NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Gears up at Langley Speedway in Hampton

Track, City team up for '08 season

Hampton, Va. (Vocus/PRWeb) April 30, 2008 -- It’s never too early to get a great party started! With that in mind, Langley Speedway is partnering with Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau and the City of Hampton to help kick off the city’s three-year quadricentennial celebration, which will culminate in 2010. The centerpiece of the city’s participation this season at the historic, .395-mile speed-plant will be “Hampton Heat,” a 200-lap event for the track’s headlining Crossroads Fuel Service Late Model Stock Cars. The race is slated for Saturday, July 12, and the winner will pocket $15,000 from a purse of over $40,000.

The 2008 campaign marks the revival of full-fledged Late Model Stock Car racing at Langley Speedway. LMSC machines last competed at the track in 2001, when longtime standout Phil Warren of Norfolk, Va., captured the last of his record seven track titles. In 2002, in what was heralded as a cost-cutting move, Langley abandoned Late Model Stock Cars in favor of the Late Model Sportsman class, a version of the track’s former second-tier Grand Stock division. In 2005, the “Sportsman” moniker was dropped and the class was simply referred to as “Late Model.”

As Langley went its own way with the Late Model class, the track gradually drifted outside the mainstream. While many Langley stalwarts adapted their programs to the new division, several ambitious up-and-comers opted to ply their trade at other speedways, where the Late Model Stock Car class — the more-direct route to NASCAR’s upper echelons — was still going strong. The return of Late Model Stock Cars, governed by the NASCAR rulebook, brings Langley back into line with Virginia’s other NASCAR-sanctioned tracks — South Boston Speedway, Motor Mile Speedway in Radford and Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, as well as other track facilities along the East Coast.

Langley Speedway expects to welcome a healthy contingent of visiting drivers this season. Conversely, Langley LMSC drivers will be able to take advantage of 10 scheduled off-weeks to do a bit of touring themselves, in search of valuable NASCAR state and national championship points.

To the casual observer, this season’s Late Model Stock Cars at Langley appear very similar to the Late Models from previous years. LMSC drivers and teams, however, must abide by stringent NASCAR regulations related to suspensions and engines. The most noticeable difference may be the move from 8-inch to 10-inch racing tires. Due to a production shortfall, the track was forced to switch tire brands midway through last season. For this season, drivers can look forward to a plentiful supply of 10-inch Goodyear Eagles.

The Speedway opened for the racing season Saturday, April 5 and will be open nearly every Saturday through October 18. Gates open at noon, qualifying for all divisions is held at 5 pm and racing begins at 7 p.m. A longtime member of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, Langley Speedway is a .395-mile, slightly-banked oval. The track is located at 11 Dale Lemonds Dr., off North Armistead Ave., in Hampton, Va. To learn more about Langley Speedway and Hampton Heat, fans may call the Speedway office at (757) 865-RACE or consult the track’s Web site — www.langley-speedway.com.

Partially bordered by the Hampton Roads harbor and Chesapeake Bay, Hampton is located in the center of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Hampton is the site of America’s first continuous English-speaking settlement and is home to such visitor attractions as the Virginia Air & Space Center and Riverside IMAX ® Theater and the 344,000 sq. ft. Hampton Roads Convention Center. Hampton is also home to the Cousteau Society, Hampton History Museum, harbor tours and cruises, Hampton University Museum, Fort Monroe, award-winning Hampton Coliseum, The American Theatre, among others.

Release written by Gary Daughtrey, edited by Mary Fugere

Contact:
Mary Fugere, 757-728-5327
mary @ hamptoncvb.com
Lisa Kincaid, 757-865-7223
lkincaid @ langley-speedway.com

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