At the end of the 2022 season, Carter Langley was in need of a change of scenery.
Unsatisfied with the results from his first full year in the CARS Late Model Stock Tour, Langley elected to shift his focus to South Boston Speedway, where he looked to gain experience against the veterans of his home track like Mike Looney and six-time champion Peyton Sellers.
Langley's first two weekends at his home track in 2023 played out differently than he expected; he currently holds a five-point advantage over Sellers after recording three victories in four races, cementing himself as an early championship favorite.
“I really didn’t [think this would happen so quickly],” Langley said. “The car had just gotten back from the chassis man [before the season-opener], and the motor was fresh. I thought it would take us about halfway through the year to get our first win, but all of this goes back to [my crew chief] Joshua Yeoman and how he sets this thing up.”
RELATED: Follow South Boston Speedway all year long on FloRacingLangley's strong start to the season can be traced back to 2022 and South Boston’s crown jewel event in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200.
In a field featuring 42 drivers, Langley proved to have one of the fastest cars in the race. He briefly led before surrendering the point to eventual winner Corey Heim. Despite getting involved in a late crash, Langley managed to salvage a top five on a night marred by attrition.
Once he committed to running a full schedule at South Boston in 2023, Langley knew his best opportunity at being competitive was to work with Yeoman on replicating the setup from the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 while also making incremental changes more appropriate for different track conditions.
Langley added the experience of competing around the southeast also prepared him for the challenges South Boston was going to bring, specifically when it came to racing with respect and how to get the most out of a car.
“The [CARS Tour] guys definitely race you hard, and that’s made me a better driver,” Langley said. “You know what to expect, and you have to run hard the whole race.
"The guys at South Boston do the same thing, so being with the series helped me out from a longevity standpoint.”
[caption id="attachment_388234" align="alignnone" width="1300"]Having worked with Langley for nearly two years, Yeoman believed it was only a matter of time before the young driver finally won against the best in Late Model Stock racing.
Dealing with inexperience inside a Late Model Stock is a natural learning curve Yeoman expected Langley to overcome. Although the duo did not obtain the desired consistency in 2022, Yeoman said Langley took a noticeable step forward with his confidence inside and outside the car.
Being more comfortable with his driving ability and communication is why Yeoman believes Langley has been so strong through four races at South Boston.
“[Carter] provides really good feedback,” Yeoman said. “He ran in go-karts and the Charger class before jumping into Late Model Stocks [in 2021], so it’s amazing he can provide the feedback he does. He is very respectful and races how he wants to be raced.”
As a Late Model Stock driver himself, Yeoman has passed down his knowledge to Langley on how to approach different tracks in the southeast, particularly when it comes to saving tires and not making careless decisions when racing other drivers.
Despite this, Yeoman admitted he had plenty questions of his own while he and Langley prepared for the 2023 weekly schedule at South Boston. Not only has Yeoman never raced at South Boston, but last year’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 was the first time he had even seen the facility.
The first four races of the year have offered Yeoman answers on what Langley can accomplish against South Boston’s seasoned regulars. Yeoman is optimistic they can fend off Sellers for the title while also tallying wins in crown jewel races like the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 and August's Italian Delight Family Restaurant 280.
Yeoman said Langley would be a perfect addition to South Boston’s prestigious list of champions like Sellers, Philip Morris, Lee Pulliam, Frank Deiny Jr., David Blankenship and others, adding Langley evokes the same old-school approach he and many other short-track competitors have used to find success.
“Carter reminds me a lot of myself,” Yeoman said. “He’s not someone who just shows up to the racetrack, but he actually works on these things. When I was coming up, I was told if I didn’t work on the car, we wouldn’t go to the track. He’s not scared to get his hands dirty, and he offers tremendous help at the track.”
Langley is no stranger to blue collar work, as he balances out preparing Late Model Stocks with assisting his girlfriend’s family on their farm.
While the farm work is part-time for Langley, the hectic schedule has resulted in plenty of long days and nights. Yet the relentless, methodical pace of both jobs has only offered Langley more motivation toward perfecting his equipment.
“It’s definitely a lot of work,” Langley said. “I’m doing what I can to keep my car ready every week and try to do what’s best for me and my team. I want to make sure everything is in order so we’re 100 percent when we get to the track.”
[caption id="attachment_388235" align="alignnone" width="1300"]Holding his own as the South Boston Late Model Stock points leader doesn't intimidate Langley, either, even though Sellers is well within striking distance.
Langley has dealt with inverts and heated on-track action to score his three victories so far this year, but he also understands the task at hand with keeping one of South Boston’s best drivers behind him for 10 more weekends.
With an old Philip Morris car at his disposal, Langley does not doubt he will have the speed to contend for the championship. Achieving that goal will come down to whether Langley and Yeoman can consistently adapt until the final night of racing on Sept. 2.
“I definitely have a target on my back right now,” Langley said. “Hopefully we can keep having good runs, but I honestly like having a target on my back. It makes me feel good about our team and our efforts at the track. Personally, I’d like to keep that target on me.”
Langley has set the benchmark for the rest of the South Boston regulars to follow. He does not expect anything to come easy, but he's determined to hold his advantage and become immortalized as a champion at one of Virginia’s most cherished tracks.