Jacob Borst Hoping for a Breakout Season at South Boston Speedway
SOUTH BOSTON, VA…..After two consecutive seasons of finishing third in South Boston Speedway’s Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division point standings, Jacob Borst is looking to rise to the top in the 2024 season chase for the track championship.
His quest begins Saturday afternoon, March 23 when South Boston Speedway hosts the season-opening URW Community Federal Credit Union Race Day event which will include a 100-lap race for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division.
“I’m hoping this year we can have a break-out year and end up on top,” the Elon, North Carolina resident remarked. “We’ve updated some of our equipment over the winter and refreshed a lot of things. We’ve been working hard over the winter trying to build ourselves a good piece for the coming season. I feel like we have a really good piece for the season. Everything has come together very well. It all looks very good.”
Borst finished third in the final Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division point standings in both 2023 and 2022 after having been the division runner-up in 2021. Last season Borst had a win, and 14 Top-5 finishes in his 18 starts. He had a strong finish to the 2023 season at South Boston Speedway with a pair of runner-up finishes and a third-place finish in his last four starts. He finished seventh in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Virginia state point standings.
While the 2023 season may not have gone the way Borst and his team had hoped, it was still a solid effort.
“It’s hard to say we didn’t have a good season last year,” Borst said. “You always wish for a better year, but I feel like we had a good year. We learned a lot.”
Borst said the 2023 season was one of the biggest learning years he has had since moving to up to Late Model Stock Car Division racing.
“Last year was definitely a learning year for us,” Borst pointed out. “You’ve got to have those years to build on success. Last year we made a lot of changes trying to find speed. You’ve always got to try to find that little edge on everybody. Everybody has to try something different. If you don’t try something different, you’re never going to get any better. Some of the changes didn’t work for us at the beginning of the season. Sometimes you learn more from your failures than your successes.
“At the end of the season, we finally kind of got back on track,” continued Borst. “We pressed the re-set button the last third of the season. After that, I felt we had a car a couple times that could have won but luck just didn’t go our way.”
Borst enjoys racing at South Boston Speedway and facing the track’s high level of competition.
“I’ve always looked forward to racing at SoBo because you’re racing people that race with respect and will race you hard without wrecking you,” Borst noted. “I’ve always felt like South Boston always had some of the best competition throughout the year. “You can have anybody from a national champion to an up-and-coming star racing there in any given season. If you don’t race against good competition, you never learn anything. You’ve got to keep pushing and keep working at it. When you get that win through that type of competition it means a lot because you’re racing against all of those tough drivers.”
Borst likes the tire situation at South Boston Speedway and feels it will level the playing field.
“South Boston is really good with their tire deal right now,” Borst said “This year is a four-tire race every race. I feel the four-tire rule makes it a little more level playing field for everybody. It obviously costs more, which does make it a little more difficult for a small team, but I feel it makes for a more level playing field throughout the year.”
The Saturday afternoon, March 23 season-opening event will be headlined by the Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds event, a 125-lap race for the SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic that will pay a minimum of $20,000 to win.
In addition to the King of the Modifieds race and the 100-lap race for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division fans will see the speedway’s Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division competitors kick off their season in a 20-lap race. The first race is set to get the green flag at 3 p.m.
Advance tickets for the March 23 Pace-O-Matic King of the Modifieds event are priced at $17 each. Tickets may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com or by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.
Tickets at the gate on race day will be $20 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $17 each at the gate on race day.
The latest news and updates from South Boston Speedway can be found on the speedway’s website and social media channels. Information may also be obtained by phoning the speedway during regular business hours.
PHOTO CAPTIONS
FILE NAME – BORST 1
Photo Courtesy Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway
Jacob Borst (center) confers with a pair of his team members over adjustments to make to his car during a recent testing session at South Boston Speedway. After having finished third in the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division point standings in each of the past two seasons Borst is hoping for a break-out season in 2024.
FILE NAME – BORST 2
Photo Courtesy Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway
Jacob Borst takes the checkered flag to win a Late Model Stock Car feature on July 15, 2023 at South Boston Speedway. The Elon, North Carolina resident is hoping for big things while competing in the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division at South Boston Speedway this season.
FILE NAME – BORST 3
Photo Courtesy Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway
Jacob Borst poses in Victory Lane after winning a Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car feature on July 15, 2023 at South Boston Speedway. The Elon, North Carolina resident is hoping for big things while competing in the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division at South Boston Speedway this season.
Sources: Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway PR