From 16th to Victory Lane: James Lowe Triumphs in Langley Speedway Thriller

The Bootleg Racing League Late Model Invitational Series rolled into Langley Speedway for Round 9 of Season 35, and the historic Virginia bullring delivered 100 laps of short-track chaos, close quarters racing, and championship drama. When the checkered flag finally waved, it was points leader James Lowe standing in Victory Lane after completing an incredible charge from 16th on the starting grid to claim his fourth win of the season.

Lowe’s victory was anything but easy. He had to survive multiple cautions, navigate the treacherous outside lane on restarts, and fend off a determined challenge from his primary championship rival, Ruben Altice. Altice followed Lowe across the finish line in second, keeping the championship fight alive with only two races remaining in the season.

Langley Speedway is not a place where drivers can simply put their foot to the floor and hope for the best. The flat, tight 0.395-mile bullring strongly favors the inside groove, making track position incredibly important. With the BRL’s Big Boy Racing rules package allowing no tire changes, no pit stops, and a 13-car inversion based on the previous race’s finishing order, the championship contenders were facing a major challenge before the green flag even flew.

Coming into Langley, Lowe held a 12-point advantage over Altice after seeing his once comfortable championship lead shrink dramatically following the previous round at South Boston Speedway. Altice started 10th, while Lowe had an even steeper climb ahead of him from 16th. Mike Holloway, third in the championship standings, started eighth and was hoping to take advantage of any trouble involving the top two.

Chris Davis inherited the pole after finishing 13th at South Boston, with Michael Goodman starting alongside him. Behind them, the field prepared for 100 laps where patience would be every bit as important as outright speed.

When the green flag dropped, Davis immediately established himself at the front by using the favored inside groove. The importance of the bottom lane became obvious almost immediately as drivers scrambled to get themselves into position before the field became locked into the single-file rhythm that Langley is famous for.

The first caution came when Brennan Myers experienced an internet connection blink and found himself hitting the Turn 2 wall. Davis maintained the lead on the restart, while Donnie Moore moved into second and Chris Worrell made a major charge forward, climbing six positions to fifth.

The second caution followed shortly afterward when Altice got loose on the inside, forcing Tom Hilbert to check up. John Wilson had nowhere to go and ran into Hilbert, with Kenny Allen and Lowell Jewell getting caught in the ensuing accordion-style wreck.

During the caution, Davis joined the broadcast booth and offered his thoughts on the challenge facing the field.

“Langley is all about whether people are going to mow the lawn on the apron to make a pass,” Davis explained. “The game plan is to go fast enough to stay in front, but slow enough to save your tires.”

As the race continued, Davis remained at the front, but Chris Worrell was beginning to apply serious pressure. Worrell closed in on Davis’ rear bumper, and by Lap 33 the battle finally boiled over.

Worrell made heavy contact with the rear of Davis’ car coming off Turn 4. Moments later, he dove underneath Davis again, sending the pole sitter spinning and triggering a major multi-car incident. Donnie Moore and Mike Holloway were among those collected as cars scattered around the track.

While the wreck unfolded, James Lowe demonstrated the kind of situational awareness that has helped make him a three-time champion. Lowe managed to thread his way through the spinning cars without taking damage.

“For once, usually when somebody spins out in front of me, I wind up hitting them,” Lowe joked afterward. “But tonight, for some reason, I got around it.”

The chaos completely reshuffled the running order, with Holloway emerging as the new race leader.

On the next restart, Holloway led Joe Snyder, Ruben Altice, and James Lowe. Lowe once again faced the dreaded outside lane, but he quickly worked his way down to the preferred groove, determined not to allow his starting position to dictate the outcome.

The championship battle was about to take center stage.

Altice moved past Snyder for second, while Lowe executed a strong move on Holloway to take the lead. Altice followed Lowe through, and suddenly the two championship contenders were running first and second with a clear track ahead of them.

What followed was one of the most impressive stretches of racing of the night.

Altice began running an extremely low line, putting both left and right tires below the yellow line and onto the flat apron in an effort to rotate the car through the corners. Lowe responded by using the apron himself, matching Altice’s aggressive line and refusing to give his championship rival any opportunity to close the gap.

The two drivers began turning nearly identical lap times and quickly pulled away from the rest of the field. At one point, the advantage over the cars behind them stretched to roughly four seconds.

Altice appeared to have the advantage entering the corners, but Lowe was able to make up the difference on corner exit. That superior drive off the corners kept the No. 99 just out of reach, while the repeated use of the apron gradually began taking its toll on Altice’s tires.

“I knew it was going to be tough to pass him,” Altice said after the race. “James is tough anyway… but it was a fun race.”

Behind the championship contenders, Joe Snyder was putting together an impressive run of his own. Running a similar apron-heavy line, Snyder held onto third and looked increasingly comfortable as the laps wound down.

Curt Smith was also making a late charge through the field. The No. 3 driver picked his way through the top ten and began picking off competitors in the closing stages, including Chris Haizlip and Michael Goodman. His late-race surge would eventually carry him into the top five.

Further back, the physical nature of Langley racing continued to produce fireworks. Davis, still recovering from his earlier incident, found himself locked in a hard battle with Haizlip. After Davis delivered several bump-and-runs to Haizlip’s rear bumper, Haizlip returned the favor, leaving Davis’ car heavily damaged.

While tempers flared behind them, Lowe remained focused on the job ahead.

With four laps remaining, the leader encountered traffic and began carefully working his way through the slower cars. Lowe positioned the No. 99 perfectly, maintaining his advantage while Altice continued to pursue.

The white flag waved with Lowe still comfortably in front.

One final lap remained, and after starting the night 16th, the championship leader was now just one circuit away from another trip to Victory Lane.

