Deac McCaskill Sees Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway as an Opportunity to Turn His Season Around
SOUTH BOSTON, VA…..Deac McCaskill admits his 2024 season hasn’t been a great one. He is hoping his fortunes will turn for the better in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, the opening race of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown, on Saturday night, June 29 at South Boston Speedway.
McCaskill, who is teamed with R&S Race Cars and Marcus Richmond, has two Top-5 finishes and three Top-10 finishes in eight starts and sits an uncharacteristic ninth in the CARS Tour point standings, 79 points out of the lead.
“I hope we can turn our season around this weekend,” said McCaskill who will be competing in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 for the first time since 2014 and competing for the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown for the first time in his career.
“I’ve been racing a long time, and I don’t think I’ve ever had this kind of luck that we have had this year. It’s been absolutely horrible. We’ve had good speed, but it’s just things happened that are out of our control a lot this year.
“I’m happy with the speed we’ve been showing,” McCaskill continued. “It’s been fun working with Bobby McCarty and Marcus Richmond. It’s a new deal for me. I’ve learned a lot. If we can get some luck on our side, I feel like we can win some races. There are still a lot of races left to go this year. We’re kind of out of the CARS Tour championship, but I feel like we can win a couple of races and go after the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown and maybe win that championship.”
McCaskill, who is competing in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 for the first time since 2014, feels this weekend’s race at South Boston Speedway can be the ticket to turn his season in the right direction.
The Raleigh, North Carolina resident has a lot of experience at the .4-mile oval. He has 10 career wins in NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division races at South Boston Speedway as well as two victories in CARS Tour races at the .4-mile oval, one in 2018 and one in the fall of 2023.
McCaskill has competed in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 six times in his career and has two wins, three Top-5 finishes, five Top-10 finishes, good for an average finish of 5.67 in the event.
“South Boston is a track that has been really good to me in the past,” McCaskill pointed out. “It’s almost like my second home. I look forward to coming up there every year. I got a lot of laps around that track back around 2008, 2009, 2010 battling Lee Pulliam there for a couple of years. I’ve got a lot of great memories and a lot of great experiences up there. It seems that has always helped me.”
McCaskill says he is facing a big challenge in Saturday night’s 200-lap race for the Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division that pays $10,000 to win.
“There are a lot of good cars at South Boston that race there on a weekly basis,” McCaskill noted. “We’re used to running the CARS Tour and not racing against a lot of the regular guys that race there every week. That’s going to be a challenge in itself, racing against Peyton Sellers, Blake Stallings, Craig Moore, and the guys that have been running really good there this season. It’s definitely going to be a challenge fighting those guys for the win.
“I think there is going to be a lot of luck involved,” McCaskill continued. “It’s going to be a long race. There is a lot of strategy involved. We’ve got stage breaks, and you get two tires at halfway.”
McCaskill’s approach to success at South Boston Speedway has often been rim-riding the top racing groove on the track. Will he employ that strategy in Saturday’s Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200?
“Everybody always asks me that,” he replied. “I tell everybody I don’t really know until the green flag drops. It depends on how the car is balanced and how it is driving. I would rather get around the bottom. It’s the shortest way around and the quickest way around. Sometimes we win races with it (using the high line), and sometimes we can’t.”
McCaskill says a win at South Boston Speedway in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 “would be really special. It seems like every time I win up there at South Boston Speedway it looks like it tops my list of wins just because of the competition we’re up against.
“I’m one of the oldest guys out there,” he added, “and to still be able to compete against these young guys is something I’m really proud of. To go out here and win is definitely something to be super proud of.”
In addition to the 200-lap Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division race that will pay $10,000 to win, the four-race card includes a 40-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 20-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division.
Plenty of color and pageantry will be evident throughout the event as the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 will be the speedway’s an Independence Day celebration. A colorful Fourth of July fireworks show will be held immediately following the final race of the night and special patriotic festivities are slated during pre-race ceremonies.
Fans will also be treated to a driver autograph session that is scheduled as part of the event’s festivities. On Friday, June 28 fans can watch the on-track action of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 Practice Day free from the track’s spectator areas.
Advance adult general admission tickets are priced at $20 each and 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 $25 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $20 each at the gate on race day.
The Saturday, June 29 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 event schedule has frontstretch grandstand gates and competitor registration and pit gates opening at 10 a.m. Rotating practice sessions for the four racing divisions will run from 1 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. Sentara Health Late Model Stock Car Division group qualifying will begin at 4:15 p.m. A driver autograph session will be held from 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. Pre-race ceremonies will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the first race of the night will get the green flag at 7 p.m.
Fans and competitors can find the latest updates and information about the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 and all South Boston Speedway events on the speedway’s website and through the track’s social media channels. Information may also be obtained by phoning the speedway at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.
PHOTO CAPTION
FILE NAME – MCCASKILL 1
Photo Courtesy Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway
Deac McCaskill celebrates in Victory Lane following his win at South Boston Speedway last October. McCaskill sees the June 29 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway as an opportunity to turn his season around.
FILE NAME – MCCASKILL 2
Photo Courtesy Ted Malinowski/CARS Tour
Deac McCaskill’s No. 08 speeds down the backstretch at Southern National Motorsports Park at a CARS Tour event earlier this season. McCaskill sees the June 29 Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 at South Boston Speedway as an opportunity to turn his season around.
South Boston Speedway
Office Phone: 1-434-572-4947 or toll free 1-877-440-1540
E-Mail: media@southbostonspeedway.com
Sources: Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway PR