SOUTH BOSTON, Va. — For six hours Friday afternoon, drivers in the Late Model Stock, Sportsman, Pure Stock and Hornet divisions had a chance to shake down their cars ahead of Saturday’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 (broadcast begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on FloRacing).
The headlining Late Model Stock class features more than 45 cars on the entry list, which comprises of past Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 winners, South Boston Speedway track champions and young prospects alike. All of them are seeking to start the 2026 Virginia Late Model Triple Crown on a high note with a trip to Victory Lane.
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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor Kaden Honeycutt established himself as the early favorite by posting the fastest laps Friday in the second and third Late Model Stock practice sessions. Doug Barnes Jr. opened the day as the quickest driver, while practice concluded with Carson Brown topping the charts.
Below are some key storylines following Friday’s on-track activity ahead of Saturday’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200.
Kaden Honeycutt sets early benchmark
Nine months after scoring his first Late Model Stock victory at South Boston with Tom Usry Racing, Kaden Honeycutt showed on Friday they are more than capable of prevailing in the facility’s crown jewel event.
Honeycutt anticipates plenty of obstacles in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 despite the speed, especially when it comes to endurance. Having already won four races in two days this year, Honeycutt is ready to face the adversity head on and add a Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 win to an already impressive resumé.
“Every time we’ve been here to South Boston, we’ve had a chance to win,” Honeycutt said. “Mentally, it’s tough to stay locked in [here]. The groove moves around so much from the apron to the top. You have to be on top of it. This is a really fast race track, and it can wear you out pretty quickly.
“The challenge and the most fun part of this is staying locked in for 200 laps and seeing who does it the best.”
Lee Pulliam eyes seventh Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 win
After a long, rigorous day around South Boston Speedway, six-time Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 winner Lee Pulliam came away confident he could chase another checkered flag, this time with JR Motorsports.
Pulliam has not contested the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 since 2019, but the veteran racer showed little evidence of rust as he felt out his No. 8 NASCAR Channel Chevrolet on Friday. While the car was not completely to Pulliam’s liking by the end of the last practice, he knows the experience around him will translate into a competitive outing Saturday.
“We made some gains on it all day,” Pulliam said. “Bryan [Shaffer] and everybody worked super hard. I think we’re going to race really good. It’s a tough, competitive field here. Everybody is looking for that little bit, but we’ll be fine once it comes time for the real deal.”
Connor Hall back with Nelson Motorsports to chase another South Boston win
In his bid for a third consecutive Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 victory, Connor Hall has reunited with the organization with which he won his first: Nelson Motorsports.
The two quickly rekindled the magic they possessed in 2024, as Hall posted some of the quickest laps during the final two practice sessions. One more win would get Hall halfway to Lee Pulliam’s record of six straight Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, a milestone Hall is more than happy to pursue in one of Nelson’s cars.
“Barry [Nelson’s] been a grandpa to me,” Hall said. “I’m trying to induce some youth into his life. I love the guy to death, and he’s done a lot for me. He gave me a shot to race when other people weren’t. Anything I can do to come back, try to help right the ship for him and have fun racing with his guys is a great opportunity.”
Brenden Queen searching for answers after Friday practice
While Brenden “Butterbean” Queen was thrilled to be back in a Late Model Stock for Lee Pulliam Performance in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, he admitted practice Friday could have unfolded much better.
Queen felt his car started off strong but gradually got worse as the afternoon progressed. He hopes his Lee Pulliam Performance crew is able to diagnose the issue before qualifying Saturday, as he wants nothing more than to build momentum in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with his first South Boston Speedway victory of any kind.
“This is one of the crown jewels I haven’t been able to conquer,” Queen said. “[The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200] was an off week, so I wanted to come back, try to tame it, and I gave full attention on it this week. It’s always fun to come back and drive for Lee, but this place has kicked my tail for years, so hopefully this weekend we can tame it.”
Early speed has Doug Barnes Jr. optimistic going into Saturday
The lessons Doug Barnes Jr. took from his time with Lee Pulliam Performance were apparent during practice at South Boston Speedway on Friday, when he posted the quickest time in the opening practice session.
Barnes feels he should already have a South Boston win on his resumé, as he watched a perfect opportunity slip away from him during last year’s CARS Tour race when was swept up in a late wreck. With the weekend off to a promising start, Barnes is eager to avenge that bitter defeat and join the prestigious list of Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 winners.
“I want it bad,” Barnes said. “My most regretful moment as a race car driver was the race [at South Boston] back here in October. I think about it a lot. [October] still haunts me because it was my going away race with the LPP squad and I really wanted to win with them, but it doesn’t sit right with me. Nobody’s fault but mine either.
“There’s so many great cars [at South Boston] and already being one of the better ones is an honor in of itself. Now we need to go get the job done.”
Carson Brown ends Friday atop the scoreboard
Given the success his car owner Lee Pulliam has had at South Boston Speedway during his illustrious career, it was only fitting that Carson Brown concluded Friday afternoon as the quickest car in practice.
The next challenge for Brown is to replicate that speed for Saturday’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 against a field that includes Pulliam. Brown felt he got more comfortable with South Boston as he logged more laps, but he also understands track conditions for the 200-lap feature will be much different compared to practice.
“It was super hot, super slick, greasy and a lot of rubber was being laid down,” Brown said. “A lot of guys were struggling to make the corner. All these cars are set up more for night time, and that’s what we’re going for. We were just trying to be smart, because we were pretty much on old tires all day.
“We’re going to look over everything we did today and try to make the car that much better.”