Lowe held his line through the final corners and crossed the finish line to claim a spectacular fourth victory of the season. The win not only showcased an incredible drive through the field, but also strengthened his position in the championship with just two races left.

Altice came home second after a determined challenge that kept the pressure on Lowe throughout the closing stages. Joe Snyder completed the podium with a strong third-place finish, while Curt Smith’s late charge earned him fourth. Michael Goodman rounded out the top five.

With two races remaining, Lowe has once again put himself in control of the championship. Altice’s runner-up finish ensures that the title fight is far from over, while Holloway remains within striking distance should the leaders encounter trouble.

The BRL Late Model Invitational Series will take a brief break for Labor Day weekend before returning for the final two rounds of Season 35.

If Round 9 was any indication, the championship battle is heading toward a spectacular finish.

Roth Breaks Through at Langley as Lowe Extends Championship Lead

The BRL Bush Talk Radio Super Late Model Series rolled into the historic Langley Speedway for Round 9, bringing its high-horsepower machines to one of the tightest and most demanding bullrings on the schedule. At just 0.395 miles around, Langley leaves very little room for error. The flat corners and narrow racing surface make the bottom groove the place to be, while the tremendous horsepower of the Super Late Models means drivers have to be exceptionally careful with the throttle. Get back to the gas just a little too aggressively and the rear tires can quickly become the driver’s worst enemy.

With the championship battle already razor thin, the pressure was especially high heading into the 100-lap contest. James Lowe entered the evening with only a one-point advantage over Chris Worrell, leaving virtually no room for either driver to have an off night. Qualifying would be particularly important at a track where passing is notoriously difficult, and Charles Roth made the most of the opportunity by putting his No. 51 on the pole alongside Steve Hilbert. Kurt Smith, James Lowe, and Ruben Altice rounded out the top five.

One of the biggest stories before the green flag was Luke Logan Allen. The No. 31 had been the fastest driver in practice with a lap of 15.405 seconds, but despite his impressive speed, Logan found himself starting all the way back in 17th. That meant the young driver would have to work his way through the field on a track where passing is anything but easy.

When the green flag waved, Roth immediately took control of the race. The No. 51 launched cleanly and quickly built a three-car-length advantage as the field settled into the opening laps. Behind him, however, the tight confines of Langley were already beginning to claim victims.

Cold tires and the massive torque of the Super Late Models proved to be a dangerous combination, with Eric Stout bringing out the first caution after spinning. The early laps also saw plenty of shuffling throughout the field, with Chris Davis and championship contender Chris Worrell among those finding themselves caught in the wrong lane. The high groove offered little grip or momentum, and drivers attempting to make the outside lane work often found themselves losing positions in a hurry.

While the leaders tried to establish a rhythm, Luke Logan Allen began his march from the rear. The No. 31 steadily picked his way through the field, displaying the kind of patience and precision needed to survive Langley. Before long, “The Kid Lemon Lime” had transformed a 17th-place starting position into a spot among the top five.

The charge wasn’t entirely without drama. Logan’s aggressive line through Turn 1 had the broadcast team taking notice, with the No. 31 diving extremely low into the corner and occasionally upsetting the balance of the car. Still, the strategy was working, and Logan continued to move forward.

The middle portion of the race became increasingly chaotic. John Wilson and Chris Haizlip were among the drivers caught up in the constant mid-pack battles, while the field began encountering what the broadcast team dubbed the “Cone of Danger.” At Langley, the critical moment comes when a lead car reaches the point where it should begin accelerating off the corner. A following driver anticipates that acceleration, only to find the car ahead hesitating. With nowhere to go and almost no room to react, contact can happen in an instant.

That scenario played out during a backstretch incident involving Steve Hilbert and Joseph Snyder, with Jeff Sharp also getting collected. Kurt Smith was later caught up in a netcode incident that further scrambled the running order. With cautions continuing to interrupt the race, maintaining momentum became increasingly difficult for everyone.

At the front, however, Charles Roth remained the man to beat.

The championship implications became even more significant as the race entered its final stages. James Lowe repeatedly found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time on restarts, being forced into the outside lane where the car simply could not generate the same momentum as those running the bottom. With eight cautions throughout the race, Lowe was repeatedly forced to recover from the same disadvantage.

Rather than allow himself to remain trapped on the outside, Lowe developed a strategy of his own. On several restarts, the championship leader would voluntarily drop from second to third, sacrificing a position in order to get back onto the preferred bottom groove. Once there, he could begin working his way forward again.

It was a frustrating cycle. Lowe would work his way back to Roth’s bumper, only for another caution to erase the progress and put him back into the restart shuffle.

With the race winding down, it became a battle of patience between Roth and Lowe. The No. 99 needed only the slightest opportunity to make a move, but Roth refused to give him one.

In the closing two laps, with just 26 seconds remaining on the clock, Lowe made one final attempt to get underneath the No. 51. Roth held his line on the apron and positioned his car perfectly, leaving Lowe with nowhere to make the move. There would be no opportunity to root and gouge his way past. Roth kept the No. 51 pointed in the right direction and held on to claim the biggest victory of his BRL career.

For Roth, the victory marked his first career BRL win in his 38th start. The wire-to-wire performance was a breakthrough moment for the driver, who had spent plenty of races knocking on the door of victory.

Lowe crossed the line second, frustrated by the repeated struggles on the outside lane but nevertheless walking away with an important championship result. His runner-up finish allowed him to extend his championship advantage to three points over Worrell.

Ruben Altice came home third, followed by Chris Worrell in fourth. Luke Logan Allen’s impressive drive from 17th to the front culminated in a fifth-place finish, completing one of the night’s most notable performances.

