(Author’s Note: As we continue our articles discussing tracks where NASCAR’s Top 3 series no longer race at, we will visit the South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Virginia, for today’s in-depth analysis. For many years, the track affectionately called “SOBO” sanctioned races for the Cup Series, the current Xfinity Series, and the current Camping World Truck Series. From 1960 to 1971, the 4/10ths-mile short track held 10 Cup races with legends like Richard Petty and Junior Johnson grabbing checkered flags before the series decided not to return. While the Cup Series left, the precursor to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series, continued to compete at the track in the absence of the Cup Series. When the Late Model Sportsman Series turned into NASCAR’s prominent secondary series in 1982, South Boston remained a staple of the division with three races in the inaugural year. Through 2000, the Virginia short track held at least one event for the NASCAR Xfinity Series every year except for 1992 and 1993 when the speedway underwent massive renovations. However, after the 2000 season, the NASCAR Busch Series, as it was called then, never returned to the speedway. In its place, the third national series, what was then called the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, raced at the speedway three times between 2001 and 2003. However, the trucks left after 2003 and NASCAR’s three national series had left the historic speedway. Unlike North Wilkesboro, though, South Boston remained active weekly like many other asphalt short tracks across the country. The Virginia short track continued to be part of the NASCAR Winston Racing Series, now called the Whelen All-American Series, where drivers compete for track championships and a national championship with drivers from various states. This past season, Philip Morris, who will be a key part of this race analysis, won the state of Virginia’s battle thanks to excellent runs at South Boston and he finished sixth in the national standings. In addition to the weekly late model action, SOBO has hosted the ARCA Racing Series, the PASS Super Late Model Series, the Allison Legacy Race Series, the now defunct NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, and many others. Also, just this year, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East hosted two 100-lap races at the speedway in one night with most of the field running throwback paint schemes to honor the history of the track. For 2018, the track has a packed schedule with more late model action and two races for the K&N Series for the second straight year. While the short track remains action-packed year after year, we are going to venture to a time when the stands were packed as fans enjoyed the NASCAR Busch Series for 300 laps. We are going to analyze the 1999 Textilease/Medique 300 held at the track, which featured 14 total cautions and two leaders wrecked as they ran out front. In the end, a young Dale Earnhardt Jr., the reigning and defending NBS champion, grabbed the checkered flag after surviving the final laps, which allowed him to take his second consecutive victory on the season and increase his points lead in search of his second title. Let’s jump into an analysis of this 300-lap race filled with short track beating and banging as if the checkered flag just waved on a Saturday evening in South Boston, Virginia.)
After leading the final 70 laps and outlasting three intense restarts with Jeff Green right on his bumper, Dale Earnhardt Jr. grabbed a redemptive victory at South Boston Speedway after a thrilling Textilease/Medique 300. The win was his ninth of his storied career in the NASCAR Busch Series and his second consecutive on the 1999 season in the NBS after going winless in the first 14 races of the year. The victory was also a bit of revenge at South Boston for the young son of 7-time champion, Dale Earnhardt Sr. Last year, after leading the first 244 laps, Junior was penalized two laps for wrecking Joe Bessey and he lost his shot to win. Revenge was on the North Carolina driver’s mind and he grabbed the checkered flag at the track for a triumphant victory. However, the battle for the win wasn’t an easy one as several important factors decided the conclusion of the race and led to 14 total cautions in the event. Earnhardt Jr. started on the pole for the fifth time in his career, but he didn’t remain there long. On the initial start, Kevin Grubb, who started second, powered around Earnhardt Jr.’s outside in turn 2 to lead the first lap. Grubb led until the first caution waved on lap 6 for an incident involving Dale Shaw and Adam Petty. The race quickly restarted and the Virginia driver remained the leader, but Dick Trickle began to challenge for the top spot. As the field raced back to the yellow flag following the second caution on lap 16, Trickle beat Grubb to the line thanks to a surge of momentum exiting turn 4 to steal the lead. From