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.