Roth’s victory also provided an interesting perspective on the much-discussed apron. While the broadcast team had highlighted the apron as a potential tool for helping rotate the car through Turns 1 and 2, Roth said afterward that he wasn’t feeling much benefit from it. Instead, his focus was simply on maintaining a line that kept the field behind him jumbled up and unable to mount a clean challenge.

Lowe’s frustration was understandable after spending so much of the night being “cooked” on the outside. The lack of a usable high lane made every restart a tactical puzzle, forcing him to give up positions simply to regain access to the bottom.

Altice, meanwhile, summed up the fundamental challenge of Langley perfectly. Even with the cars halfway down the straightaway, the tremendous horsepower could still break the rear tires loose if a driver wasn’t careful.

The championship battle remains incredibly close, but Lowe leaves Langley with a slightly larger cushion than the one he brought into the night. His three-point advantage over Worrell may not look like much, but in a series this competitive, every point matters.

The BRL Super Late Model Series will remain at the Bullring for the upcoming Late Model Stock feature. With considerably less horsepower under the hood, the cars should be more forgiving on the throttle, potentially opening the door for even more aggressive racing and closer battles.

But for one night at Langley Speedway, there was no question who owned the Bullring. Charles Roth finally got his breakthrough victory, and he did it by surviving 100 laps of one of the BRL’s most unforgiving short tracks.

Williamson Outlasts Chaos in Skinner Creek Opener

The Skinner Creek Modified Series opened Season 16 with exactly the kind of chaos that comes with putting 31 Tour Modifieds on the half-mile at Kern Raceway. The 100-lap opener became a battle of tire management, survival and sheer determination, with multiple wrecks reshaping the field and two Green-White-Checkered attempts ultimately deciding the winner. When the smoke finally cleared, five-time and defending champion Dalton Williamson stood atop the podium, with Ethan Troutman finishing second and James Lowe completing one of the most remarkable comebacks of the night in third.

Kern Raceway’s progressive banking makes the track particularly demanding because the preferred groove changes as the race develops. The high line can provide tremendous momentum, but as rubber builds up and marbles begin collecting near the outside wall, that advantage can quickly turn into a liability. With only one additional set of tires available, drivers had to balance outright speed against preserving their equipment for the closing stages. That balance became especially important once the cautions began piling up and the field was forced to make increasingly difficult strategic decisions.

The race barely had time to settle before James Lowe’s night appeared to be over. On the opening lap, AJ Hamel got loose and chased his car up the track, triggering a check-up behind him. Patrick Stout reacted, Lowe slowed, and Ricardo Cano, unable to see the developing situation through the restricted visibility of the Tour Modified, slammed into the back of Lowe’s No. 99. The impact sent Lowe spinning to the inside and collected several other cars, including Chris Stofer. Lowe’s car sustained roughly three and a half minutes of damage, but his crew could repair only about 30 seconds of it during the stop. Instead of calling it a night, Lowe returned to the track with a severely compromised machine and began the long climb from the back.

At the front, Dalton Williamson immediately found himself in a fight with Luke Logan Allen. Williamson grabbed the lead on the restart and held it for several laps, but Allen eventually found the grip and momentum he needed on the outside. On Lap 14, the young driver swept around Williamson to reclaim the lead, forcing the defending champion to work the increasingly difficult bottom lane. The battle illustrated the central challenge of Kern Raceway: the outside could be incredibly fast when the tires were right, but drivers had to be careful not to abuse the rubber that would be needed later.

The championship picture took another major hit on Lap 23 when Eric Stout suffered a devastating incident while working around Adin All-Vecchione. All-Vecchione had moved high to allow the leaders through, but Stout anticipated having more clearance than he actually did and clipped the slower car coming off Turn 4. The resulting damage to Stout’s suspension ended the night for the three-time champion and immediately put him behind the championship eight-ball. For a driver expected to be part of the title conversation, it was a brutal way to begin the new season.

As the race progressed, the cautions became more frequent and the field’s strategy began to split. One of the most spectacular incidents came on Lap 57 when Kenny Allen was running alongside Ruben Altice. Altice wiggled, contact followed, and Kenny was sent toward the outside wall. Rex Hoyle had nowhere to go and struck the wreck, launching Kenny’s car into a slow, spectacular barrel roll before it landed back on its wheels. The car was too badly damaged to remain competitive, but somehow Kenny escaped the incident without an even more catastrophic result.

The next caution brought the strategic battle into sharper focus. Chris Oliver squeezed Fred LeClair into the outside wall, prompting another yellow and giving the leaders a decision to make. With the outside groove now heavily covered in marbles, Luke Logan Allen elected to surrender the lead and use his one allowed set of fresh tires. Williamson, Troutman and the recovering Lowe stayed out, gambling that track position would be more valuable than fresh rubber in the short-term. That decision placed Williamson at the head of the field and gave Lowe an opportunity to continue his extraordinary recovery.

The strategy shuffle also opened the door for Jeff Aho to become a serious contender. Aho moved into the top five and then charged forward on the restart, using the bottom lane to pass Troutman for second. By Lap 78, he was attacking Williamson for the lead, and in Turns 3 and 4 Aho found enough grip on the outside to draw alongside the defending champion. Williamson’s car stepped loose as he tried to accelerate, allowing Aho to edge ahead just before another caution flew. Because Aho was scored slightly ahead when the yellow appeared, he was awarded the lead.

That lead lasted only a few moments. On the ensuing restart, Williamson executed a perfect crossover, diving underneath Aho and retaking the point. Ethan Troutman followed him through, while Lowe continued his march forward and moved into third. What had begun as a seemingly impossible recovery from the Lap 1 wreck had now become a legitimate podium run, despite Lowe still carrying approximately three minutes of damage around the battered Tour Modified.

Then came the final act.