there, the short track specialist executed out front and dominated the early part of the event. He led through the third caution on lap 25, the fourth caution on lap 32, and the fifth caution on lap 82. All the while, he lapped drivers and held off all challengers thanks to his blazing fast Chevrolet. On lap 99, the sixth caution of the race waved as NASCAR planned its first of two competition cautions. The pit road at South Boston is much narrower than most and in the effort of improving safety, NASCAR mandated two cautions for teams to pit their drivers under slower speeds without the risk of losing positions and crew members getting hurt. Trickle remained the leader following the caution flag stops and he looked to continue his dominating race. On the subsequent restart, Trickle drove away from the pack and continued to lap drivers. However, his roll slowed as he bumped Justin Labonte exiting turn 2 on lap 134 and brought out the seventh caution. The #5 Chevrolet remained the leader without damage from the incident, but the complexion of the race changed on the next restart. As the field accelerated through turn 3 after the seventh caution restart, Lyndon Amick, who was a lap down, broke loose underneath Trickle and slipped up the track, which caused them to make contact. The two cars spun in front of the field as everyone looked to avoid. Amazingly, the rest of the field avoided and the caution didn’t wave, which dropped the #5 Chevrolet to the back of the lead lap and moved Todd Bodine into the lead. Shortly after the leader spun, the eighth caution waved on lap 146, which allowed teams and drivers to regroup after the spin. Bodine remained the leader for the restart with Jeff Green behind him. When the green flag waved, Green immediately challenged for the lead as the race passed the halfway point. The two Chevrolet drivers battled for several laps before the #32 of Green stuck his nose underneath Bodine’s #66 as they entered turn 1 on lap 162. The two made slight contact, which sent Bodine spinning in front of the field. Again, the leader spun without the caution waving and the #32 Chevrolet inherited the lead. 26 laps later, the ninth caution of the race waved for a piece of debris on track with Green still out front followed by Earnhardt Jr. The green flag waved once again and the tenth caution quickly flew on lap 200 for the final round of caution flag pit stops. The entire field pitted for fresh tires and fuel with Green remaining the leader since the line-up couldn’t change during the stops. The race quickly restarted after the stops and the eleventh caution waved on lap 213 for Mike Dillon hitting the outside wall in turn 4. The field lined up for another restart with the #32 Chevrolet still out front. On the restart, the #3 Chevrolet of Earnhardt Jr. started to challenge for the lead. The two drivers raced bumper to bumper for several laps before the 1998 NBS champion moved to the inside on lap 230 in search of the lead. The #3 finally moved into the outright lead a lap later and powered away from his fellow competitor. Junior’s advantage disappeared when the 12th caution waved on lap 240 for an accident involving several drivers. The crash was cleaned up and the field lined up two by two for the restart. When the green flag waved, Earnhardt Jr. maintained the lead until the 13th caution flag flew on lap 257. For the penultimate time, the running order was set-up for another intense restart. The green flag waved and the North Carolina driver looked to extend his lead, but Green hounded the leader. With about 25 laps to go, the two drivers were racing hard through the corners, hoping to grab the victory. Around lap 280, Earnhardt Jr. had drove away slightly from his competitor with his sights set on the checkered flag. Just as it appeared he would drive right to the checkered flag, the 14th and final caution waved on lap 288 for a Matt Kenseth spin. The reigning champion would now have to outlast a final restart and a ten-lap run. When the green flag waved for the final time, Green and Hank Parker Jr. stayed right with Earnhardt Jr. as they ran the final circuits. The two Chevrolets did everything to pass the #3, but they were unsuccessful. Earnhardt Jr. held onto the lead during the short run and powered to the checkered flag after an impressive ending to his race. The entire team went to victory lane happy that they had finally conquered South Boston after their disappointment last season. Today’s race at South Boston was a typical short track shootout for the NBS. 14 cautions plagued the event, beating and banging occurred throughout the field, and the battle for the win came down to a late race showdown between the Top 3 competitors. As these 5 stages of analysis show, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s thrilling victory at South Boston came following an action-packed race filled with cautions, track position skirmishes, and hard racing around the 4/10ths-mile short track.
