Tag Archives: Brenden Queen

Queen Rides Hampton Heat Momentum to First Late Model Pole of 2020

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Queen powers through turns three and four during the 2020 Hampton Heat 200 (📸 Sara Langley)

Hampton, VA – Just two weeks following the biggest win of his young Late Model career, Brenden Queen of Chesapeake picked right up where he left off – at the front of the pack. Fourteen NASCAR Late Model Stock Cars returned to the famed .395-mile oval for a pair of 50-lap features. Fourteen cars rolled off pit road looking to claim the pole but none were faster than Queen with a 15.750 (90.286 MPH). Danny Edwards Jr., Casey Wyatt, Bubba Johnston, and Greg Edwards rounded out the fastest five cars.

A quick thunderstorm moved through the area following qualifying which put the speedway into a weather hold. The storm has passed and NASCAR officials have currently focused their attention on track drying efforts. Once that his complete we look forward to an eight race card. We will have you covered with LIVE updates over on our Twitter feed.

Taylor Waste Service Late Model Stock Car Starting Line-Up
  1. #03 Brenden Queen
  2. #26 Danny Edwards
  3. #29 Casey Wyatt
  4. #19 Bubba Johnston
  5. #21 Greg Edwards
  6. #77 Connor Hall
  7. #91 Justin Carroll
  8. #88 Thomas Marks
  9. #9 Rodney Boyd
  10. #90 Terry Carroll
  11. #36 Chris Johnson
  12. #71 Rick Gdovic
  13. #25 Craig Eastep
  14. #68 Adam Hoeger (R)

Brenden Queen Powers to Lead Late to Steal First Hampton Heat 200 Victory

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An emotional Brenden Queen celebrates in victory lane following the checkered flag in the 2020 Hampton Heat 200 at Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway. Arguably the biggest win of his career. (Mike Conley/TheWeeklyRacer.com)

Hampton, VA – The much anticipated 12th annual Hampton Heat 200 was finally upon us at Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway. 26 of the best Late Model drivers on the east coast showed up, all going for that $10,000. With the heat beating most teams in practice, come qualifying though, teams found that extra tick they needed to put down some blistering laps. Corey Heim posted the fastest lap of the day with a 15.605 (91.125 MPH). Defending track champion Greg Edwards, Jared Fryar, Bobby McCarty, and Danny Edwards Jr. rounded out the fast five. Last year’s winner Connor Hall had some work to do to defend his title as he rolled off 13th.

As driver introduction wrapped up, the fans were on their feet waiting for the green flag. Heim shot off into the lead with a mirror full of Fryar. Danny wasted little time to get around Fryar, taking the lead from Heim on lap 5. Greg Edwards, after starting second, fell back drastically to tenth after getting stuck on the outside of a three-wide battle. After a hard-fought battle between Bobby McCarty and Grayson Cullather for fifth, McCarty’s race would come to an early end going into turn three after a flat tire and possible broken sway bar.

After starting 13th, Hall had eventually worked his way all the way up to third place after a restart where he utilized the cone. Chesapeakes own Brenden Queen, who actually fell towards the rear of the field during the meat of the race, had worked his way back into the top ten with 15 laps until halfway. At the halfway break, which this year was a 6 lap controlled caution period, Greg Edwards made a last-minute pit stop for a tire swap that would put him starting at the tail end of the field. Just before the halfway break as well, Peyton Sellers has worked his way from starting 17th, all the way up to 4th.

Heim took advantage of the cone after the halfway break and took the lead from Danny on lap 102 and set the pace for everyone else. A three-car battle with Heim, Edwards Jr., and Hall got underway for the majority of the 50 lap dash to lap 150. All cars would block the one behind them and never lose a position. The second guaranteed controlled caution period came with 150 laps on the board allowing everyone to make their pit stop for the final 50 lap dash. Greg Edwards, Mark Wertz, Rick Gdovic, and Timothy Peters all stayed out for track position.

Peters would jump to the lead with 50 to go while Wertz, Gdovic, and Edwards all stumbled through the field. Heim and Hall would make the pass on Peters for first and second on lap 154. Defending Late Model champion Greg Edwards season woes continued as he had some help in turn three to go for a spin. He ultimately parked his car for the night. With the outside line not working for many people, Hall took the cone every restart and made it stick perfectly. He never quite got the run out of the corners to clear Heim for the lead though.