With the race reaching Lap 100, the field entered Green-White-Checkered territory. On the first attempt, Troutman made an aggressive move against Williamson on the outside, but brushed the wall coming off Turn 2 and lost momentum. Behind them, Josh Buckley misjudged the corner and sent Aho into Turn 1, triggering a massive pileup. Rex Hoyle was sent airborne once again, while Chad Alcares, Kevin Alicea and Chris Haizlip were caught in the wreckage. The yellow flag flew again, forcing the field into another attempt at a green finish.

The second GWC restart produced the showdown everyone had been waiting for. Williamson got the jump, but Troutman wasn’t giving up. He stayed within striking distance and began looking for an opportunity to get alongside the five-time champion. As they entered the final corners, Troutman tried to position his car for a bump-and-run, but he simply couldn’t get the angle he needed. Williamson held his line, kept the car pointed in the right direction and powered toward the checkered flag.

Dalton Williamson had survived Kern Raceway once again. Troutman crossed the line second, while Lowe completed his incredible comeback in third. Starting near the front but spending most of the race fighting a badly damaged car, Lowe somehow climbed all the way back into the top three. The result was made even more impressive by his own assessment that he was probably the fastest car on the track during the closing stages, with the best tires despite carrying the damage from the opening-lap disaster.

Williamson admitted afterward that the constantly changing race conditions made the event difficult to manage, particularly as the cautions continued to alter the strategic picture. He had expected the outside lane to be less effective for his car, making Aho’s late charge particularly surprising, but when the opportunity came to reclaim the lead, the defending champion delivered another textbook restart.

Troutman was equally pleased with the runner-up finish, acknowledging that he would have preferred the win but recognizing the importance of starting the season with a strong result. He even admitted that he attempted to give Williamson a little nudge in the final corner, only to discover that he didn’t have the necessary angle. For Lowe, meanwhile, simply seeing the checkered flag was an accomplishment. Finishing third after spending the entire race with a damaged car turned what could have been a championship disaster into a statement of resilience.

The Skinner Creek Modified Series now moves on to Myrtle Beach Speedway for Round 2, where the drivers will climb into the SK Modifieds. Williamson leaves Bakersfield with the opening-round victory, Troutman begins the season with valuable championship momentum, and Lowe escapes what looked like a guaranteed disaster with a podium finish. After 100 laps of wrecks, strategy gambles, damaged cars and two final-lap shootouts, Season 16 has made one thing clear: the road to the championship is going to be anything but quiet.

Papa Kenny Conquers Bristol Chaos in Tennessee 150

The YesterYear Racing League returned from its summer break with a trip to Bristol Motor Speedway, and the Tennessee 150 wasted no time reminding everyone why the half-mile concrete bullring is one of the most demanding venues on the schedule. The Tour Modifieds were thrown into a 150-lap battle of sparks, tire wear, contact and survival, with the championship taking a dramatic turn before the night was over.

Entering Bristol, James Lowe held a 30-point advantage over Luke Logan Allen, the “Kid Lemon Lime.” By the time the checkered flag fell, that comfortable cushion had disappeared entirely.

Luke Logan Allen started from pole with Todd Liston alongside him, while Jerry Isaacs and Lowe occupied the second row. The opening laps were a delicate balancing act as the drivers wrestled the high-powered modifieds around the steep banking. The cars were essentially glued to the throttle, but cold tires and the aggressive transitions at Bristol left very little room for error.

The first major incident came when Jeff LeMire and Roger Hurley became tangled up, with Hurley unable to avoid the trouble. The visibility from inside the modifieds made the situation particularly difficult, with the steep banking and bulky bodywork creating enormous blind spots.

At the front, Luke Logan Allen settled into the lead, but Jerry Isaacs was steadily applying pressure. On Lap 44, Isaacs finally completed the pass to take control of the race.

Behind them, Lowe was playing the long game.

Rather than immediately attacking Isaacs, Lowe worked the outside lane and forced the leader to maintain a tighter line through the corners. The goal was to increase the load on Isaacs’ right-front tire and allow the tire wear to do the work. It was a patient strategy, but Lowe would never get the opportunity to find out whether it would pay off.

The race’s championship-changing moment came during a chaotic restart involving Brian Neff and Josh Buckley. The two made contact, setting off a chain reaction that caught Lowe with nowhere to escape.

The points leader slammed into the resulting melee and suffered terminal left-front suspension damage. His car was effectively crippled, and Lowe was forced to tow back to the pits.

The 30-point championship advantage that he had carried into Bristol was suddenly in jeopardy.

While Lowe’s championship hopes took a major hit, the race at the front continued to evolve. Brian Bianchi, who had gambled earlier by taking only right-side tires, found himself in position to lead the field. The strategy initially looked brilliant, and Bianchi managed to lead for 19 laps despite the enormous punishment being placed on his tires.

But Todd Liston was closing. Liston used the high side to build momentum through the corners before executing one of the best moves of the night. He carried his speed around the outside, then cut underneath Bianchi on the front stretch with a textbook crossover, taking the lead.

For a while, it appeared Liston had found the winning combination. Then Bristol did what Bristol does.

As Liston ran the high side, he got loose and drifted down into Bianchi. The two cars made heavy contact, sending both into the outside wall. The dominant contenders were suddenly out of the fight, leaving the door wide open for someone who had quietly survived the chaos.

That someone was Kenny Allen. “Papa” Kenny had avoided the major wrecks and inherited the lead just as the race entered its final Green-White-Checkered finish. Despite dealing with a vibration in the steering wheel, Allen remained composed and immediately went to work protecting his position.

Scott Negus was the man trying to take it away. Negus repeatedly searched for an opening, but Allen expertly defended the corner entry and continually took away the preferred arc. Every time Negus attempted to build momentum, Allen positioned his car to force him into the same line.

