The garages are open. The trucks are on the move. The lights and cameras are on. Racing has come out of hibernation and the big series are turning cold tracks into hot laps.
NASCAR and IMSA have begun. IndyCar and F1 are testing and rolling out in March. The national and international racing season is opening up for 2024. Even club racing such as NASA and SCCA are loading up for track days.
Virginia racing is on pace as well… Mostly. NASCAR, of course, is coming for Richmond and Martinsville. (OK, Bristol…) Tracks from Dominion to South Boston and Langley to Wythe have schedules ready to go in March or early April.
There are some changes and loose ends. Southwest Virginia is losing laps with an apparent shutdown of Pulaski County Motorsports Park (formerly Motor Mile Speedway). The most recent partnership with Rusty Wallace Racing fizzled out at the close of the 2023 season. There are currently no plans to race in 2024 on the oval or the strip. It is a shame that a facility with this history and condition is going to be silent. There are no “convenient” tracks to replace Pulaski for the racers except for Franklin County but national points is not an option there, for now. South Boston is 2 hours. Lonesome Pine is 2.5 hours. Shenandoah is 2.5 hours. Ace and Caraway are in North Carolina. Hopefully, the budget racers that ran here will find a place to compete for the new season.
Lonseome Pine may be poised, even with distance taken into account, to take some of that racer slack from Pulaski. Track to track is around 130 miles so some of the area drivers will likely make the run at least to get a feel for the time involved. It should also be familiar to many from the Pulaski infield as the same bunch (RWRE) is at the helm. Lonesome Pine has a bit of an expanded points schedule for 2024 from last season with some big weekends including SMART, Super Stock and Super Trucks. (*A street address on their website might be a good idea – online at lonesomepinemp.com)
For many of the divisions that ran at Pulaski, another viable option is also back in the hills with Franklin County Speedway. This facility has been driven forward with will, luck and a hard bit of enthusiasm from the promoter, Langley Austin. This track has seen some history and hardships but fans and touring series like SMART and Super Cup continue to bring it. Late Models are on the regular schedule for track points so the option is there for laps and purses. Some buildings and bits show the age but the racing does deliver. (info at fcspeedway.com)
A bit down the road things are on the move but in a gray area for what comes next. Natural Bridge Speedway has seen big advances with infrastructure, promotion and driver / fan engagement through the 2023 season. The bulk of this seems to land on the shoulders of a passionate lady who stepped up in 2022 to take the reins and drive the place forward. Tiffany Kidd and her staff had pitfalls but managed to put NBS on the map to survive and even drew praise from the County Administration during the latest round of licensing and permits to continue racing in 2024. However, it has come to light that Tiffany is not carrying the torch forward. She is stepping back for personal and business reasons that, despite her deep interest and care, had to be taken to heart to make a decision. The chair is being taken up by Amanda Bradley who has family ties to racing and promotions at Eastside Speedway. Bradley also had praise for Kidd and her work and openly hopes that kind of positive momentum can continue. The previous schedule for 2024 is stated to remain in place. (NBS on Facebook)
Eastside, by the way, is for sale. The 1/8 mile drag strip north of Waynseboro had a variety season in 2023 that was, a bit, sporadic. The sale is highlighted on the social media presence for the facility. The website linked on their platforms is dark.
There is also action heating back up on tracks that were previously on the dead list. These tracks were all but gone just a few seasons ago but have had new attention focused for some progress. Southampton Motor Speedway is back on with a published schedule of events. Lap and “stock car” racing is not currently at the forefront but drifting is hot at SMS. Operations and promotions are being handled by CRC Entertainment which also carries an extended option on buying the facility. Southampton is located in Capron, VA situtated between Emporia and Suffolk. Drifting may not be for everyone but it is putting cars on the track and bringing people in. (Info at southamptonmotorspeedway.com)
Southside Speedway is not quite there yet but at least the life support has been plugged back in. Shuttered in 2020-21, the local politics were looking at a re-development of the facility and the land. More recently, there is renewed attention on Southside for bringing racing and motorsport back, possibly with a multi-use concept of unused space included on the actual property area. The history is there and a mix of time, passion and money may be the mountain to climb to get racing back. (info at savesouthsidespeedway.com)
Change, as they say, is inevitable. For racing fans and automotive enthusiasts, the message is clear. Your tracks need support. The auto industry is advancing and changing and there are distractions and real issues to contend with. The attraction of new fans is more difficult for any number of reasons so enthusiasm and track presence is a big deal. Check out some local track action. Why only go see the “big guns”? Yes, the stars need support but don’t let it end when those big haulers leave town. Take some of that to a short track with a smaller ticket and you’ll come away with some big action. Go racing, Virginia!