Mod Madness overtaking Langley

Published 10:40 pm Thursday, October 13, 2011

By Gary Daughtrey

Special to the News-Herald

HAMPTON — The season’s longest open-wheel feature tops a six-race slate this Saturday when Langley Speedway plays host to Mid-Atlantic Modified Madness presented by the Racing For Hope Foundation. The evening’s headliner will be a 100-lap/$5,000-to-win event for the KeesVacations.com Modifieds.

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Saturday’s lineup also includes: Pepsi Grand Stocks (40 laps); Heritage Motor Co. Super Streets (40 laps); Larry King Law Super Trucks (25 laps); Standard Welding Pro Sixes (30 laps); and, Enduros (50 laps).

Front gates open and afternoon practice begins at 2 p.m. The first feature event goes green shortly after 7.

At 100 laps in distance, Saturday’s Modified feature represents something of a foray into uncharted territory. The division’s 2011 schedule at Langley was made up of 50-lap events and, late in the season, even shorter “Twin” races.

To be successful in this weekend’s race, drivers will have to strike a balance between speed and conserving tires and equipment for the closing circuits.

Modified division race winners at Langley in 2011 include: Shawn Balluzzo (7), Cameron Patrick (4), Robbie Babb (2), Anthony Kincaid (2), Mike Rudy (2) and Mark Slye (2).

The Racing For Hope Foundation was founded this year and is based in Norfolk. The organization works with the local racing community to promote awareness of pediatric cancer and to raise funds for medical research and to provide assistance to young cancer patients and their families.

Six track titles will be decided on Oct. 22 when Langley Speedway puts the wraps on the 2011 points season with Waypoint Apartments “Championship Saturday.”

The feature lineup includes: Grand Stocks, Super Streets, Cycle City Corp. INEX Legends, EZ Auto of Newport News UCARs, Rhonnda Claiborne, Realtor HRKC Pro Winged Champ Karts and Enduros.

Always a highlight on the Langley Speedway schedule, the Sixth Annual Day of Destruction is slated for Saturday, Oct. 29.

The afternoon’s lineup includes an Enduro race, a pair of demolition derbies and a host of other wild and wacky novelty events.

For prospective combatants, complete information, including rules and entry forms, is available on the track’s Web site langley-speedway.com.

Langley Speedway’s Annual Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront.

Tickets are $45 each and are on sale now. For more details, refer to langley-speedway.com or contact the Speedway office at 865-RACE.