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Southampton Set for Second NWRS Season

CAPRON, Va. (Mar. 25) — Southampton Motor Speedway will kick off its second season under the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series banner on Friday, March 30, with Bailey’s Night at the Races.

Gates open at 4 p.m. and time trials begin at 6:30. A 20-lapper for the Mid-Atlantic Champ Karts leads off the program at 7:40, followed, at 8, by the remainder of the Opening Night slate — RaceWorld.com Late Model Stock Cars (100 laps); Sentry Food Mart Grand Stocks (40 laps); Vic’s Auto Sales & Body Shop Pure Stocks (25 laps); Mike Duman Auto Sales Mini Stocks (25 laps); and, Little Race Cars Legends (25 laps).

Tickets are $12 for adults and $4 for children (6-12). Kids under 6 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Two-dollar discounts are available for active-duty military (with ID), senior citizens (65+) and teens (13-19).

A host of Late Model Stock Car drivers have registered numbers at SMS for the new season and will attempt to duplicate Nick Woodward’s run to the 2000 Atlantic Seaboard Region title. They’ll face a new hurdle, though, in the form of a new track policy which has been instituted for all divisions in 2001.

If a driver wins two consecutive races, the six-fastest qualifiers for the next event will redraw for their starting spots. After a 2000 season during which several drivers enjoyed repeated pole-to-checkers jaunts, the new rule should help to shake up things at the front of the field.

Another new policy for 2001 will be applied to the Late Model Stock Car division and will mean a few more laps of racing for the fans.

If 25 or more drivers make a qualifying attempt for an SMS Late Model event, only the 14 fastest will automatically transfer to the feature. The remaining drivers will line up for a 15-lap qualifying race to determine the rest of the starting field.

If 24 or fewer Late Model drivers make a qualifying attempt, then the starting lineup will be determined by the results of time trials.

Once again, in 2001, SMS is proud to boast the area’s most generous Late Model payout. “Tire money” — an amount equal to or greater than the cost of four Goodyear Eagle racing tires — will be paid through 10th place. The 11th and 12th positions come very close to the “tire money” figure — so important to racers with their eyes on the bottom line.