The Super Late Model East Regional Series rolls into Race 4 at Port Royal Speedway, and this one feels like a true “turning point” round. With a 7-race slate, Port Royal marks the midpoint of the season—meaning the points picture is no longer just “early trends.” After three races, every bonus point and every spot is starting to add real pressure as the championship enters its second half.
The title fight is already split into two clear storylines. Aidan Strawberry has built the lead the hard way—33 points through three straight runner-up finishes—while Brayden E Carter is the hottest driver in the series with two wins in two starts and 26 points, sitting 7 back. With the scoring format paying 12 points to win and 1 bonus point for qualifying fast time, that extra qualifying point is becoming a real weapon. If a driver can pair pole speed with a win, it’s a 13-point night, and those are the kinds of rounds that can swing the standings fast with only four races remaining.
Port Royal’s track history suggests that track position matters a lot here—and the numbers back it up. There have only been five ICL Super Late Model events run at Port Royal, and the win list includes drivers who have flat-out controlled races when they’ve been on it. Dylan R. Houser (1-for-1 with 100% of laps led in his win), Michael D Carter (also 1-for-1, leading 96% of laps), and Calvin D Crawley (a winner who led 66% of laps) highlight a trend: when someone gets control of the front, they tend to stay there.
The East Regional’s most recent visit to Port Royal (Season 1, Race 4) was a great example of how this place can still shuffle the front group even when one driver ends up owning the final result. Calvin D Crawley took the win from P4, leading 23 laps on the way to victory. Ben Flores started on the front row and turned the qualifying fast-time bonus point into a major points boost—he led 11 laps and, despite finishing 4th, matched the points of a 3rd-place run with 10 total (9 race points + 1 bonus). That’s a reminder for this week: the qualifying bonus at Port Royal can be the difference between “a solid night” and “a points-changing night.”
Looking at the current-season names who already have Port Royal history, Strawberry stands out immediately. He has three Port Royal starts in ICL Super Late Model competition with a 4.7 average finish, and he’s gained an average of +2.7 positions per race there—meaning he’s shown he can move forward and still close out strong results. Joseph Grandy is another big one to watch: he’s already a Port Royal winner (1 win in 2 starts) and comes in with momentum after a 3rd-place finish at Oswego. Grandy’s Port Royal stats also show speed indicators—he has 20 fast laps (31%) at the track—which fits the profile of a driver who can contend if he gets clean air early.
As Port Royal approaches, the points battle is stacked with “swing potential” behind the top two as well. Samuel Wright5 has quietly been one of the most efficient points scorers over the last two races and sits third with 18. Jake Silvia is still very much in the conversation at 13 after his early max-points win, and then there’s a tight cluster at 10 points (including Grandy, Robert Hentschel, and Chance Sealy2) where one strong finish can launch a driver several spots in the standings. With the series now in the second half, Port Royal is where the chase can either tighten dramatically—or where a driver can start building real separation by stacking another high-score round.
What to watch at Port Royal
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Qualifying matters: that 1 bonus point has already changed outcomes in both Season 2 and last year’s Port Royal race.
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Who can lead early: Port Royal’s small history shows winners often lead a huge share of laps.
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Points discipline: with only four races left, one big round can move the standings fast—especially among the drivers grouped tightly from 3rd through 10th.
Season 1 East Regional Results at Port Royal Speedway (Race 4)
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Calvin D Crawley
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Bryce Terry
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Will Sylvester
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Ben Flores
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Joey Haas
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Jaxon Bishop
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Joseph Grandy
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Darren Shores
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Juleon Jordan
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Donnie Shealy