A caution filled 50 lap final segment caused a chaotic yet exciting ending. With just 8 laps to go, on the restart, Heim didn’t get a good restart allowing Hall to get the jump on the outside and Queen to get to his inside. Going into turn one, all three made contact resulting in Hall going around and Heim hitting him in the left front, ending both driver’s hopes of taking home the victory. Queen would inherit the lead with a green-white-checkered finish on deck. Queen got the perfect start he wanted and went on to pick up his second career Langley Speedway victory and first career Hampton Heat 200 and for the second year in a row keeping the trophy in the Hampton Roads area.

 

Unofficial Hampton Heat 200 Results;

  1. #03 Brenden Queen; 203
  2. #2 Brandon Pierce; 203
  3. #26 Peyton Sellers; 203
  4. #9 Trey Crews; 203
  5. #12 Timothy Peters; 203
  6. #19 Blake Stallings; 203
  7. #22 Grayson Cullather; 203
  8. #14 Jared Fryar; 203
  9. #17 Stacey Puryear; 203
  10. #44 Justin Johnson; 203
  11. #91 Justin Carroll; 203
  12. #8 Thomas Scott; 203
  13. #55 Mark Wertz; 203
  14. #90 Terry Carroll; 203
  15. #29 Casey Wyatt; 203
  16. #9 Alex Brock; 203
  17. #71 Rick Gdovic; 203
  18. #26 Danny Edwards Jr; 203
  19. #78 Corey Heim; 195
  20. #77 Connor Hall; 194
  21. #40 CE Falk; 182
  22. #24 Colin Garrett; 181
  23. #21 Greg Edwards; 156
  24. #22 Bobby McCarty; 64
  25. #25 Craig Eastep; 53
  26. #9 Rodney Boyd ; 18

Thunder Road Harley Davidson 200 “Who to Watch”

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Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. It’s that time! Time for some big time Late Model Stock Car Racing. Round one of the 2019 Virginia Triple Crown series kicks off this evening at South Boston Speedway for their annual Thunder Road Harley Davidson 200. Thirty plus cars have converged on the .400-mile Speedway all bunting for the big pay day.

As always The Weekly Racer will have you covered from the start of practice to the checkered flag. You can follow all the action here at this link ->> https://www.24live.co/live/2289885268277396739. Coverage will begin approx. 1:00 PM EDT.

Need to know who to keep your eye on tonight. We got you covered there too! Here are our top five picks for tonight’s race. What about you? Who do you have coming home the winner?

1:30 PM: Practice

4:30 PM: Euro Qualifying

5:30 PM: On track Fan Appreciation

7:00 PM: GREEN FLAG

  • Hornets: 20
  • Pure Stock: 40
  • Late Model: 200
  • Limited Sportsman: 75

To Follow: Fireworks

Josh’s Pick 5

Phillip Morris – It’s Phillip Morris, how could you not pick him as a favorite? Yeah he’s had an up and down season, but when you put Morris and a big race at SoBo together, you’re going to get the best Morris there is. After finishing second to Sellers last year in this race, Phillip looks to get that one extra position to put him in victory lane this year.

Lee Pulliam – He’s put all his dedication into South Boston this season by running a full season there. He’s fourth in points at the track and has two wins, he’s coming off a last place finish in the most recent Late Model race. He’ll be looking to turn his luck around with a strong finish.

Bobby McCarty – Bobby has ran the CARS tour series for a few years now and he won the championship last season. Anywhere McCarty goes, he’s a top three runner. This will be McCartys first appearance at South Boston since last years 200 lap race where he finished fifth.

Peyton Sellers – Sellers will be looking to defend his title as last years winner this year. He’s the points leader at the track, he’s had strong runs at multiple tracks and wins at multiple tracks this season. Being first in national points also gives him a boost to run his best with a big car count expected for more points towards a national championship.

Josh Berry – Berry has been strong in every single CARS tour race this season. Late race luck just hasn’t been on his side, but the other drivers know who’s been the top performer. After breaking through and picking up the win at Dominion last weekend, Berry looks to continue his dominant performances going into this weekend.

Dark Horse:

Thomas Scott – Scott runs well in any big race he goes to. He’s third in points at South Boston, five out of nine races this season he’s finished in the top five with two runner up finishes. He had a chance to win the inaugural Grass Roots 200 at Langley Speedway earlier this year, until a late race wreck ended his night. He finished 17th last year, he’s looking to improve that stat a lot this year.

Justin’s Pick 5

Peyton Sellers – You would be crazy to count Peyton Sellers out of any race he shows up to. It would be even more wild to count him out at his home track of South Boston. Sellers is your current points leader at the speedway as well as NWAAS points. Sellers also posted times in the low 15’s yesterday during practice. Keep your eyes in that white and orange two-six come race time.

