Late Model Stock Car Division driver Blake Stallings recently noted “South Boston Speedway has always run a first-class facility. It has been a staple of the Late Model Stock Car community.”
South Boston Speedway has a long-standing tradition of being one of the nation’s top NASCAR short tracks. There are multiple reasons for that – biggest payouts, cost-cutting measures to make racing more affordable for drivers and race teams, safety improvements and new ways to increase publicity and exposure for both race teams and the speedway. All of those ingredients combine to make South Boston Speedway a great place for competitors to race.
The financial aspects of racing play a huge role in decisions made by drivers and race teams with regard to how many events they can afford to compete in and where they choose to compete. South Boston Speedway is the venue of choice for many teams because it offers competitive purses and works to help race teams cut costs.
“We understand how expensive it is to go racing,” said South Boston Speedway General Manager Cathy Rice, “and while we have been successful in finding ways to make racing more affordable for our drivers and teams, we continuously look for additional opportunities to help our competitors.”
When it comes to purses, the purses offered to competitors at South Boston Speedway are substantial for asphalt short track racing. The track offers $3,000 to win a NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division race. Drivers are guaranteed $500 to start a Late Model Stock Car Division event. Purses are split evenly for twin events. Drivers that finish in the Top-10 can cover their tire costs.
In 2016, “America’s Hometown Track” implemented a two-tire rule in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division, limiting teams to the purchase of two tires per event. In addition to saving teams money, the rule has helped make lower-budget teams to be more competitive against larger, higher-budget teams.
As a measure to further help race teams, the speedway is absorbing a recent mid-season increase in tire prices from Hoosier so that pricing for competitors will remain flat for the remainder of the 2021 season.
South Boston Speedway’s Limited Sportsman Division purse structure is also competitive with similar venues. Races pay $800 to the winner, with twin races split evenly. Competitors finishing in the Top 10 receive enough purse money to cover their tire cost.
South Boston Speedway also has a one-tire rule for its Limited Sportsman Division, a rule that limits teams to being able to buy only one new tire per race. That measure has helped trim costs considerably. In another move to help Limited Sportsman Division teams cut costs and improve competition, South Boston Speedway officials this season implemented a rule prohibiting teams from using bump stops and coil binding.
“I think the cost-saving measures they have put in place definitely makes it (South Boston Speedway) a better place,” Stallings points out.
The Danville, Virginia resident says the two-tire rule in the Late Model Stock Car Division is a good thing.
“We’re running a more limited schedule this year, competing in selected races we want to go to,” Stallings explained.
“It gives us a little more room in our budget. If we were trying to compete for a championship here locally it would definitely make a huge cost savings to just have to buy two tires each week instead of four tires. They (South Boston Speedway) have a ton of local people that race here every week, and I can’t fault them a bit for trying to make it easier for people to compete on a week-to-week basis.”
Late Model Stock Car Division competitor Trey Crews of Halifax, Virginia, a winner this season in the division, agrees that the cost-cutting measures implemented by South Boston Speedway, especially the two-tire rule, are a good thing.
“It saves a lot of money,” Crews pointed out. “You only have to buy two tires instead of four tires. It’s a great deal. It’s good savings for low-budget teams like myself.”
“That’s one of the things we really like about South Boston Speedway,” added Late Model Stock Car Division rookie Jacob Borst of Elon, North Carolina. “It helps us save money and lets us buy things for the car that will help with speed.”
When it comes to safety, South Boston Speedway has qualified medical help on hand. This year South Boston Speedway acquired additional rescue equipment through ESI Race Track Safety Services, the new safety services provider for South Boston Speedway. ESI Race Track Safety Services is supplying South Boston Speedway with a Holmatro Rescue Tool System for on-track response to incidents. Continuing its efforts as an industry leader in safety, South Boston Speedway hosted a three-hour track services safety training class prior to its May 1 racing event.
“To see South Boston Speedway taking a leading position in short track racing in doing the things it is doing with safety makes me feel proud to call South Boston Speedway my home track,” said five-time South Boston Speedway NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division Champion Peyton Sellers of Ringgold, Virginia.
“Racing is a dangerous sport and will always be a dangerous sport. Knowing that South Boston Speedway is putting as much emphasis on safety as it is gives me a sense of this is where I want to go racing on Saturday night. I know I will be taken care of and given the best medical service I can possibly get if things go south on the racetrack. It’s really important for the track to step up and be safer, make the response times shorter to the wreck if something happens. To know that somebody is putting equally as much thought into it means that everybody is on the right track.”
Crews also noted the positive aspects of South Boston Speedway’s safety improvements.
“It’s always great to see the track improve safety,” Crews pointed out. “They (South Boston Speedway) always seem to be trying to improve the track and make it better. To me, as a driver, that makes me want to run here more. It shows they (South Boston Speedway) care for the drivers and want to be the best they can be.”
Over the years South Boston Speedway has worked hard to provide the best exposure possible for the drivers and race teams that compete at the speedway as well as for itself. The track recently announced it is taking another major step in increasing its digital footprint by livestreaming its NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series events. The events will be livestreamed at SoBoSpeedway.tv, a service by SpeedSport, a leader in grassroots racing news and streaming.
“We are very excited to offer a streaming service for our NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series events,” Rice remarked.
“This really adds to the value of racing at South Boston Speedway. Now a driver can get his name out live across the country and their sponsors have more opportunities for exposure and opportunities to reach people that are not at the track.”
Full information for drivers and race teams as well as the latest news and updates about South Boston Speedway and its racing events can be found on the South Boston Speedway website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, and through the speedway’s social media channels. Information may also be obtained by calling the speedway at 1-877-440-1540 or 1-434-572-4947.
SBS PR
