SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (January 31, 2016) – Tuesday was test day at South Boston Speedway and the track’s new racing surface passed with flying colors.
Hoosier Racing Tire Company held a tire test at the .4-mile oval Tuesday to help determine the proper tire compound for the new pavement in the upcoming season. It was the first time cars had been on the track since it was repaved in October.
“I think the word that sums it up now is impressed,” said Peyton Sellers, former South Boston Speedway and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion, who was one of three drivers on hand for the test session. The other two were Austin Thaxton and Matt Bowling, both regular competitors at South Boston.
“The track is really smooth. They’ve done a great job of getting all the early entry bumps out of it. I think that’s going to help competitors this year to learn the cars better. It feels to me like the track is wider. I know it’s not; it feels wider because it feels so smooth you can go from the top to the bottom and not upset the car,” said Sellers.
The test session began at noon as temperatures rose into the mid-50s. There were single-car runs only all afternoon, and most runs limited to three or four laps to allow Hoosier technicians to monitor the tires.
“It’s got a bunch of grip,” said Thaxton, who won five times at South Boston in 2016. “It’s gotten faster as the day has gone on and will get better with more cars and rubber on the track.”
Bowling, reigning South Boston Speedway and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion, expects the track to be lightning fast by the season-opener on March 25.
“I really like the new pavement. It’s smooth. They did a good job on it. I look forward to getting to race on it” said Bowling. “I think there’s more speed left out there. Once we get more rubber down on it, more cars out there, I think you’re going to see a track record.”
South Boston Speedway’s 60th season opens on March 25 with the Danville Toyota NASCAR Whelen Late Model Twin 100s, featuring two 100-lap races for the Late Model Stock Division, a 50-lap Limited Sportsman Division race, a 30-lap Budweiser Pure Stock race and a 15-lap Budweiser Hornets race.
The full 2017 schedule can be found at southbostonspeedway.com.
