Matt Bowling had a big day in Saturday’s season-opening Danville Toyota NASCAR Whelen Late Model Twin 100’s racing program – a very big day.

The defending South Boston Speedway NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model Stock Car Division champion swept both of the day’s 100-lap NASCAR Whelen All American Series Late Model Stock Car Division races on a day that saw 31 cars take the green flag for the opening race, the largest field of cars for an opening-day race in several years.

Bowling survived a dramatic three-wide battle with South Boston, Virginia resident Austin Thaxton and C.E. Falk of Virginia Beach, Virginia to claim the first race after being in third place in the running order with seven laps to go.

Bobby McCarty of Summerfield, North Carolina finished second, a scant .635-second behind Bowling, with Thaxton finishing third, Danny Willis Jr. of Cluster Springs, Virginia finishing fourth and Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia rounding out the top five finishers.

In the nightcap, Bowling started sixth after a drawing for an inverted start and drove through the field to challenge Thaxton after the halfway point of the race. Twice Bowling appeared to have a run on Thaxton for the lead only to have his effort thwarted by lapped traffic.

Lapped traffic ultimately was Bowling’s friend as he was able to use the car driven by Charles Barnes as a pick to help him get by Thaxton on lap 93. Defending national champion Lee Pulliam of Alton, Virginia, who started 18^th in the second race after having finished 18^th in the first race as the result of a late-race tangle with Falk, also took advantage of the slower car to slip past Thaxton and took over second place.

Pulliam attempted to run down Bowling at the end, but came up short, finishing .685-second behind Bowling. Thaxton finished third, Josh Oakley of Rougemont, North Carolina finished fourth and Sellers finished fifth.

Throckmorton Wins Limited Sportsman race

Joey Throckmorton of South Boston, Virginia got his 2016 season off to a good start by winning the 50-lap NASCAR Limited Sportsman Division race.

Throckmorton won the pole, lost the lead briefly to Calvin Meadows of Martinsville, Virginia, but regained the lead from Meadows on the 20^th circuit and held the top spot the rest of the way.

Mason Diaz finished second, just over a second behind Throckmorton, with David Latour, Jr. of Advance, North Carolina, Tommy Peregoy of Clarksville, Virginia and Daniel Moss of Danville, Virginia completing the top five finishers.

Layne Takes Win In Budweiser Pure Stock Division

Johnny Layne of Nathalie, Virginia got a leg up on the start of his season Saturday, taking the win in the 30-lap race for the Budweiser Pure Stock Division.

Layne led all but the opening lap en-route to scoring his first victory of the season. Bruce Mayo of Halifax, Virginia took the runner-up spot, with Scott Phillips of Halifax, Virginia, Tyler Conner of Scottsburg, Virginia and Jimmy Wade of Halifax, Virginia completing the top five finishers.

Humblet Wins Modified Division Opener

Former South Boston Speedway Modified Division Champion Jimmy Humblet of Shiloh, North Carolina won the season-opening 50-lap Modified Division race.

Humblet took the lead on lap 26 and drove to a 1.485-second win over Robert Conner of Colonial Heights, Virginia. Matt Slye of Williamsburg, Virginia finished third, with Robbie Babb of Chesapeake, Virginia and Chris Humblet of Shiloh, North Carolina completing the top five finishers.

Kirstin Simmons Scores First Career Win In Hornets Division

For Kirstin Simmons of LaCrosse, Virginia, Saturday’s season-opening race at South Boston Speedway marked a milestone.

Simmons scored her first career win in the Budweiser Hornets Division, and did it in style, going flag-to-flag for the victory.

Justin Dawson finished second, with Kenny Mills, Jr. of Alton, Virginia finishing third.

Next Race At South Boston Speedway

NASCAR racing returns to South Boston Speedway Saturday afternoon, March 19, with the NASCAR Late Model 100 racing program. A 100-lap race for the NASCAR Whelen All American Series Late Model Stock Car Division highlights the seven-race program.

The afternoon’s seven-race card includes twin 25-lap races for the Limited Sportsman and Modified Divisions, a 30-lap race for the Budweiser Pure Stock Division and a 15-lap race for the Budweiser Hornets Division.

Registration opens at 9:30 a.m., pit gates open at 10 a.m. and practice runs from 11 a.m. until 12 noon. Grandstand gates open at 12:30 p.m., qualifying starts at 1 p.m. and the first race gets the green flag at 2 p.m. Adult admission is $10, with youths ages 7-12 admitted for $5. Kids ages six and under are admitted free with a paid adult.

For additional information about the NASCAR Late Model 100 racing program or any other events at South Boston Speedway, please visit the speedway’s website at www.southbostonspeedway.com or telephone the speedway at 434-572-4947 or 1-877-440-1540.

(The preceding was a press release from South Boston Speedway)