SOUTH BOSTON, Va. – Lee Pulliam and Philip Morris split wins in Saturday’s pair of 100-lap Late Model Stock Car features at the season opener at South Boston Speedway.
Pulliam won the first of the day’s pair of 100-lap races, taking the lead from Peyton Sellers with 57 laps to go and driving away to a 2-second win over Sellers.
Morris finished third, Mike Looney fourth and Austin Thaxton in fifth.
Morris started fifth in the second race, which had an inverted start among the top finishers of the first race, with Sellers starting sixth and Pulliam lining up in seventh place.
The defending NASCAR national champion took the lead from pole starter Thomas Scott on the 13th lap and led the rest of the way, edging Sellers by 1.896 seconds to take the win.
Scott finished third, with Thaxton fourth and Jason Barnes fifth.
Pulliam was sidelined early in the second race. His car slid up into the wall while battling Scott for position in the top four, and finished 13th after being sidelined after 38 laps of the race.
Danny Willis Jr. opted to take a step back from the Late Model Stock Car Division to compete in the NASCAR Limited Sportsman Division, and it paid off.
Willis won Saturday’s 50-lap race, surviving a hotly contested battle with Jessica Dana and Daniel Moss to post his first win since the 2015 season.
Moss finished second, .480-second behind Willis, with Dana finishing third, less than three-tenths of a second behind Moss. Jason Myers finished fourth, followed by Drew Dawson in fifth.
There were four lead changes among three drivers, with Willis leading twice for a total of 21 laps.
Nathan Crews started on the front row, took the lead on the opening lap and sped to victory in the 30-lap race for the Budweiser Pure Stock Division.
Jarrett Milam finished second, with Bruce Mayo in third. Matthew Epps in fourth and Scott Phillips in fifth.
Steven Layne, competing in only his fourth career race, won Saturday’s Budweiser Hornets Division race.
Layne took the lead from pole starter Aaron Cash on the second lap and led the rest of the way en route to the win.
Kevin Currin, Jared Dawson, Tyler Stanley and Josh Dawson rounded out the top five.
Racing returns to South Boston Speedway on Saturday, March 30, as the raceway hosts the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. For more info, visit SouthBostonSpeedway.com.
South Boston Speedway – South Boston, VA
Race Results – March 16, 2019
Late Model Stock Race 1
1. Lee Pulliam
2. Peyton Sellers
3. Philip Morris
4. Mike Looney
5. Austin Thaxton
6. Jeff Oakley
7. Thomas Scott
8. Mark Wertz
9. Mike Jones
10. Justin Carroll
11. Jason Barnes
12. Raymond Pittman III
13. Eric Winslow
14. Trey Crews
15. Terry Carroll
16. Dusty Ellington
17. Chris Denny
Late Model Stock Race 2
1. Philip Morris
2. Peyton Sellers
3. Thomas Scott
4. Austin Thaxton
5. Jason Barnes
6. Trey Crews
7. Jeff Oakley
8. Justin Carroll
9. Raymond Pittman III
10. Mike Jones
11. Dusty Ellington
12. Eric Winslow
13. Lee Pulliam
14. Mark Wertz
15. Chris Denny
16. Mike Looney
Limited Sportsman
1. Danny Willis
2. Daniel Moss
3. Jessica Dana
4. Jason Myers
5. Drew Dawson
6. Brent Younger
7. Kenny Daniels, Jr.
8. Jacob Borst
9. Cole Walker
Pure Stock
1. Nathan Crews
2. Jarrett Milam
3. Bruce Mayo
4. Matthew Epps
5. Scott Phillips
6. Justin Dawson
7. Jordan Pickrel
8. Randy Hupp
9. Jimmy Wade
Hornets
1. Steven Layne
2. Kevin Currin
3. Jared Dawson
4. Tyler Stanley
5. Josh Dawson
6. Arron Cash
7. Donald Clay
8. Andrea Ruotolo
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