Matt Carter, chasing his third consecutive Modified Division championship at Langley Speedway in Hampton, got his quest off to a good start Saturday.
Carter registered twin 30-lap victories, and Peyton Ferree was the runner-up in both races.
In the first Modified race, which included 21 drivers, Carter finished 0.792 of a second ahead of Ferree in their 30-minute duel.
Mark Wertz, one of the track’s all-time greats, placed third, 1.975 seconds off the lead on the second night of the Langley season.
In the second race, Chris Roberts placed third behind Carter and Ferree. Wertz took fourth.
In Saturday’s other races, all of which were the first of the year in their divisions:
Virginia Racers: Cody Bryant scored a 50-lap victory, beating runner-up Jacob Derrick by 2.942 seconds in a race that took about 35 1/2 minutes. Ryley Music was third in the field of 19, another 0.67 of a second behind.
Legends: Tommy Jackson drove to a triumph over 25 laps, placing ahead of Charlie Beals by 758-thousandths of a second in a race that lasted slightly longer than 10 minutes and included 11 drivers.
Cody Carlton was third, 0.918 of a second behind Jackson. Two-time defending division champion Spencer Saunders placed fourth.
Pro Six: Two-time reigning division champ Travis Wall prevailed among six competitors, completing 26 laps 1.385 seconds ahead of runner-up Atley Wiese. Joe Shannon placed third in a race that took just less than 10 1/2 minutes.
Bandolero: Brian Rundstrom Jr. motored to a victory, followed by Sarah Whitesell and Addison Schumann.
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Saturday’s leaders at Langley Speedway in Hampton:
Virginia Racers 50 (19 starters): 1. (08) Cody Bryant; 2. (88) Jacob Derrick; 3. (47) Ryley Music; 4. (57) Chase Johnson; 5. (18n) Kyle Nester.
Bandolero 16 (10 starters): 1. (88) Brian Rundstrom Jr.; 2. (21) Sarah Whitesell; 3. (11) Addison Schumann; 4. (1c) Tuggie Case; 5. (99) Ryleigh Rondeau.
Legends 25 (11 starters): 1. (87) Tommy Jackson; 2. (5b) Charlie Beals; 3. (11) Cody Carton; 4. (7) Spencer Saunders; 5. (3) Trey Williams.
Modified 30 #1 (21 starters): 1. (78) Matt Carter; 2. (23) Peyton Ferree; 3. (51) Mark Wertz; 4. (8) Mike Rudy; 5. (29) Adam Medek.
Modified 30 #2 (20 starters): 1. (78) Matt Carter; 2. (23) Peyton Ferree; 3. (11) Chris Roberts; 4. (51) Mark Wertz; 5. (8) Mike Rudy.
Pro Six 25 (6 starters): 1. (44) Travis Wall; 2. (78) Atley Wiese; 3. (08) Joe Shannon; 4. (67) Chris Bechtel; 5. (4) Debbie Biesecker.
Virginia Motor Speedway
Jeremy Pilkerton of Loveville held off fellow Maryland resident Ray Love Jr. of La Plata to win the 30-lap Pro Late Model race Saturday on the opening night of the season at Virginia Motor Speedway, a half-mile dirt track in Jamaica, in Middlesex County.
Leader Bud Stinson’s car broke on the 18th lap. Pilkerton led the rest of the way after posting the night’s fastest qualifying time in any division, 19.219 seconds.
Modified 25: Two-time defending champion Chase Butler of Mechanicsville took the lead on the second lap from Rick Hulson of Glen Burnie, Maryland, and never looked back.
Sportsman 25: Brett Atkins of Saluda, racing in his home county, overcame defending champion Tim Shelton of Fredericksburg.
Breaking News
Limited Stock Car 20: Johnny Brooks of Mechanicsville started where he left off in 2022, taking a victory. He took the lead on the second lap and maintained it, with Ryan Hutchens placing second.
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Saturday’s results at Virginia Motor Speedway on the Middle Peninsula, with starting positions in brackets:
Pro Late Model 30 (11 drivers): 1. 8-Jeremy Pilkerton[4]; 2. 7H-Curtis Hughes[7]; 3. 28-Tyler Dettor[9]; 4. 71-Davis Lipscombe[5]; 5. 08-Ray Love Jr.[11].
Modified 25 (16 drivers): 1. 11-Chase Butler[4]; 2. 18-Rick Hulson[2]; 3. 1ST-Bret Hamilton[6]; 4. 84-Ryan Toole[5]; 5. 99-Cole Hilton[3].
Sportsman 25 (10 drivers): 1. 55-Tim Shelton[3]; 2. 16-Brett Adkins[2]; 3. 9-Steve Causey[4]; 4. 01X-Adam Breeden[1]; 5. 23-Matt Meads[7].
Limited Stock Car 20 (14 drivers): 1. 7-Johnny Brooks[4]; 2. 14H-Ryan Hutchens[8]; 3. 41-Cory Bradley[1]; 4. 12-Randy Hutchens[5]; 5. 55-Raymond Harper[3].