Philip Morris – I would have to second Josh’s statement from above. It’s Philip Morris, how can you not pick this man as a favorite. He has won at just about every track he’s been to. You could also argue that Morris is not hitting on all cylinders this year like he was last year. Either way, Morris will certainly be a front runner and a contender at the end of the feature.

Mike Looney – The saying strike when the iron is hot comes to mind with this pick. The former ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner knows how to deal with pressure in these big races and has certainly been hitting on something out at his home track in the mountains of Virginia. Last week he picks up a win in his first visit to Langley Speedway. Look for Looney to ride that momentum into tonight feature.

Timothy Peters – So he hasn’t been in a Late Model Stock much this year but it’s Timothy Peters. Not to mention when you have the backing of Berry Nelson you know your going to have some of the best equipment out there. If Peters can keep the nose clean he will most certainly be a car to watch in the closing laps.

Brenden Queen – You might say this is more suited for a dark horse or sleeper pick but let me take a second to tell you why we don’t think so. Queen has always done well in these long distances races. He has also been more determined than ever this year to perform. He has also teamed up with car owner Andre Grier which, despite some obvious growing pains and learning the car, has proven to be a good partnership. Queen will need to focus on keeping tires under his machine and make the right moves at the right time. If he can do that there is a chance we may see him in victory lane.

Dark Horse

Mark Wertz – Yup, I said it! Don’t sleep on the Chesapeake native. Wertz stepped back from full time competition this year to assist in the development of Connor Hall. One thing this has allowed him to do is pick and choose the races he wants to run. What’s the benefit in that? Focused attention. Wertz has plenty of experience at South Boston to be a real threat. With him stepping away from full time driving it’s just enough for other drivers to “count him out” which makes him dangerous.

KERN: Racing Heating Up for Several Virginia Drivers Early in 2019

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It is hard to believe that it is already that time of year again – Race Season! Seems like just yesterday we were telling you about the final chapter of the 2018 season and crowning champions. Here we are just hours away from what we can call the “official” green flag of the year down at the World Center of Racing – others may simply call it Daytona. In just a few short hours ARCA will drop the green flag on their season and go racing for 200-miles and you won’t have to look but too far to see some local names that TWR is very familiar with.

At this point in the game – yes I know that we are a little late to the game per se but this winter was a little different for us here at TWR – I am sure everyone reading this has seen the news about Hampton Roads natives Connor Hall and Brenden Queen getting “the call” and will be racing this afternoon in easily the biggest race of their career. Both Hall and Queen were down at Daytona a few short weeks ago during the ARCA open test following IMSA’s Rolex 24 Hour race for Vizion Motorsports, along with fellow Late Model driver from North Carolina Paul Williamson, obviously impressing those in the garage. Hall, after presenting a deal to Chad Bryant Racing will be piloting the No. 22 Ford while Queen will be in the No. 36 Toyota for Vizion Motorsports.

For those race fans that may not follow the ARCA Series enough, the race will be televised LIVE later this afternoon on FOX Sports 1 at 4:30 PM EST. Not going to be home to watch? Pull the race up on the FOX Sports App! Hall will also be competing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season opener Sunday night at New Smyrna.

You can see what these drivers had to say about getting the chance of a lifetime in an article published yesterday from our friends at Race22 >> Several Late Model Stock Car Drivers Set to Compete at Daytona

Hall & Queen, however, are not the only Virginia drivers spending some time in the Sunshine State. 2013 & 2017 Langley Speedway INEX Legends Champ Spencer Saunders; 2018 INEX Semi-Pro Road Course National Champ Carter Weedon, just to name a few, will all compete in the 2019 Winter Nationals at Citrus County Speedway.

Five races over the course of a week for drivers from all over to not only prove they are the best but to also get a head start on the INEX national points. Something one driver we mentioned above has kept in the back of his mind for the last couple of weeks.

“We have been doing this quite a while,” Saunders told The Weekly Racer as the final touches were being made to the car before loading her up. “We won the 2011 Virginia State Semi-Pro championship, won a race of champions that same year in Vegas, took the 2013 and 2017 track championships at Langley Speedway, the only thing missing from our resume… a national championship. With the year-end national event being held at Carteret County Speedway in October and if we come out of Florida in good shape, I would say yes, we’re going to make a serious run at a national title”

First Saunders will need to get through the weeklong event where the confidence is running rather high through the Saunders Motorsports camp.

“I think the ultimate goal for our team is to go down there and win a couple of races and represent Langley Speedway and the 757 the best way we can,” Saunders commented. “In all reality, if we go down and ran top five or top three and contended for wins every day that we are on track I would be absolutely thrilled with that. I haven’t seen an entry list but I have heard the Pro division is pretty stacked so we are going to have to be on top of our game all week long. I think we have prepared the best car we can and I think we have good enough equipment to go run with the best.”

