Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway Announces Purse Details for Second Annual Shawn Balluzzo Memorial 100; Over $15,000 to be Paid out in 2021

Hampton, VA – As tracks all over the country work tirelessly to navigate an ongoing worldwide pandemic as well as a national tire shortage the staff at Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway have also been working non-stop behind the scenes with local business to continue to grow this new tradition and honor one of the most decorated champions in speedway history.

After postponing the original race date from August 21st to October 9th due to a shortage in the specific model of tire the Larry King Law Modifieds use to compete, the Balluzzo family and speedway officials never stopped working and found the silver lining in having an extra month to plan the event – more tires and more money! 

“You never want to have to move an event,” Promotor and General Manager Vaughan Crittenden said. “Drivers and teams circle these events early on in the year and often times work their schedules around these big races and with how last year’s race went and the plans we had for this year we knew it was going to be even better. Shawn was one of the best there was to strap into a modified here and after talking with Hoosier and we learned there was tires available but just limited quantity we knew right then we needed to make a change. It wouldn’t be fair to our competitor nor to the legacy of Shawn. Not to mention it gave us all a little more time to work on some more things.”

One thing is for certain is Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway and the entire Balluzzo family are proud to announce more than $15,000 will be on the line for this year’s 100-lap feature. Returning will be the $2,048 check going to the winner of the feature will $1,000 going to second place. Competitors will be guaranteed $300 just to start the event. Among the race-winning payouts, every driver who enters will be eligible for various bonus payouts. 

“This has been a total family effort,” Terri Balluzzo late wife of Shawn Balluzzo commented. “From working on ideas for the shirts, the trophy, having local businesses that were close with Shawn come on board and want to be involved. It has just been really great and an honor to not only see an event like this come together but to be a part in planning it all.” 

In addition to the race-winning purse, Asset Towing and Recovery has sponsored the $100 Pole Award to the faster qualifier. Daniel Balluzzo with East Coast Mechanical will be awarding $448 to the leader of the race on lap 48. Kenny Cain from A-Hampton Roads Plumbing will be awarding an additional $100 to those who finish third through twelfth. Gene and Robin Nichols – Balluzzo’s co-owner — from Gene Nichols Carburetors and Boutique A Yo-Yo will be awarding an additional $100 to the fourteenth, sixteenth, eighteenth, twentieth, and twenty-second place finishers. 

In addition, the Balluzzo family has offered up what will be coined “The Balluzzo Challenge” this year. An additional $500 will be award should either of the front row qualifiers elect to drop to the rear of the field in true Shawn Balluzzo fashion and win the race.

“There were many things Shawn was famous for,” Terri Balluzzo added about the special awards. “Wins, championships, help on pit road on race day to anyone who would ask, decals at the last minute, but one of the things we remember him for was going to go to the rear of the field on twin races and work his way back up front and he did that a lot. That is where the inspiration for the Balluzzo Challenge came from. Honoring the great Shawn Balluzzo by attempting to do something he was so great at.”

The 2021 Shawn Balluzzo Memorial 100 will be run Saturday, October 9th. Gates will open to the public at 2:00 PM with the racing scheduled to get underway at 7:00 PM. More details to follow.

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