Late Model drivers to get opportunity to race at Daytona

Most every Late Model driver dreams of one day racing at Daytona International Speedway. Beginning next season, it will become a possibility, even if it is still in a Late Model.

The superspeedway plans on hosting a racing tripleheader during the traditional “dark days” of Speedweeks, the Monday and Tuesday prior to the Daytona 500, a NASCAR official confirmed to the Register & Bee on Wednesday.

An official announcement will be held at 4:30 p.m. Friday to give full details of the event.

The three events that are planned to be run, which was first reported by the Daytona Beach News-Journal, are a K&N Series race, a Modified race and a Late Model race featuring the drivers from the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

The News-Journal also reported that the short track will be carved on the back straightaway area in front of the Lund Grandstands.

“From a racing perspective, this is featuring the future stars of the sport at Daytona,” George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president of regional and touring series, told the News-Journal. “From a community standpoint, it’s reconnecting Speedweeks; it removes Daytona’s dark days.”

The top 10 in the final NWAAS national points standings will be locked into the Late Model race, but will still need to qualify to determine their starting positions. Drivers who race Modifieds at their local short tracks will have to bring a Late Model for the event.

“How many times can you go to Daytona in a lifetime? It’s probably not enough,” three-time defending Langley Speedway champion C.E. Falk III said. Falk finished a career-best fourth in the national standings last season.

“Hopefully I’m there one day on a Saturday or a Sunday, or even a Friday. We’ll take a Monday and Tuesday.”

Race winners and the series champions from the 2012 Whelen Modified Tour and Southern Modified Tour seasons will be locked into the Modified race. The same eligibility requirements will be in place for the K&N race for both its East and West Series drivers (race winners and series champions).

The champions from NASCAR’s three international series — Mexico Series, Canadian Tire Series and EURO-RACECAR — will be locked into the race of their choosing.

For the Late Model drivers who race at Virginia short tracks, the past two days have been exciting. Three short tracks — South Boston, Langley and Martinsville — announced the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown Series on Tuesday and then the opportunity to race at Daytona was added Wednesday.

Four drivers who race primarily in Virginia — defending national champion Philip Morris, Lee Pulliam, Falk and Frank Deiny Jr. — finished in the top 10 in the national standings last season and would have been eligible to compete at Daytona.

Nate Monteith finished 10th in the national standings after winning the Kingsport Speedway track title and racing sporadically at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford.

“Just to have the incentive to run well this year and work hard is only going to make our season tougher racing against everybody that wants the opportunity to race at Daytona,” Falk said. “I think if you do get locked in, you have to go. I’m sure you still need to find some money to go, but I think all the incentives they have for 2012 are pretty big.”