SOUTH BOSTON, Va. — A trio of Martinsville Speedway winners, all of whom are in the top three of the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division standings at South Boston Speedway, say winning the 19th running of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 on Saturday night will be a special accomplishment.
Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia, a two-time winner of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, the kickoff race for the Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing, is eyeing a third win in the event. He says winning the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 grows more special each time.
“With the popularity growing like it does every year, it becomes more special and more of an elite race,” Sellers pointed out.
“It is turning into a more elite event, not that it hasn’t been any other time, it’s just gaining a lot of traction between the Triple Crown and the popularity of how many drivers come to it. More people talk about it with the add-on of FloRacing, and all of the different opportunities people have to view it now. It has become something that is special.”
Trevor Ward of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who won at Martinsville Speedway in 2023 and won the Triple Crown that year, is seeking his first win in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 this weekend. He finished third in the event in 2023 and was the runner-up in last season’s race. Like Sellers, Ward says winning the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 will be special.
“To win this race has been on my bucket list a long time,” Ward remarked. “It would be really cool to be able to check one more thing off of my bucket list.”
Landon Pembelton of Amelia, Virginia, a former Martinsville Speedway winner who has a fourth-place finish as his best effort in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, would like nothing better than to earn his first career victory in the event on Saturday.
“It would be a dream come true,” Pembelton said of winning the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200. “I’ve been chasing after it ever since I started racing Late Models. I’ve had good runs in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200. I’ve either finished in the top five or six or either I’m wrecked. Hopefully the luck will swing my way.”
While the $10,000 winner’s prize and a guaranteed starting position in the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway in September are on the line in Saturday’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, the trio has to consider what it will take to be in the mix for the Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing and remain in contention for the South Boston Speedway Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division crown.
Ward holds a slim one-point lead over Sellers with Pembelton sitting in third place, just three points behind Ward, entering Saturday’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200.
“You have to keep it in mind,” Sellers remarked of the Triple Crown and the South Boston Speedway track points chase. “Being that it’s a points race for the Triple Crown and the track points, you have to give it a lot of thought. You can’t put your car in a bad spot. You’ve got to be there at the end, and usually, if you do, you’ll end up with a decent finish.
“We’ve been very fortunate to compete for the Triple Crowns, track points and things like that,” Sellers continued. “It comes from finishing races and putting yourself in position. There are a lot of young guys out there that can go fast and win races, but to run for points, you have to think about it a little differently.”
Ward points out that while those things have to be kept in mind, the chase for the South Boston Speedway track championship “is a tight battle and this is a long race. There is a long way to go. We’ve got four or five more weeks of this and anything can happen.”
