Justin Mitchell Chasing Rusty Daniels For KONI Charger Crown At Southern National

2020 Southern National Legends champion eyes first V8 title

LUCAMA, N.C. – Consistency has been the key for staying in the championship fight for Justin Mitchell at Southern National Motorsports Park.  Now, Mitchell may need more than just another strong run.

Heading into Championship Saturday at Southern National, the Goldsboro driver trails Rusty Daniels by just two points in the standings.  Mitchell has eight top five finishes and nine top 10 finishes in nine starts in 2026, compared to Daniels’ eight top 10 finishes. 

However, Daniels’ four wins have been enough for him to take the edge, and Mitchell knows it may come down to needing to win the race.

“We’re looking to find some long run speed and come away with the win this weekend,” Mitchell said.  “I have a few more laps to make something happen in a last-ditch effort for this championship.  I just hope to position ourselves to shake it up at the end.”

Mitchell is a former champion at Southern National, having won the Legends division title in 2020.  Racing for a second Southern National championship was not initially the plan for Mitchell, but as the season progressed and he found himself in contention, it became a goal.

“A championship would mean a lot,” Mitchell stated.  “We have been consistent with respectable finishes all year.  A championship wasn’t one of my objectives for 2026 as I run on a week-to-week basis, but we’re in a fight for it.  Regardless of the outcome, I’ll be in the shop next week finding speed for later this fall.”

For Daniels, clinching the division championship would put him in elite company as one of only a handful of drivers to win titles at Southern National, Carteret County Speedway, and Coastal Plains Raceway.  He also has a title at the now-defunct East Carolina Motor Speedway.

“I’ve never won a championship at Southern National so it would mean a lot,” Daniels said.  “We’re two points out, got twin races and anything could happen.  That being said, we’re just going to go and do what we normally do and hope for the best.  If I was able to win it, then that would be a every track east of I-95 I won a championship at so a little bucket list thing there.”

The KONI Chargers will race for 75 laps for the title on Saturday, June 6.  Legends, Any Cars, the Virginia Vintage Series and the Southern National Vintage Series will also be in action.  Championship Saturday will commence at 7:00pm.