Greg Edwards is one of only two people to run every Hampton Heat 200 at Langley Speedway. And, while he labels it as “a race that has not treated me very well,” his five top-fives and eight top-10s in 15 Hampton Heats since the event’s inception in 2008 rank him second in both categories among almost 150 drivers.
But, with a track-record-tying seventh Langley Late Model Division championship within his sights, Edwards has opted to sit out the Hampton Heat on Saturday for the first time. Instead, he’ll likely set up a large-screen TV in the backyard of his Poquoson home, 1-year-old grandson Wiley seated on his lap, and watch NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. go at it against 30-plus local and regional standouts.
Edwards said it was a “tough decision” to bypass the race, which will leave Langley regular Terry Carroll as the only driver to start all 16 Hampton Heats when the green flag drops in front of 6,500 fans at approximately 8:30 p.m. However, that other record, Phil Warren’s seven Late Model crowns, means a little more.
“This is probably the last time I’m going to run full-time for a championship,” said Edwards, who began racing go-karts at Langley in 1985 and has raced stock cars there since 1988. “I’ll be part-time at best after that.
“Our team decided there will be other Hampton Heats to run, but we have to do what’s best for our winning the championship. We have a little points lead right now, so we want to keep the momentum up and just try to finish this thing out and win one more championship.”
It’s a hard to argue with his decision. His lead of 281 points to 269 over two-time champion Mark Wertz — with fellow six-time champion Danny Edwards Jr., his brother, and Woody Howard next at 262 each — is significant, but less than a full-race cushion.
“This doesn’t guarantee we will win the championship,” Edwards said of skipping the Heat. “It decreases the chances that you’ll hurt your car.”
Indeed, Saturday’s field of more than 30 cars is significantly larger than the average weekly field of 15 to 20, increasing the possibility of fender-benders on the 4/10ths-of-a-mile oval. With an impressive win in his last outing, Edwards is moving closer to tying Warren’s mark of seven titles that has stood for almost 25 years.
Since winning his most recent crown in 2019, Edwards — who has finished at least second in all but one season since 2009 — has finished second in the standings three consecutive times.
“Just to be tied with Phil Warren would be awesome,” he said. “I’ve looked up to Phil a lot — he’s from a great racing family.
“I feel that would cement my name at Langley, and that’s what I want to do. I want people to remember me for accomplishing something that not many people have ever done.”
That would make it easier to ride off into the sunset and enjoy a break from racing. But Edwards, whose focused glare in the pits on Saturday nights would make George Foreman or Mike Tyson flinch, might not stay away forever.
“I’ve done this a long time and I’ve had a lot of fun and a lot of great memories,” he said. “I still enjoy racing, but it takes up so much of your time during the week and on weekends, I want to find other things to enjoy in my life.
“Then again, I may get out and not racing will drive me crazy. Right now I want to try and figure what life’s all about besides just racing.”
Marty O’Brien, mjobrien@dailypress.com
16th annual Hampton Heat 200
What: 200-lap stock car race featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. and more than 30 other local and regional racing standouts.
Where: Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway, 11 Dale Lemonds Drive in Hampton.
When: Racing begins at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday with Super Street, Super Truck and Pro Six divisions, with the Hampton Heat set for approximately 8:30.
Tickets: Sold out.