Stage 1:
Clutch Closer: Earnhardt Jr. Takes the Lead with 70 to Go and Captures the Win
In just a year and a half in the NBS, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has exceeded all expectations as the son of a NASCAR legend. Last year, the blossoming star won seven races, grabbed 16 Top 5’s, and captured his first championship in his first season by 48 points. The North Carolina driver returned to the series this season with the goal of earning consecutive championships on his rise up the NASCAR ladder. Despite going winless in the first 14 races of the season, Earnhardt Jr. powered to the win last week at Dover, which handed him the points lead for the second time this year. In addition to his win one week ago, Junior made his NASCAR Winston Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway at the end of May. He executed a clean race and brought his #8 Chevrolet home in 16th, an impressive performance in NASCAR’s longest race. The young driver’s momentum from his first NWCS start and his first NBS win of the season carried into South Boston today as he looked to avenge the win he lost last season thanks to a two-lap penalty. The #3 Chevrolet started on the pole this afternoon for the second consecutive race at South Boston. However, unlike last year where he led the first 244 laps, Earnhardt Jr. lost the lead on the first lap as Kevin Grubb powered past him on the outside in turn 2. Junior continued to drop spots in the first few laps of the race and when the first caution waved on lap 6, he had already fallen to the fourth position with an ill-handling Chevrolet. When the race restarted after the first caution, though, the #3 remained smooth and held onto the fourth spot. He maintained the position through the second caution on lap 16, the third caution on lap 25, and the fourth caution on lap 32. The race entered its longest run of the day following the fourth caution, which allowed Earnhardt Jr. to slide past Grubb around lap 60 for the third spot. The #3 Chevrolet remained there until the fifth caution waved on lap 82. On the restart, the North Carolina driver attempted to advance his position as the lap 100 competition caution neared, but he couldn’t pass Bodine or Trickle, the top two drivers in the race. As the yellow flag waved on lap 100 for pit stops, Earnhardt Jr. remained in third. He restarted there and continued to be unable to pass the two drivers in front of him. He maintained the final podium spot until the seventh caution on lap 134. The subsequent restart proved to be the big break the #3 needed to move up the running order. Driving through turns 3 and 4 on the lap following the restart, Trickle, the leader, was slammed into by Lyndon Amick as the South Carolina driver tried to earn his lap back. The two drivers spun right in front of the field. However, Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of the field avoided the two drivers, which allowed Junior to slide into second as the caution didn’t wave. Unfortunately, he couldn’t maintain the runner-up spot as Jeff Green slid by and dropped his fellow competitor back to third as the eighth caution waved on lap 146. The green flag waved again and Junior attempted to make some more moves to the front, but he seemed stuck in third. Fortunately, another critical moment occurred and changed the young driver’s race. Green and Todd Bodine made contact as they raced for the lead on lap 162, which sent Bodine spinning on track. Earnhardt Jr. avoided and powered into second as the caution didn’t wave. Just 26 laps later, the ninth yellow flag flew with the #3 Chevrolet in the runner-up spot. The race quickly restarted with just a few laps before the final competition caution for pit stops. Junior stayed in second during the run as the tenth caution waved on lap 200 for the drivers to hit pit road. The defending champion returned to the track for the final run with fresh tires. The race went green and only a few green laps occurred before the eleventh caution waved on lap 213. The field lined up quickly and the restart proved to be Earnhardt Jr.’s time to move into the lead. He remained right on Green’s bumper for several laps, pushing him to make a mistake. Finally, after running side by side for a lap, the #3 Chevrolet powered to the lead on lap 231. Earnhardt Jr. drove away from Green until the 12th caution flew on lap 240. For the first time since the initial start, the AC Delco Chevrolet would lead the field to green. Now, the race was nearing its conclusion and the win was on the line for the defending champion. On the restart, Earnhardt Jr. accelerated fast and built up a sizeable lead before the 13th caution waved on lap 257. The North Carolina driver hoped to continue his dominance of the past 25 laps on the penultimate restart. However, the next run proved to be a challenge for the #3 Chevrolet. Green, who still remained in second, started to pound his fellow competitor’s back bumper with 25 laps to go, trying to retake the lead. Fortunately, after a few laps of fighting hard to hold the lead, Earnhardt Jr. pulled away from Green as the laps clicked by. With 15 laps to go, it appeared to be a smooth conclusion for the #3, but the 14th and final caution waved on lap 288. The caution meant a ten-lap run would decide the winner with Earnhardt Jr. controlling the restart. When the green flag waved for the final time, Junior tried to pull away, but Green and Hank Parker Jr. remained close to the leader. Each lap, Green would try to make a move in the corner, but Earnhardt Jr. would hold his line and use his momentum off the corner to hold off his fellow competitor. Finally, he took the white flag to complete the victory, but he still needed to outlast the final four corners. He drove smoothly through turns 1 and 2 before powering into the final two turns. He powered through them cleanly and shot across the finish line for his second consecutive win on the season after leading the last 70 laps. Thanks to a clutch run in the final portion of the event, Dale Earnhardt Jr. captured the win at South Boston and increased his points lead to begin the second half of the season.
