season alive Saturday night, scoring a flag-to-flag win in the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division race at South Boston Speedway. The race was set for 20 laps or 15 minutes, whichever came first, with the race ending on the time limit during the race’s fourth caution flag with 12 laps complete.
B.J.Reaves, Zach Reaves and Andrea Ruotolo, all of South Boston, Virginia, finished second, third and fourth respectively. Kendall Milam of Keeling, Virginia completed the top five finishers.
KEVIN CURRIN TOPS THE FIELD IN THE 20-LAP VIRGINIA STATE POLICE HEAT HORNETS DIVISION RACE
Former division champion Kevin Currin of Chase City, Virginia picked up his third win of the season Saturday night with his victory in the 20-lap Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division race at South Boston Speedway.
Currin has won two of the last three races in the division and has three wins in his six starts in the division this season.
Kendall Milam and Landon Milam, both of Keeling, Virginia, finished second and third respectively. Dillon Davis of Nathalie, Virginia finished fourth and Andrea Ruotolo of South Boston, Virginia finished fifth.
NEXT EVENT AT SOUTH BOSTON SPEEDWAY
NASCAR racing returns to South Boston Speedway on Saturday night, July 16 with the Billy’s A/C Service Night event.
The six-race event will be headlined by a 100-lap NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division Race. Twin 30-lap races are set for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division and twin 15-lap races are on tap for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division. A 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division will round out the night’s racing action.
Grandstand gates will open at 5:30 p.m., qualifying begins at 6 p.m. and the first race of the night will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Advance adult general admission tickets for the event are priced at $10 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, through Friday night, July 15. 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 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.
SBS PR