Two laps later, Kenny Allen was a winner at Bristol. And the podium had a family connection that made the victory even more memorable. Scott Negus finished second, while Luke Logan Allen recovered from his earlier tire strategy gamble to finish third.

Luke’s third-place finish was enormously important for the championship. He also collected the five-point bonus for leading the most laps, having paced the field for 44 circuits. With Lowe’s DNF, the “Kid Lemon Lime” emerged from Bristol with a projected three-point championship lead.

For Kenny Allen, the victory was as much about survival as outright speed. He admitted that the car had developed a significant steering vibration during the race, but he managed to keep it together when the opportunity finally arrived.

Negus, who had been considered one of the favorites coming into the event, found himself unable to get around the veteran Allen during the final sprint. He joked afterward that he needed a much bigger front bumper to make the pass, while also describing just how violently the car was bottoming out around Bristol.

Luke Logan Allen’s night was a mixture of frustration and celebration. His two-tire strategy had left the right-front tire heavily abused, but he managed to salvage third and, more importantly, leave Tennessee with the championship lead.

The result completely transformed the title fight. James Lowe entered Bristol with a 30-point advantage. He leaves with Luke Logan Allen in front. After a summer break, the championship has been turned upside down in one brutal night at the Coliseum.

The series now heads north to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, where the high banks of Bristol give way to another technical challenge. The points lead has changed hands, the championship fight has tightened dramatically, and the road to the title is suddenly wide open.

Skelton Reigns Supreme in Scrambler Series Regular Season Finale

The regular season finale of the RLR Checkered Flag Auto Supply Scrambler Series Season 22 delivered exactly what Irwindale Speedway promised: tire management, changing track conditions, spectacular wrecks, and a championship picture that came down to surviving the chaos. The Souza Media 150 featured the lower-horsepower ARCA cars on Irwindale’s progressive banking, where the preferred groove gradually became littered with tire marbles and drivers were forced to balance momentum against grip.

At the center of it all was James Skelton, who started from pole and quickly established himself as the driver to beat. Skelton chose the outside lane for the start, recognizing that the extra banking and momentum would give him an advantage over Zach Mitchell on the flatter inside. The decision paid immediate dividends as Skelton settled into the lead and began controlling the opening stages.

The race quickly became a survival contest, however. The first caution came around Lap 12 when Ben Coultes hit the wall, collecting Ethan Troutman and Kyle Haddock in the aftermath. Josh Buckley was caught up in the early trouble and his night went from bad to worse shortly afterward when another incident involving Jeff LeMire collected him again.

Buckley’s problems eventually became mechanical. A damaged rear suspension and broken toe link left his car crab-walking down the straightaways, forcing him to wrestle an increasingly unwilling machine around the track. Despite the damage, Buckley continued rather than giving up.

The pivotal moment came around Lap 45, when another caution presented the leaders with a major strategic decision. With the track temperature falling to around 77 degrees, Skelton and Mitchell elected to take fresh tires, while DJ Anderson and Ethan Troutman stayed out to gain track position.

It didn’t take long for the fresh rubber to prove its worth.

Skelton and Mitchell sliced through the front-runners on the restart, reclaiming the top two positions in just over a lap. Their advantage was especially significant at Irwindale, where the cars could easily become unstable over the bumps and crests entering the corners. The drivers who could preserve their tires and keep the car underneath them had a major advantage.

As the laps accumulated, the high line became increasingly treacherous. Rubber marbles piled up near the wall, transforming what had initially been the preferred groove into a skating rink.

David Odendahl learned that lesson the hard way.

Odendahl had climbed to a career-best fourth position when he carried too much speed into Turn 3 and got caught in the marbles. His car snapped around, triggering a wreck that also collected Chris Worrell, Connor Blasco, and Jeffrey Souza. Despite the incident, Odendahl managed to recover and finish eighth, doing enough to preserve his championship hopes and officially secure his place in the Chase.

The middle of the pack continued to unravel as the race entered its closing stages. Souza and LeMire found themselves occupying the same piece of real estate exiting Turn 4, sending Souza’s car off the racing surface and onto an access road behind the grandstands.

Fred LeClair added another spectacular moment when his car performed an unlikely wall ride, grinding along the outside barrier before later becoming involved in a massive pileup triggered by Sean Single.

Then came one of the night’s wildest incidents. DJ Anderson made contact on the backstretch and went airborne, flipping multiple times and shedding bodywork in spectacular fashion. By the time the car came to rest, it looked less like a race car and more like something that had been put through a blender.

While the rest of the field battled for survival, Skelton remained remarkably composed at the front.

The biggest threat to his victory came from reigning seven-time champion Maxime Theriault. Starting outside the top 10, Theriault took a completely different approach to the changing track. Rather than chasing the increasingly dangerous cushion, he worked the lower groove and concentrated on preserving his tires.

That strategy paid off handsomely.

Theriault avoided much of the late-race carnage and steadily climbed through the field, eventually reaching second place. Chris Hammett also put together a strong run, surviving the chaos to secure the final spot on the podium.

Up front, however, nobody could match Skelton.

The pole-sitter maintained control through the final laps to score a dominant victory and close the regular season with a statement performance. His post-race explanation was almost hilariously understated considering what he had just accomplished.

“This was the one race I really didn’t practice… I guess I just don’t need to study and just wing it.”

Theriault credited his decision to stay low and preserve his tires, knowing that drivers who took fewer tires would eventually find themselves trapped on the marbles and unable to recover.

Hammett’s third-place finish provided an equally important championship boost as he and his 4X teammates headed into the postseason.