Stage 2:
Underdogs of the Race: Parker Jr. and Roper Score Career Best Finishes at South Boston
Hank Parker Jr. and Tony Roper are two of the fresh faces in the NASCAR Busch Series. So far in their young careers, though, they have struggled to finish up front and succeed consistently. In his 17 career NBS starts prior to today’s race, Parker Jr. earned only two Top 2’s driving a car owned by his father, Hank Parker Sr., a legend in the world of bass fishing. Roper, in his ten starts in the series prior to today’s 300-lap showdown, only had one Top 10 to his credit after an excellent run at Rockingham earlier this year. All their inconsistency and struggles out front completely changed today as the two underdog drivers earned career best finishes after a grueling race at South Boston. Parker Jr. qualified in fifth after a brilliant qualifying run while Roper started 11th in his Pontiac. As soon as the race started, the two drivers looked for consistency to start their days. The #53 Chevrolet of Parker Jr. sat in sixth as the first caution waved on lap 6 while Roper remained around the 11th spot with his #61 Pontiac. The race restarted after the first yellow flag and the cautions began to wave quickly. The second caution waved on lap 16 for a Chad Chaffin incident followed by the third caution on lap 25 for a fire on Randy LaJoie’s car. The fourth caution flew on lap 32 for an incident involving several drivers as Parker Jr. and Roper maintained their respective positions. After the fourth caution, though, the race entered the longest run of the day and the two young drivers would be tested around South Boston. Incredibly, the two drivers remained strong in the long run and when the fifth caution waved on lap 82, Parker Jr. was still in sixth with Roper holding the eleventh spot. With the first stops of the day coming in just 18 laps, the two young drivers were in contention in the event. On the restart, they continued to hold station in their positions and cruised to the competition caution on lap 99. Since they couldn’t lose positions during the yellow flag, the two entered pit road and their teams gave them four tires before sending them back on track for the restart. When the green flag waved, the two drivers continued their consistency from the first portion of the event with Roper even gaining a position to move into the Top 10 just before the seventh caution on lap 134. On the next restart, both drivers gained a position after Dick Trickle spun from the lead. Parker Jr. remained in fifth as the eighth caution waved on lap 146 and Roper found himself in ninth after a brilliant first half of the race. On lap 162, the two drivers gained another position as Jeff Green spun from the lead and dropped to the back of the lead lap. Now, the two drivers were solidly in the Top 10 with hopes of earning career best finishes. The two drivers battled until the ninth caution on lap 188 and a quick restart after the yellow flag led to the second and final competition caution on lap 200. Parker Jr. had moved to third just before the caution with Roper still in eighth. The #53 Chevrolet and the #61 Pontiac powered down pit road for fresh tires before returning to the third and eighth positions, respectively. For the final 100 laps, they would have to protect their positions from the competitive drivers around them. Two quick cautions waved on lap 213 and lap 240 with the two young drivers still in their respective spots. On the run after the lap 240 caution, Parker Jr. lost a position and fell into fourth while Roper gained two positions and powered into sixth spot. The two drivers neared each other in the late portion of the event with only 50 laps remaining. The 13th caution waved on lap 257, which allowed the two drivers to close up on the leaders for the restart. The restart proved to be strong for Parker Jr. as he slipped past Tim Fedewa and moved into third. Roper, however, lost a position to Jeff Purvis, but he gained one as Matt Kenseth spun to bring out the 14th caution on lap 288. For a final ten-lap run, the two competitors wanted consistency to bring home excellent finishes with their terrific runs. When the green flag waved for the final time, Parker Jr. started to battle for the lead with Green and Earnhardt Jr. The three drivers raced hard at the front in the final laps, but the #53 Chevrolet remained in third as he crossed the finish line. Roper, on the other hand, wasn’t as solid in the short run, but he finished in eighth after a hard-fought race at South Boston. After battling tenaciously all race long and surviving the treachery of South Boston Speedway, Hank Parker Jr. and Tony Roper delivered their best career finishes for their underdog race teams.
