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It’s been at least 25 years, and perhaps a lot longer, since Langley Speedway has begun a Saturday show as early as 5 p.m. That will be the start time when the NASCAR Weekly Racing stock car track begins its 73rd season Saturday.
It’s not a gimmick to get a larger Opening Night crowd, because most season openers at the track draw huge gatherings of about 5,000. It’s simply a courtesy to fans that will extend into May, when nighttime temperatures figure to warm.
“We do get large crowds on Opening Night, but by the end of the seventh race, there aren’t a lot of fans left in the stands because of the cold,” track owner Bill Mullis said. “We think if we run most of the show, which we’ll try to finish as close to three hours as possible, in the daylight, that will make it more comfortable for the fans.
“If they can leave at a time close to 8 o’clock, they’ve still got a lot of the evening left to enjoy.”
Some have even suggested the track employ the 5 p.m. start all season, but Mullis says the traditional 7 p.m. starts will return in May. Why?
“There are a couple of reasons,” he said. “As we move more into summer, a lot of our fans like to do outdoor activities like yardwork and then come to the track.
“But also, it gets a lot warmer, and especially as we get into July and August, they don’t want to be sitting in 90-degree heat for hours.
“We will continue the 7 o’clock starts until October, then finish the season with the 5 o’clock starts when it gets cold again.”
So, from an action standpoint, what will the fans expect? Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway’s 4/10-mile asphalt oval again will feature 12 weekly divisions, so there will be different ones running in a seven-race show almost every week.
“We are very lucky to have high car counts and a variety of classes because of our location here in Hampton Roads,” Mullis said.
As for the marquee Late Model Division, it likely will have its first new champion since the pandemic. Brendan “Butterbean” Queen is running full-time in the CARS Late Model Tour and will miss three or four Langley races — virtually eliminating him from contention for a championship four-peat.
Connor Hall, a frequent winner in recent seasons at Langley, is also running full-time with CARS, thus forgoing a potential championship run.
Late Model outlook
Their absence won’t diminish the championship race in the division. The most likely title contenders — Danny Edwards Jr., Greg Edwards and Mark Wertz — are three of the most popular drivers in track history.
The Edwards brothers enter the season with six championships apiece and, should either win, they will tie Phil Warren’s seven as the most in Late Model history at Langley. Wertz has two Late Model championships — along with multiple titles in support divisions — and is a weekly contender for checkered flags.
With a victory among his nine consecutive top-fours to finish last season, Justin S. Carroll has the goods to contend for the title. Ryan Matthews, with five top-threes last year as a rookie, will look to become a more consistent contender.
Veterans Terry Carroll, Duane Shreeves, Casey Wyatt, Nick Smith and Woody Howard — the latter two former Hampton Heat 200 winners — add depth to a division high in quality when Queen, Hall and any number of regional heavyweights are on the starting grid.
Along with the title, the $10,000 first prize in the 15th-anniversary Hampton Heat 200 will be in every Late Model driver’s sights. That race is set for July 22.
Bobby Labonte on the way; fireworks return
The track’s list of special events includes a visit Aug. 26 by the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Bobby Labonte, the 2000 NASCAR Cup champion, reportedly is committed to the race.
Queen and Hall will highlight the CARS Tour’s June 3 stop at Langley. Queen won the event a year ago, although he was not yet a regular on the increasingly popular circuit.
Breaking News
Supply chain problems following the pandemic forced Langley to cancel its annual Fourth of July fireworks event. It will return July 1 on a race card that includes the Virginia Sprint Cars and Virginia Mini Cup tours.
Drift cars take over the track May 26-27 and July 28-29, while the Ground Pounders headline an eight-race card July 15. The season closes with a bang with its championship nights Sept. 30 and Oct. 7, the Fall Day of Destruction Oct. 14, more Drift cars on Oct. 20-21 and the Shawn Balluzzo Memorial 100 Modified race on Oct. 27.
Support divisions
In addition to Queen, five other drivers were repeat division champions in 2022: Matt Carter (Modified), Chris Roberts (Grand Stock), Christian Keller (UCAR), Travis Wall (Pro 6) and Spencer Saunders (Legends).
The Legends title race — which could include 2020 champ Tommy Jackson Jr. and emerging standout Charlie Beals — should be competitive.
“They’ve got us on a new shocks package, so it’s going to take figuring that out,” Saunders said of a potential three-peat. “It’s going to take a little bit of luck and I think Jackson is coming back, so he’s always a threat to win it.
“We’ve got a bunch of new drivers coming up that seem to be pretty competitive. So we need to do the same things we’ve done the past two years: Be really consistent, don’t tear anything up and try to win us a couple of races.”
Marty O’Brien, 757-247-4963, mjobrien@dailypress.com. Twitter @MartyOBrienDP