The result officially closed the book on the Season 22 regular season and set the stage for the 12-driver Chase. Now the championship fight moves away from the abrasive short-track environment of California and heads to Texas Motor Speedway. The Chase will switch to the O’Reilly Cars, bringing a completely different set of demands and putting the championship contenders into a five-race battle where every mistake carries considerably more weight.

After the chaos of Irwindale, the regular season is finished. The Chase is officially on.

Guyon Wins at Long Beach as Sirois Charges from 15th to Fourth

The concrete canyons of the Long Beach Street Circuit provided a punishing stage for Round 13 of the Sim Gaming Expo ISRA Retro Series, where a field of Lotus 79s tackled 55 minutes of high-speed ground-effect racing with almost no margin for error. The narrow Southern California street course demanded precision from the opening standing start to the final trip through the famous hairpin, and by the end of the night, Alex Guyon emerged with the victory while championship leader David Sirois delivered one of the race’s most impressive drives.

Guyon started from pole alongside Michael Goodman, but Goodman got the jump when the lights went out and charged into Turn 1 with the lead. Richie Hearn, meanwhile, suffered a disastrous start and tumbled from fifth to 14th, while trouble farther back saw a spinning car leave Vern Hawkins multiple laps behind early in the race.

Goodman controlled the opening laps, but Long Beach quickly reminded the field that even the smallest mistake could carry a heavy price. The early leader had a scare when he slid wide in the parking-lot section coming off the back straight, managing to escape without significant damage but giving Alex Guyon an opportunity to close the gap.

By Lap 5, Guyon was firmly attached to the back of Goodman’s Lotus. Using the draft down Shoreline Drive, Guyon made his move into Turn 1, diving to the inside and completing a clean pass for the lead. Goodman stayed close, however, refusing to let the polesitter escape as Chris Valenzuela remained in contention behind them.

The race settled into a strategic rhythm as the field approached the halfway point. Most drivers committed to a one-stop strategy, with pit stops beginning around the 27-to-29-minute mark. Guyon made a clean stop and retained the effective lead, despite later admitting that he had accidentally left his default fuel strategy active and carried more fuel than intended into the second half of the race.

Valenzuela attempted to gain an advantage by extending his first stint and pushing hard before his stop, but Guyon’s smooth pit cycle kept him in control of the race. The stops also shuffled the midfield, with Christopher Ragan emerging ahead of Hearn and setting the stage for a dramatic battle later in the event.

One of the most determined performances of the night belonged to Craig Forsythe, who continued racing after suffering early damage to his right-front wing. Forsythe fought on with a severely compromised Lotus, refusing to retire despite the loss of valuable downforce. His battered machine survived deep into the race before a later crash finally brought his night to an end.

As the final 10 minutes approached, Goodman began closing back in on Guyon. He experimented with wider exits from the hairpin in an effort to maximize his run onto Shoreline Drive and create an opportunity to challenge for the lead. The strategy helped him keep the pressure on, but Long Beach’s concrete barriers were never far away.

A late wall strike disrupted Goodman’s momentum and opened the door for Valenzuela, who slipped past to take second. Goodman recovered to secure third place, earning his first podium finish of the season after spending much of the race in the fight for victory.

While the battle at the front produced the podium, the drive of the race belonged to David Sirois.

Starting from 15th, the championship leader faced a long night of threading his Lotus through traffic. Sirois steadily worked his way forward, avoiding the mistakes and wall contact that claimed positions throughout the field. By the closing stages, he had reached the back of a three-car fight with Ragan and Hearn for fourth place.

With less than two minutes remaining, the battle tightened dramatically. Ragan initially held the position, but a heavy encounter with the wall destroyed his momentum. Sirois capitalized immediately, moving through and turning his attention toward Hearn.

The final lap delivered one last twist. Entering the famous hairpin, Hearn locked his brakes and slid wide, leaving just enough room for Sirois to slip underneath. After starting 15th, Sirois crossed the finish line in fourth place, completing an impressive 11-position charge through the field.

Guyon took the checkered flag to claim victory, followed by Valenzuela in second and Goodman in third. Sirois’ remarkable recovery drive earned him fourth, while Hearn salvaged fifth after his difficult start and late-race mistake.

Guyon described the race as an exhausting mental and physical challenge, particularly with the pressure from Goodman and Valenzuela throughout the event. Valenzuela was pleased with his second-place finish and the performance of his team, while Goodman celebrated his first podium of the season despite the late mistake that likely ended his hopes of challenging for the win.

With only one round remaining, the championship picture now heads toward its final showdown, and after slicing his way from 15th to fourth through the unforgiving streets of Long Beach, David Sirois once again showed why he has been the driver to beat all season.

Ogle Outlasts Nelson in a Three-Caution Thriller at Bristol

Bristol, TN — Round 24 of the OBRL NASCAR Gen 4 Cup Series Season 9 brought 27 drivers to Bristol Motor Speedway for a brutal 175-lap battle around the half-mile concrete bullring. With the track temperature reaching 132°F, the 900-horsepower Gen 4 cars were exceptionally difficult to handle, making tire management and patience critical as the playoff picture tightened around the championship cutoff.

Tom Ogle wasted little time establishing control from the pole, taking the lead from the inside lane and quickly settling into the preferred bottom groove. The high line was treacherous in the extreme heat, with marbles accumulating near the wall and turning the outside lane into what amounted to a skating rink. Greg McDaniel brushed the wall early, while Ben Sheppard ventured into the marbles and lost several positions after sliding into the outside wall.

One driver taking a very different approach was Clay Walker. Rather than attacking the corners aggressively, Walker kept the steering wheel remarkably calm and planted his car against the yellow line. As other drivers burned through their tires, Walker patiently worked his way forward. By Lap 55, he had dispatched Dwayne McArthur for fourth and was closing on Matt Watkins.