Stage 3:
Move of the Race: Morris Earns His Lap Back and Fights for Seventh Place Finish Thanks to Incredible Moves in the Final Run
Philip Morris isn’t a regular driver in the NBS, but the Virginia native is a recognizable face at South Boston Speedway. Last year, Morris competed in the NASCAR Winston Racing Series at the Virginia short track as he looked to take the track championship at the historic speedway. He ended up winning an incredible 13 races in 20 starts, but he came one position short of winning the track championship. Despite missing out on the championship, the Virginia driver caught the attention of Michael Baldauf, a new owner in the NBS with a team called Blue Ridge Motorsports. Baldauf put Morris in his car at Rockingham late in 1998 and the short track competitor grabbed an incredible fifth place in his first series start. The success of the one-time partnership prompted Baldauf to run select races with Morris this season. However, the team struggled early in the year and entering today’s race, they had only started one event with an additional four DNQ’s. Their struggles at other tracks disappeared as the team came to South Boston this afternoon with a driver familiar with the 4/10ths of a mile track in Virginia. Ultimately, Morris’ excellent finish came thanks to an impressive move to earn his lap back late and an incredible driver past several NBS regulars in the closing laps to take a brilliant Top 10. The #01 Chevrolet started in 26th after a rather slow lap from the car and driver. Yet, the team wasn’t complaining since they made the field. For the first 100 laps of the race, Morris gained a few positions as drivers fell out of the race and had mechanical problems. He brought his Chevrolet to pit road during the competition for four fresh tires and he returned to the race in the 21st position. After staying on the lead lap for the first one-third of the event, the hometown driver hoped to continue that trend and earn a respectable finish at his local track. Unfortunately, on the next run following the pit stops, Morris fell a lap down to the leader, Trickle, as he struggled slightly. When the seventh caution waved on lap 134, the #01 Chevrolet sat a lap down with several other drivers. He would need to pass the leader on a restart to try and return to contention in the race. On the subsequent restart, Morris looked to return to the lead lap, but he barely avoided the accident in turn 4 as Trickle and Lyndon Amick spun. He maintained his composure after the narrow miss and he looked to return to the lead lap before the next caution, but the eighth yellow flag waved on lap 146 with his Chevrolet still a lap behind the leaders. On the next restart, though, Morris managed to overtake Todd Bodine, the leader, and put himself at the back of the lead lap for the time being. However, he couldn’t keep up the pace of the top drivers and the #66 Chevrolet shot past him just few laps later, which put Morris back a lap down. He remained there until the ninth caution waved on lap 188. Again, Morris tried to utilize the restart to move onto the lead lap, but he was unsuccessful as the tenth caution waved on lap 200. His team brought him down pit road for four fresh tires during the competition caution, hoping to give him the added boost to gain his lap back. The fresh tires proved to be the spark the Virginia driver needed as he passed the leader, Jeff Green, following the restart. Fortunately, the eleventh caution waved on lap 213 and the #01 returned to contention on the lead lap with 87 laps to go. The team hoped to gain just a few positions as Morris restarted 18th, but the driver ended up gaining more than he could have imagined in the final portion of the event. When the 12th caution waved on lap 240, the #01 Chevrolet had moved into 15th after making some nice moves during the 20-lap run. The green flag waved and, again, Morris gained positions until he sat in 12th when the 13th caution waved on lap 257. For the penultimate time, the green flag waved and Morris continued to put on an impressive show as he gained more spots with 40 or so laps to go. When the 14th and final caution waved on lap 288, the #01 Chevrolet sat in 9th after an unbelievable run through the field following his return to the lead lap. For the final ten-lap run, the Virginia driver hoped to stay in the Top 10 and finish off his excellent comeback in the last portion of the event. On the final restart, Morris moved up some more spots as he set his sights on the Top 5. The checkered flag waved quickly after several speedy laps and Morris brought his Chevrolet home in 7th after an unprecedented move through the field in only 90 laps. At his home track, Philip Morris made a powerful move to earn his lap back with just one-third of the race remaining and he made several more impressive moves to earn a Top 10 finish after an interesting race.
