Craig Moore has emerged as one of the frontrunners in South Boston Speedway’s Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division and is putting together what could turn out to be his best season competing at the four-tenths-of-a-mile oval.
Moore, who posted third-place and fourth-place finishes in the May 6 twinbill, stands fourth in the division point standings with four top-five finishes and finishes in the Top-10 in all six races run thus far this season. He is 22 points behind co-leaders Carter Langley and Peyton Sellers entering the twin 60-lap races for the Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division that will serve as the feature races of the ABC 13 WSET Night Race event on Saturday night at South Boston Speedway.
“I think some of the success we’ve had this year is because I love the track,” Moore remarked. “Since I won the CARS Tour race here at South Boston Speedway in 2018, I’ve wanted to come back here and race some because I live just on the other side of Roxboro, North Carolina, and this is a local track for us.
“I raced on the CARS Tour the last three or four years,” Moore continued. “My son is four-years-old now. I like racing here at South Boston Speedway because he and my wife can come. It’s more cost-affordable to race here at South Boston Speedway versus the CARS Tour, and my sponsors are local, too. That means a lot.”
“I’m looking forward to trying to get a win here at South Boston Speedway,” he added. “Winning the CARS Tour race here in 2018 is one of the biggest wins of my career at this racetrack and in my career, and I would love to win another race here.”
Moore’s intention is to run the full schedule at South Boston Speedway and attempt to compete for the Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division championship.
“As long as we don’t have anything bad happen like a big crash that totals the car and we can keep sponsors we’ll keep going as far as we can,” Moore explained. “To come out here and have a shot to finish in the top three or contend for the points championship is something I would like to do. I have won two championships at Orange County Speedway. To have one here at South Boston Speedway would be great for me and my career.”
While the 45-year-old Rougemont, North Carolina, resident has competed in the Late Model Stock Car Division ranks for 18 years, he does not have the experience of racing at South Boston Speedway that several of his fellow competitors do. As a result, he and his team are continuously working to get the car better.
“Right now, I feel like we have a top-three or top-four car,” Moore noted. “I don’t really think we’ve had our car where it needs to be yet. A couple of races ago we finally found a direction we need to go in. Peyton (Sellers) obviously has a feel for the track, and he knows what his car needs to feel like. I haven’t raced here enough to know how the car needs to feel.
“I tell people all the time you’re one adjustment away from being second to tenth,” he continued. “We’ve been able to qualify pretty well. We’re going to work on race pace. I need to make sure the car feels good when the pace slows down. That’s what we’re going to start working on.”
Moore and his fellow competitors in the Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division will be competing in twin 60-lap races this weekend as part of Saturday night’s ABC 13 WSET Night Race event.
“I like twin races because it gives you two chances, and you can work on the car between races,” Moore said. “The good thing is it’s not an impound race. Here you can change the car between qualifying and the first race and you can work on your car between races.”
In addition to the twin 60-lap races for the Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division, the ABC 13 WSET Night Race event will include a 50-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division, a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division and a 25-lap race for the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club.
Registration and pit gates will open at 2 p.m. Frontstretch spectator gates will open at 3:20 p.m. and practice starts at 3:30 p.m. Backstretch spectator and tailgate section gates will open at 5:30 p.m. Qualifying starts at 6 p.m. and the first race will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Advance adult general admission tickets for the May 13 ABC 13 WSET Night Race event are priced at $12 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, or 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 day will be $15 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, health care workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $12 each at the gate on race day.