The first caution finally arrived on Lap 70 after a three-wide battle involving Cortney Nelson, Roger Hurley, and Andy Thomas went wrong in traffic. Nelson made contact with Hurley’s right rear, sending Hurley spinning and leaving him with heavy nose damage. The leaders headed for pit road, with Ogle, Nelson, and Walker emerging as the top three.

Ogle continued to control the restart, but Nelson was relentless. He repeatedly turned laps several hundredths faster than the leader and began applying serious pressure. Passing, however, was another matter entirely. The dirty air made it difficult for Nelson to get the nose of his car underneath Ogle without risking a push toward the wall.

Behind them, Walker continued his patient march. He passed Watkins for third and steadily erased the gap to the leaders as Nelson’s tires began to overheat. Nelson was forced to drive the car increasingly sideways through the corners just to maintain his pace.

The second caution came on Lap 136 when Chris Bates and Scott Negus made contact after a major speed differential developed between the two cars. Bates slammed into the wall, while the leaders once again headed to pit road for fresh tires. The ensuing 40-lap sprint would decide the race.

It took almost no time for another caution to appear. On the restart, a three-wide battle broke apart when Alan Wannamaker lost control in the middle lane, unaware that John Hastings was alongside him. The contact collected Jack Jagerman and brought out the third yellow of the night.

The final restart produced one of Nelson’s best moments of the race. He launched perfectly and led a lap for the first time all evening, but Ogle quickly regained the advantage once the cars settled into the clean-air groove. Walker, meanwhile, was shuffled back to seventh after restart contact, seemingly ending his shot at another podium finish.

Instead, Walker went hunting.

With the laps winding down, Walker began tearing through the field. He passed Greg McDaniel, then Lloyd Moore, and with only three laps remaining made a spectacular move around Dwayne McArthur to reclaim fourth. It was a remarkable recovery after being pushed deep into the pack on the final restart.

Up front, Ogle finally had some breathing room. Nelson had been his biggest threat all night, but the combination of clean air and the difficulty of passing at Bristol allowed the pole-sitter to maintain control. Even a dramatic last-lap spin involving Nick Self and Andrew Medlin couldn’t produce another caution, allowing Ogle to race unchallenged to the checkered flag.

Tom Ogle captured the victory after leading almost from flag to flag, with Cortney Nelson finishing second and Matt Watkins completing the podium. Walker’s late charge earned him fourth, while McArthur rounded out the top five.

The result was especially impressive given how clean the race remained. A 900-horsepower Gen 4 car around a half-mile Bristol is normally a recipe for a caution festival, yet the event produced only three caution periods, a remarkable demonstration of the OBRL field’s racecraft.

Ogle admitted that Nelson had the pace to challenge him throughout the race, but the timing of the cautions repeatedly worked in his favor. Nelson, meanwhile, acknowledged that he had pushed too hard during the opening stint and had to change his approach later in the race. Watkins called his third-place finish “absolutely a win at Bristol,” particularly after improving his tire management during the second stint.

With the playoffs drawing closer and the points battle tightening around the cutoff, Bristol delivered exactly the kind of high-pressure test the OBRL field needed: blistering heat, fading tires, unforgiving concrete, and 175 laps where one mistake could erase an entire night’s work.

Chris Worrell Sweeps the Weekend at South Boston With BRL

South Boston, VA — Round 8 of the Bootleg Racing League (BRL) Late Model Invitational Series Season 35 took place on August 22, 2026, at South Boston Speedway, delivering 100 laps of short-track warfare on the tight Virginia bullring. With tire changes prohibited, the race became a grueling exercise in tire conservation, throttle control, and simply keeping the car pointed in the right direction. Championship leader James Lowe entered the night with a 22-point advantage over Luke Logan Allen, who was absent, giving Lowe a valuable opportunity to strengthen his position in the title fight.

The race began with Steve Hilbert leading the field to green, but Chris Davis immediately went to work on the pole-sitter. Davis attacked from multiple lanes, using the apron and working the car hard through the corners as he eventually wrestled the lead away from Hilbert. Behind them, the championship contenders were already making progress through the field. Chris Worrell charged forward aggressively, with Lowe following in his wake as the pair sliced through traffic. John Wilson also found speed on the high side, adding another threat to the increasingly crowded battle at the front.

The first major caution arrived around Lap 27 when Lowell Jewell and Wilson tangled while fighting for position. Jewell drifted upward into Wilson’s line, sending both cars into trouble and bunching the field back together. The restart created another opportunity for the drivers working their way forward, with Worrell continuing his charge while Lowe tried to stay out of trouble and conserve his tires.

The race’s biggest turning point came on Lap 61, when Todd Liston made an aggressive move underneath Davis for the lead. The two cars made heavy side-to-side contact as they battled through the corner, ultimately collecting Davis and championship leader Lowe in the resulting wreck. The incident completely reshuffled the running order and left Lowe facing another difficult climb through the field.

Worrell emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of the chaos. He battled Liston for the lead and eventually powered around him on the outside to take control of the race. From there, the cautions continued to pile up. Jewell and Davis tangled again, while Steve Hilbert and Chris Haizlip were involved in another incident through Turns 3 and 4. South Boston’s tight confines left little room for error, and every restart seemed capable of producing another wreck.

For Lowe, the night went from difficult to disastrous. During a late-race restart, the points leader lost control and spun while attempting to fight his way back toward the front. The mistake was particularly costly given his championship position, and Lowe ultimately elected to tow back to the pits and retire from the race. After entering the night with a comfortable points advantage, the championship leader was left with a frustrating result.

That left Chris Worrell in control heading into the final shootout, with defending champion Ruben Altice directly behind him. Worrell nailed the restart and appeared to have the race under control, but Altice refused to let him escape. As the white flag flew, Altice closed rapidly through Turns 1 and 2 and prepared to make one final attempt at the victory. He pushed the issue on the exit of Turn 2, but the car washed up the track and cost him the momentum needed to complete the pass.