Stage 4:
Comeback of the Race: Fedewa and Kenseth Overcome Middle of the Pack Qualifying Spots to Finish in the Top 10
Short tracks aren’t favorable to drivers who start at the back or in the middle of the field. Beating and banging around the speedway, strategy calls, and limited passing opportunities prevent competitors from moving up the running order once they find themselves deep in the pack. South Boston Speedway fits this typical mold of a short track with its tight racing groove and worn-out asphalt. Because of that, Tim Fedewa and Matt Kenseth prepared to face trouble as the two drivers qualified 20th and 21st, respectively. Kenseth, who crashed twice last week and fell to second in the points, came into South Boston with the goal of rediscovering his momentum, but his qualifying position set him back on the start. Fedewa, who entered today’s race with five Top 10’s on the season, wanted to add another excellent finish to an average season, but he would need to rebound from his dismal qualifying effort. When the checkered flag waved, though, the two drivers had overcome their poor qualifying spots and earned Top 10’s after an incredible race. Early in the event, four cautions waved in the first 32 laps, which allowed the #36 Pontiac of Fedewa to move into the 15th spot with the #17 Chevrolet of Kenseth following him in 16th. On the longest run of the day following the fourth caution on lap 32, the two drivers steadily gained positions as they looked to move to the front. As the fifth caution waved on lap 82, Fedewa sat in 13th while Kenseth remained in his tire tracks in 14th. The two drivers looked to finish the final run before the competition caution on lap 100 strong as the green flag waved again. As the yellow flag flew on lap 100 for drivers to pit, the two drivers remained in their respective positions to head down pit road. The two competitors had fresh tires and they would look to gain more spots in the race. On the subsequent restart, Fedewa and Kenseth continued their charge to the front as they sat in 10th and 11th, respectively, around lap 120. They maintained those positions until the seventh caution waved on lap 134. Over the next 30 laps, the two drivers gained the most spots in the race and moved into contention for the win. They each advanced a position when Dick Trickle spun from the lead on lap 143, when David Blankenship crashed from his Top 10 spot on lap 146 to bring out the eighth caution, and when Todd Bodine spun from the lead on lap 162. Following those three moments in the race, the #36 Pontiac sat in sixth with the #17 Chevrolet still behind him in seventh. As the ninth caution waved on lap 188, the two drivers had gained another position as the final competition caution neared on lap 200. Fedewa and Kenseth remained in those spots as the tenth yellow flag flew for pit stops for the field. Now, with 100 laps to go, the two competitors would look to follow each other to the front and contend for the win. On the restart, Fedewa quickly jumped to fourth while Kenseth shot into fifth, hot on the tracks of his fellow driver. On lap 221, on a restart following the eleventh caution on lap 213, the #36 Pontiac moved into third with the #17 Chevrolet stuck in fifth spot. They remained in their respective positions through the 12th caution on lap 240 and the 13th caution on lap 257. On the penultimate restart of the race, Fedewa dropped a position to Parker Jr. with Kenseth still in fifth. With 20 laps to go, the #17 Chevrolet moved into fourth and dropped the #36 Pontiac into fifth. On lap 288, Fedewa, who had remained close to the fourth spot, made the move to pass his fellow competitor back and the two drivers’ races nearly turned disastrous. Fedewa bumped Kenseth slightly, which sent the #17 Chevrolet spinning. Fortunately, Kenseth stayed in the gas, looped his car around, missed the outside wall, and powered away after only losing four spots to drop into eighth spot. Fedewa remained in fourth for the final restart with Kenseth upset and ready to regain the spots he lost. When the green flag waved for the final time, the #17 Chevrolet quickly gained two positions to slide into sixth while the #36 Pontiac lost a spot to Jeff Purvis, which relegated him to fifth. Again, the two drivers were in back to back positions like they had been all race. The final circuits clicked by and Fedewa brought his Pontiac home in fifth after an impressive drive through the field. Kenseth couldn’t close on fifth to pass his fellow driver to return the bump he received on lap 288 and he brought his racecar home in sixth. Despite their dismal qualifying efforts, Tim Fedewa and Matt Kenseth raced each other through the pack to claim Top 10’s after two incredible comeback performances.
Stage 5:
Terrible Luck: Trickle and Bodine Spin from the Lead and Finish Outside the Top 10 at South Boston
Sometimes, being the leader in a NASCAR race isn’t always the best position to be in. Dick Trickle and Todd Bodine discovered that phenomenon today at South Boston. Thanks to some bad luck dealing with their fellow competitors, the two Chevrolet drivers saw not only their leads disappear, but their Top 10 finishes as well. Trickle started the race in fourth position on the outside of the second row while Bodine started in third on the inside of the second row. When the green flag waved on the initial start, Trickle moved in front of Bodine to take third as the two drivers set their sights on the front of the field. The two competitors slid past Earnhardt Jr. and they sat in second and third when the first caution waved on lap 6. On the restart, Trickle battled hard with Kevin Grubb for the lead and he grabbed it as the second caution waved on lap 16. The #66 of Bodine remained in third during the second yellow flag period. Two quick cautions waved on lap 25 and 32, leaving the #5 of Trickle and the #66 in the same positions they were prior to the two cautions. When the event restarted on lap 37, Trickle powered away from the field while his New York competitor fought Grubb hard for second place. Bodine moved into the runner-up position on lap 47, but the #5 Chevrolet had driven away from second spot and was lapping drivers. Trickle led all the way until the fifth caution on lap 82 with Bodine still behind him. The race quickly restarted with the first of two competition cautions nearing for the field to pit for fresh tires. The #5 Chevrolet held onto the lead until the caution waved with the #66 Chevrolet in second for the pit stops. The two drivers returned to the track in those positions to begin the second 100-lap portion of the event. On the subsequent restart, Trickle