DARLINGTON, S.C. - Denny Hamlin’s Short Track Showdown will move to Langley (Va.). Speedway next year, it was announced Saturday.
The Late Model race, which supports the Denny Hamlin Foundation, is scheduled for April 2016.
“We talked about the from the very beginning about rotating race tracks every few years or so,’' Hamlin said after winning Saturday’s Xfinity race at Darlington Raceway.
“Every venue has done a great job of expanding it. I think Langley is just the next step in that phase. They have huge crowds. They’re bending over backwards for us to come there and host an event, and hopefully, we’re going to put on another great Short Track Showdown next year. It’s a great track. They’ve got new pavement there. It’s where I got my very first NASCAR win, so it makes sense to go back there.’’
The Showdown will return to South Boston Speedway in 2018, starting a planned two-year rotation between South Boston and Langley.
Hamlin began his stock-car racing career in 1997 at Langley Speedway. He won rookie of the year and the track championship in the mini stock series that season.
Langley Speedway, a 4/10-mile oval located in Hampton, Va., will be the fourth site to host Hamlin’s event.
The Late Model race debuted in 2008 at Southside Speedway, a track near Hamlin’s Chesterfield, Va., home. The event moved to Richmond International Raceway in 2011. The event went to South Boston (Va.) Speedway in 2014. This year’s Showdown at South Boston, which featured a controversial finish, was broadcast on NBCSN.
The Denny Hamlin Foundation supports Cystic Fibrosis research and therapy.
Previous winners of the event:
2015 - Timothy Peters
2014 - Matt Bowling
2013 - Kyle Busch
2012 - Tony Stewart
2011 - Denny Hamlin
2010 - C.E. Falk
2009 - Kyle Busch
2008 - Kyle Busch