Defending Semi-Pro Road Course Champion Carter Weedon is another VA driver making the trip down to Florida for the winter nationals; however, he will be making the trip UP to the Pro division. Weedon is going into the week looking to find himself in the tech shed every race and earn a top five finishing position in the points standings.

“I want to make it into tech every race,” Weedon said. “Our goal is to place in the top five in the points standings at the end of the week. The competition in Pro especially is going to be tough.”

Races are scheduled all this week starting later this afternoon with open practice only. Going off of information given to us by a couple of the race teams, official points races will be held on Monday, Tuesday (doubleheader), Thursday, and Friday. Wednesday is scheduled to be an off day or potential rain day. All races, for that matter, will be streamed LIVE from the fine folks over at LegendsNation.com.

Green Flag Set to Wave on 17th Annual Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park

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Frontstretch and grandstand area at Southern National Motorsports Park (Andy Marquis/SNMP photo)

The 17th Thanksgiving Classic presented by Solid Rock Carriers gets underway on Friday night and runs through Sunday with a total of 775 laps of racing for the 11 divisions which will compete. The schedule for this weekend can be found below.

With Thanksgiving dinners wrapped up, some of the best drivers and their families in the Mid-Atlantic region will converge on the .400-mile high-banked oval of Southern National this weekend. Philip Morris, who was victorious in the first recorded Thanksgiving Classic, looks to continue his hot streak this year and will be making his return to the North Carolina Speedway. He will be one of the drivers to keep an eye out for one Sunday.

Lee Pulliam, newly crowned NASCAR Whelen All-American Series National champ, and Brenden Queen are looking for strong outings this weekend in the Late Model portion of the show. Pulliam, coming off of a disappointing finish in last years classic as well as at Myrtle Beach Speedway, Pulliam will be looking for victory lane one final time this year. Brenden Queen, who was forced to start at the rear of the field last weekend at Myrtle Beach one-week prior and fought his way back up to the fourth position, will be looking to improve his finishing position from last year.

NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series crew chief Matt McCall will be making his return to Southern National this weekend. McCall, who is no stranger to victory lane, will be looking to finally check The Classic off his checklist. In 2016 McCall finished third to Lemons and Queen after contact with Pulliam battling for the lead on a late race restart.

The IMCA style Modified’s will be making their return as well with a 40-lap feature on Saturday night along with one of two Limited Late Model features of the weekend. Brandon Clements will look to pick up another dominant victory in the Mini Stock feature after coming back from what should have been a race-ending crash the month prior at the Spooktacular.

Other divisions racing this weekend will be the INEX Legends and Bandos, Chargers, UCAR, Street Stocks, as well as Super Late Models. The Weekly Racer will be on the road Friday afternoon and will provide coverage all weekend long on our Twitter feed (@theweeklyracer)

 

Friday, November 24th: Bandoleros (20 laps), Chargers (40 laps), Legends (25 laps), Limited Late Model Dash (40 laps). Green flag at 8:15pm.

Tickets: Adults – $15; Seniors, active military, and students (with ID) –$12; Kids 6-12 – $5; Kids five and under – FREE.

 

Saturday, November 25th: Bandoleros (20 laps), Legends (30 laps), Southern Lightning Modifieds (40 laps), Mini Stocks (50 laps), U-CAR (30 laps), Street Stocks (15 laps), Limited Late Models (40 laps). Green flag at 4:30pm.

Tickets: Adults – $20; Seniors, active military, and students (with ID) – $15; Kids 6-12 – $5; Kids five and under – FREE.

 

Sunday, November 26th: Late Model Stock Car Last Chance Qualifier (25 laps), Super Late Models (125 laps), Late Model Stock Car feature event (200 laps). Green flag at 12pm.

Tickets: Adults –$25; Seniors, active military and students (with ID) –$20; Kids 6-12 – $10; Kids five and under – FREE.

3-Day Tickets: Adults –$45; Seniors, active military and students (with ID) – $35, kids 6-12 –$20.

 

Previous Winners

1998 — Philip Morris

1999 — Scott Riggs

2000 — Frank Deiny, Jr.

2001 — Kirk Leone

2002 — Brandon Butler

2003 — Denny Hamlin

2004 — Jamey Caudill

2005 — Jamey Caudill

2006 — Deac McCaskill

2007 — Denny Hamlin

2008 — Joey Coulter

(SNMP closed 2009-2011)

2012 — Greg Edwards

2013 — Ronnie Bassett, Jr.

2014 — Brayton Haws

2015 — Lee Pulliam

2016 — Tommy Lemons, Jr.

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