powered away from the pack with Bodine solidly establishing himself in second. On lap 134, though, Trickle’s bad luck appeared to strike as he tried to lap a young driver. He bumped Justin Labonte’s Chevrolet as they exited turn 2, which caused Labonte to hit the outside wall hard two times. The seventh caution waved and the #5 team feared that their racecar had damage, but the front bumper was still intact. Trickle wouldn’t need to pit and he could maintain the lead. Yet, the next restart proved to unravel his race. As the green flag waved, Trickle powered around the 4/10ths-mile speedway with several lapped drivers trying to earn their lap back, including Lyndon Amick, who was just to the #5’s inside. As the field drove into turn 3 on the lap after the restart, Amick broke loose in the speedy dry put down in the corner following Labonte’s crash. He spun up the track and bumped into Trickle, which caused the two drivers to spin right in front of the field. They both made 360-degree spins as all the racecars in the pack made evasive moves to avoid damage. After the smoke cleared, Trickle drove away without damage, but he had lost all his track position and the caution hadn’t waved. That put him in 18th, just a few seconds from going a lap down. Meanwhile, amidst all the chaos, Bodine inherited the lead for the first time in the race, but his bid for the win was shortly about to disappear as well. He led through the eighth caution on lap 146 and on the next restart, Jeff Green challenged him for the lead. The two Chevrolets powered around the speedway for several laps with Bodine still holding the top spot, but all that changed on lap 162. Green made a move to the inside of the #66 entering turn 1 to take the lead. The two drivers made the slightest contact, which caused Bodine to spin in front of the field. He competed a perfect spin as the pack of drivers avoided slamming into his Phillips 66 sponsored machine. Bodine righted his racecar, much like Trickle 20 laps earlier, and the caution didn’t wave. Bodine dropped to the back of the lead lap in 18th with all his track position gone. Now, two of the three leaders in the race were deep in the field with capable racecars to contend for the win and a desire to move back into the lead. Unfortunately, Trickle and Bodine’s bad luck continued. For Trickle, he remained mired in the pack lap after lap. He seemed to have lost the handling on his Chevrolet and he only moved up a few positions after his spin. On lap 240, as he battled for 15th, his race came to a crushing halt. He made slight contact with Brad Loney, which sent the two drivers spinning. Trickle hit the outside wall and received major damage to his once dominant racecar. He drove to pit road for repairs, which cost him several laps to the leader. He crossed the finish line in 21st, five laps down, after two bad luck incidents messed up his race. Bodine, on the other hand, finished on the lead lap, but his Chevrolet never returned to his dominating form from the middle portion of the race. He gained several spots after his spin, but he brought his #66 home in eleventh after appearing to be in contention for the victory. Terrible luck plagued both Dick Trickle and Todd Bodine at South Boston Speedway today, which caused their potential victories to disappear after both drivers spun from the lead.
After 300 laps of Saturday afternoon short track racing at South Boston Speedway, the NASCAR Busch Series heads to a much different track in two weeks: Watkins Glen International. After a weekend off, the NBS regulars will be making right and left turns as they take on the seven turn, 2.45-mile race track in New York on a Sunday afternoon. The road course trip will be the first and only event of its kind for the series this season. Of course, even though it is the only road course race of the season, the event will be critically important for the championship battle as the series launches into the second half of its championship fight. As the NBS championship contenders head into the final portion of the year, they will be fighting hard for points and finishes, which could lead to some fantastic racing and incredible moments. Plus, many road course ringers, who specialize in racing around right turn tracks, will invade WGI to compete with the regulars in NASCAR’s secondary series, which will increase the amount of action at the front of the pack. Also, with the series getting a week off, the entire field will be ready with fast cars and rested drivers capable of competing at a high level around the famous corners of Watkins Glen. Finally, teams and drivers will be prone to mechanical failures around the treacherous road course, which will cause good finishes to disappear at the New York track. In addition to the storylines surrounding the treachery of WGI and the launch of the 1999 NBS season into the second half, several drivers have potential stories heading into the race. Fresh off his second consecutive win of the season today, points leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. heads to New York with some momentum, but he has never won on a road course and he will have to fight for the victory to increase his points lead. Ron Fellows went to victory lane at WGI last year and the road course ringer will surely be a threat in two weeks as he attempts to steal the victory from the NBS regulars. Mike McLaughlin was poised to finish in the Top 10 today, but a late spin caused him to finish 15th. However, the New York driver heads to his home track with the goal of adding a second win at the road course to his career statistics. Dick Trickle and Todd Bodine both spun from the lead today, but they will head to New York with the hopes of rebounding from their unfortunate accidents today. Finally, Matt Kenseth, fresh off rebounding today from a terrible race at Dover, heads to a track where he has never finished in the Top 15 in two previous starts with a desire to gain points on his fellow championship contender. Today’s race at South Boston featured a vindicating win for Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the Virginia short track, 14 cautions, two drivers spun out while leading the race, impressive finishes for Hank Parker Jr. and Tony Roper, and the usual hard racing around the 4/10ths-mile speedway.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 6- Dale Shaw bumped Adam Petty exiting turn 4, which caused Petty to spin up the track and slam hard into the frontstretch wall. He rode the wall into turn 1 and came to a stop against the outside wall with race-ending damage while Shaw rolled to the garage for repairs on his Chevrolet.
