An even mix of new faces and short track veterans find themselves atop the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown standings following a chaotic Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway.
Nearly every single driver in the 42-car field endured a problem during the race on July 2, ranging from mechanical failures to being swept up in a massive, 20-car pile-up on the frontstretch with just more than 10 laps remaining.
Not even the finish was free of carnage. Corey Heim ended up taking home the checkered flag in a battered Late Model Stock after he and South Boston regular Jacob Borst crashed across the start-finish line after making contact off Turn 4.
With Heim preoccupied with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series commitments at Pocono Raceway, Borst enters Saturday's Hampton Heat 200 at Langley Speedway as the Virginia Triple Crown points leader over a talented group of drivers looking to rebound from a tumultuous night at South Boston.
RELATED: Follow the Hampton Heat 200 at Langley SpeedwayDefending NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series champion Peyton Sellers sits right behind Borst in second, while others like the most recent Virginia Triple Crown winner in Bobby McCarty have work to do to stay in contention after the Hampton Heat.
With points in the Virginia Triple Crown being determined by average finish, a strong run at Langley will be imperative toward deciding who will be declared the champion in September's ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.
Below is a breakdown of the current top 10 in the Virginia Triple Crown standings and how they fared in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway.
[caption id="attachment_360030" align="aligncenter" width="922"]- Jacob Borst: 2.0
The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 showed that Borst could hang with the best Late Model Stock drivers in the southeast. While his race ended under less-than-ideal circumstances, Borst has momentum on his side as he heads up north to Langley Speedway for the Hampton Heat.
- Peyton Sellers: 3.0
Despite being swept up in a late accident, Sellers avoided getting major damage on his car throughout the night and brought home a solid third-place run. A three-time Virginia Triple Crown champion, Sellers will look to put together another efficient run in the Hampton Heat, a race he has not won since 2013.
- Mason Diaz: 4.0
Diaz was among the drivers who had nowhere to go on the frontstretch when Jonathan Shafer was turned around by Mike Looney. Of those involved, Diaz only took a couple of moderate hits from the oncoming traffic and was able to get his wounded car back out on track for a top-five finish.
- Carter Langley: 5.0
Although he was in front of the 20-car pileup on the frontstretch, Langley ended up sustaining significant damage to his car in a separate accident with Looney and Sellers. Langley still displayed decent speed after the crash and worked his way through the dwindled field to finish fifth.
- Mark Wertz: 6.0
Wertz showcased his experience by methodically working his way through an opening on track to escape major damage from the 20-car pileup. While he was not able to claim a top five, Wertz’ sixth-place run puts him in contention for the Virginia Triple Crown as the series heads to his home track of Langley.
- Camden Gullie: 7.0
A quiet-but-successful outing for Gullie at South Boston briefly turned chaotic after he was involved in the late big one. Gullie was among the few cars that were successfully repaired for the final 10 laps, allowing him to salvage a seventh-place run.
- Bobby McCarty: 9.0
The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 was far from the typical efficient outing McCarty usually enjoys, as the defending Virginia Triple Crown champion struggled to move through the field after starting 32nd. Getting involved in the big one only compounded McCarty’s issues, but he managed to nurse his wounded car around the track and keep his hopes of defending the Virginia Triple Crown title alive.
- Jared Fryar: 10.0
Like nearly everyone else who placed inside the top 10 in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, Fryar had to pilot a damaged car across the line after getting damaged in the big one. Fryar was the last car to finish, two laps behind the winner in Heim.
- Conner Jones: 13.0
Several hard hits in the late big one forced Jones to visit a nearby hospital for further evaluation with a minor neck injury. Jones was scored 13th in the final running order and will try to build upon the speed he showed for Saturday’s Hampton Heat.
- Landon Pembelton: 14.0
The defending ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner’s bid for a Virginia Triple Crown title got off to a rough start when he was collected in the big crash on the frontstretch. Pembelton still ended up being placed in 14th, putting himself in a better position to rebound compared to others involved in the accident.