What looked to be a good night of racing ended with rain shortening the event and Ross Bailes of Clover, SC, being declared the winner of the $20,000 to win in the Virginia Is For Racing Lovers King of the Commonwealth after only 23 laps of racing. Track owner Bill Sawyer decided that he would pay everyone as if they had completed the full 60 laps.

 

On the drop of the green flag, pole-sitter and defending champion Brandon Overton shot out to the lead. Overton held a 10-car-length advantage over Bailes as the two raced into traffic. Overton worked traffic efficiently for several laps before contact with a lapped car allowed Bailes to get by for the lead on lap 17. Two laps later, a caution fell when Jeff Smith slowed in turn 2, bringing out a caution. On the restart, Bailes pulled away from Zack Mitchell and held the lead until rain brought the field to a red flag.

 

The rain persisted to the point that the track had no choice but to call the race as completed with Bailes, the winner. Rounding out the top five were Zack Mitchell, Ben Watkins, Kenny Moreland, and Dale Hollidge.

 

A decision on the FASTRAK Pro Late Model and Truckin Thunder Sportsman features will be made at a later date.

 

The speedway will take the Memorial Day weekend off and the following weekend and return to racing on Saturday, June 11 and host week 3 of Dirt Series Championship weekly racing.

 

Bill Sawyer’s Virginia Motor Speedway is a ½ mile dirt oval track located on U.S. Route 17, eight miles north of Saluda, VA, and 25 miles south of Tappahannock, VA, in Jamaica, VA. The speedway is just a short drive from Richmond, Fredericksburg, Southern Maryland, and the Hampton Roads area.

 

Race fans can go to www.vamotorspeedway.com to view the complete schedule Virginia Motor Speedway’s 2019 season, find detailed event information, get the latest news, and get complete ticket and camping information. In addition, fans can get social with Virginia Motor Speedway by following @vamotorspeedway on Twitter, clicking “Like” at www.facebook.com/VaMotorSpeedway , and on www.youtube.com/VaMotorSpeedway.