2nd Caution: Lap 16- Chad Chaffin broke loose in turn 2 and slid up the track. His Ford shot back down the track and clipped Mike McLaughlin, which damaged both cars. They continued after a few repairs on pit road.
3rd Caution: Lap 25- Randy LaJoie slowed in turn 3 and stopped at the pit road entrance with fire erupting from the engine of his Chevrolet. He climbed out safely to have the flames put out and he, amazingly, returned to the race in just a few laps.
4th Caution: Lap 32- Chuck Bown and Elton Sawyer made contact in turn 2, which caused Sawyer to slam into the outside wall and Bown to spin in front of several drivers. Larry Pearson and Jeff Fuller also spun trying to avoid and damaged their racecars. All four drivers continued after various forms of repair.
5th Caution: Lap 82- Wayne Grubb received a bump in turn 1, which sent him spinning up the track in front of the field. He slammed into the outside wall with his left rear fender as Philip Morris nearly slammed into him. Fortunately, Morris put on brakes in time and the two drivers continued with only minimal damage for Grubb.
6th Caution: Lap 99- NASCAR waved a competition caution to allow teams to pit on the congested South Boston Speedway pit road under yellow.
7th Caution: Lap 134- Dick Trickle, who was leading, bumped Justin Labonte exiting turn 2 after he received an excellent boost of speed. Labonte spun toward the outside wall and slammed into it hard with his front end before smacking it again with his rear end. The two hard collisions with the wall ended the young driver’s day.
8th Caution: Lap 146- David Blankenship drove into turn 1 too hot, which caused him to spin up the track and back into the outside wall extremely hard. His day was done due to the extensive damage to his rear end.
9th Caution: Lap 188- A piece of debris was spotted on the track in turn 1.
10th Caution: Lap 200- NASCAR waved a competition caution for teams to pit for a second time under yellow.
11th Caution: Lap 213- Mike Dillon entered turn 3 too high as he rode three-wide with Phil Parsons and Tom Hubert to his inside. Dillon ended up in the outside wall and he rode it all the way to turn 4 where he stopped with race-ending damage.
12th Caution: Lap 240- Larry Pearson bumped Brad Loney entering turn 3, which caused Loney to spin up into Dick Trickle. The two drivers spun in the turn and slammed into the outside wall. They would need significant repairs to continue in the race after the damage caused to their racecars.
13th Caution: Lap 257- Randy LaJoie broke loose in turn 3 and spun up the track, which caused him to slam into the outside wall with his rear end. The heavy damage ended the two-time champion’s day after he struggled throughout the race at South Boston.
14th Caution: Lap 288- Tim Fedewa and Matt Kenseth bumped into each other in turn 4 while racing for fourth, which caused Kenseth to spin towards the outside wall. He quickly saved his Chevrolet and straightened it out to continue after only losing a couple of positions.
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2nd: Jeff Green
3rd: Hank Parker Jr.
4th: Jeff Purvis
5th: Tim Fedewa
Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Matt Kenseth
9th: Tony Raines
10th: Casey Atwood
12th: Todd Bodine
13th: Phil Parsons
21st: Dick Trickle
23rd: Elton Sawyer
24th: Randy LaJoie
26th: Mark Green
27th: Mike Dillon
28th: Jason Keller
30th: Justin Labonte
33rd: Adam Petty
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/1999_Textilease_Medique_300_Presented_by_Advance_Auto_Parts/B
http://thethirdturn.com/wiki/South_Boston_Speedway#tab=Standings
-Image:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy3pPZQOlnQ (Screencap at 2:14:54)
-Full Race:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy3pPZQOlnQ
