Pembelton prevails in stop-and-go Limited Sportsman race at SoBo

SOUTH BOSTON — If having to hold off a field full of drivers wanting to win on a green-white-checkered restart is hard, Brian Pembelton can say exactly how difficult it is.

How ’bout doing it twice?

In a somewhat unconventional finish to the 100-lap Limited Sportsman race, Pembelton had to weather a second two-lap restart following a red flag during the first one and led 109 of the 117 laps to win Friday night at South Boston Speedway as part of the Bailey’s 200 program.

“It’s a good feeling to win,” Pembelton said. “Most of the race was very tough because of all the laps. Cory Donley, he was really chomping at the bit every lap and just couldn’t shake him. They told me to keep it on the bottom and I’d be in good shape.”

On both restarts, Pembelton was able to build a lead, first over Donley and the second over Jeb Burton, who was gunning for his first win at SoBo.

Burton was able to get around Donley on the first restart after contact between the two and was in no position to catch and pass Pembelton. On the white-flag lap, Brian Cole’s car caught on fire on the backstretch before the leaders could take the checkered.

“I got into him a little bit,” Burton said. “When I touched him, he, like, stopped and I got locked up on him. I didn’t mean to touch him, but he stopped and I couldn’t go nowhere.”

Because track officials did not want the race to end under caution, the field was lined up again to take the restart.

Conley and Burton again went at it, with Conley getting under Burton and both racing hard for the second position, which Burton barely edged out at the line.

“The biggest thing was that I just wasn’t trying to push the issue too early,” said Conley, who easily had the second-strongest car in the field.

“I felt like the last two restarts, I was going to have something for him. The next to last one, we got taken care of from behind. The last restart, I was thinking about roughing him up, but I didn’t. It’s just one of those days, I felt we should have won, but it’s another one that slips away.”

Danville native Justin Snow finished fourth and Greg Dejarnette finished fifth after several contenders had problems.

One driver who definitely feels the race slipped away is Danny Willis Jr. After starting second, Willis was able to use the outside line to lead the first few laps before clearing Pembelton.

Then, Willis was taken out of the race in Turn 3 on lap 9 when Pembelton got into the back of Willis and sent him into the outside wall.

“I checked up, I just didn’t check up enough,” Pembelton said. “He got real loose and I tried to check up and save him. I couldn’t do it and I feel real bad for that because I wouldn’t race him like that.”

Tommy Peregoy, who spun while running in third on lap 98, finished sixth. Charles Barnes came home seventh, the last car on the lead lap.

“I’m surprised he didn’t try to wreck me, but he shoved me, that’s how I got on the outside. He knocked the living crap out of me,” Burton said of when Conley was battling him on the last restart. “I couldn’t get the car down to where I needed it to be. I’m surprised we didn’t get a worse finish. Thankfully we got second.”

- Contact Sordelett at or (434) 791-7998.