Chris Worrell held on to cross the finish line first and claim a dramatic victory at South Boston. Ruben Altice settled for second, while Ricky Hardin completed the podium after executing a patient tire-management strategy that allowed him to charge forward late in the race.

The victory was especially impressive given the attrition and constant restarts that defined the second half of the event. Worrell had to survive repeated challenges from Altice and the rest of the field while managing tires that had endured nearly the entire race distance. Altice’s runner-up finish kept the defending champion firmly in the championship conversation, while Hardin’s third-place result rewarded his decision to preserve his equipment early rather than burn through his tires battling for every position.

The series now heads to Langley Speedway for Round 9, where the flat, tight Virginia short track will provide another demanding test of patience and tire management.

Chris Worrell Wins Chaotic South Boston Showdown

South Boston, VA — The eighth round of Season 28 of the BRL Bushtalk Radio Super Late Model Series at South Boston Speedway delivered the short-track chaos, dramatic saves and hard-nosed racing that fans have come to expect from the historic Virginia venue. On the tight and narrow oval, managing the wide, high-horsepower Super Late Models required a delicate balance of throttle control, tire conservation and simply keeping the car pointed in the right direction.

Championship leader James Lowe entered the night with a slim 10-point advantage over teammate Chris Worrell, with the two “Dodge Boys” having established themselves as the only drivers to reach the top step of the podium all season. Their championship battle received a little extra breathing room with Luke Logan Allen absent while on vacation in New Hampshire. The biggest surprise before the race, however, came from Marlo Stoutman, who shocked the field by topping practice with a 14.74-second lap despite using a basic Logitech PlayStation wheel, three pedals clamped to a desk and a laptop from a hotel or dorm room. Stoutman started 17th, while polesitter Todd Liston lined up alongside Joe Segalla on the front row.

Liston immediately grabbed the advantage on the high line when the green flag fell, but the race barely had time to settle before the first caution appeared on Lap 1. A check-up in Turn 3 resulted in Stoutman’s No. 34 tagging the right rear of Segalla’s car, sending Segalla into a spin. Liston handled the restart well and retained the lead, but another caution followed almost immediately when Robbie Hensley and Jeffery Hardin collided, leaving Hardin’s No. 36 with heavy right-front suspension and tire damage. Tom Hilbert then spun on entry during the next restart, bringing out another yellow and creating a stop-and-go opening 40 laps.

Once the field finally settled into a longer green-flag run, Liston maintained control while Chris Haizlip battled John Wilson for third. Wilson, known as the “Canadian Goose,” found himself struggling to get around Haizlip’s defensive line, while Worrell began making serious progress around the outside. James Lowe was also quietly working his way forward, reaching sixth before another caution changed everything. Wilson got too close to Lowe’s left rear entering Turn 4 and sent the championship leader spinning. Lowe’s car became an obstacle in the narrow racing surface, with Ruben Altice also getting caught up in the chaos and spinning wildly through the field. Lowe survived but dropped to 15th, while Hensley’s race was effectively ended by the resulting damage.

On the restart around Lap 35, Worrell made his move. Starting behind Liston and Segalla, Worrell used the outside lane to carry tremendous momentum through the corners, sweeping past Segalla for second and immediately putting pressure on the leader. Meanwhile, Stoutman was struggling with significant front- and rear-end damage, while Lowe found himself trapped behind the compromised No. 34 car. A second attempt to get around Stoutman ended with Lowe being clipped and spun again, dropping the points leader a lap down.

At the front, Liston and Worrell eventually became locked in a duel. Worrell used a spectacular crossover maneuver to take advantage of his momentum on the outside, driving deep into the corner before cutting underneath Liston and taking the lead. The battle was interrupted again on Lap 60 when Haizlip spun his tires in the restart zone, drifted upward and triggered a massive chain reaction that collected nearly the entire field. Worrell, Liston and Michael Goodman were among the few leaders able to escape the carnage with their cars intact.

Another restart brought more trouble for Stoutman, who was tag-teamed with Altice and sent hard into the Turn 1 wall, while Hardin managed to slip through. The most remarkable moment of the race came shortly afterward when a slower lapped car, the No. 93 “Racing Ref,” lost control exiting Turn 4 and slammed on the brakes directly in front of the leading pair. Worrell and Liston reacted instantly, dodging the spinning car without contact and somehow preserving their lead-lap battle. It was easily the save of the night.

As the race entered its final stages, Jeff Sharp, Michael Goodman and Segalla battled fiercely for the final podium position. Goodman attempted a late dive underneath Sharp exiting Turn 4, but Sharp aggressively closed the door. A final caution with 15 laps remaining was triggered when Hardin and Segalla made contact off Turn 2, with the incident also collecting Lowe and Haizlip. Hardin was forced to retire, leaving just seven cars on the lead lap for the closing restart.

Worrell took advantage of the clean track ahead and immediately began pulling away, eventually stretching his advantage beyond one second. Chris Worrell crossed the finish line to score a clean, scratch-free victory and gain valuable ground on his championship-leading teammate. Todd Liston settled for second, while Jeff Sharp held off the late challengers to complete the podium. James Lowe recovered from his earlier problems to finish 10th.

Following the race, Worrell credited his starting position deep in the field for helping him conserve his tires while Liston was forced to set the pace from the front. Liston acknowledged that Worrell simply had the faster car during the final 15 laps as his tires began to fade, adding that because he was not focused on the championship points this season, he had no regrets about pushing for the win. Sharp was equally pleased with his podium performance, joking that his car had been “pushing from lap 50 on” but somehow survived the relentless South Boston punishment.