Southside Speedway facts for kids
| The Toughest Short Track in the South | |
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Pre Race ceremonies for a 2009 Denny Hamlin Charity event benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
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| Location | Midlothian, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 37°27′03″N 77°37′45″W / 37.450929°N 77.629130°W |
| Capacity | ~6,000 |
| Owner | J.M. Wilkinson |
| Operator | Sue Clements Patsy Stargardt |
| Opened | April 15, 1959 |
| Closed | December 11, 2020 |
| Former names | Royall Speedway Wack-A-Mole Speedway |
| Oval | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.33 mi (0.53 km) |
| Turns | 10° |
| Banking | 12° |
Southside Speedway, also known as "The Toughest Short Track in the South", was a cool place for stock car auto racing. It was a short track located near Richmond, Virginia, in Chesterfield County. Sadly, on December 11, 2020, the track announced it was closing for good. This happened after the 2020 racing season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The track was a .333-mile (0.536 km) asphalt oval. It was owned and run by Sue Clements and Patsy Stargardt. In 2011, the racing season was almost cancelled because Sue Clements had health problems. But a shorter 11-week season still happened, and popular racing divisions like Legends and Pro Six returned.
Contents
History of Southside Speedway
Southside Speedway first opened in 1949. Back then, it was known as Royall Speedway and Wack-A-Mole Speedway. It hosted races for small, open-wheel cars called midgets. Nelson Royall built the track, leasing the land from the Wilkerson family.
The track officially reopened on April 15, 1959. This time, Modifieds were the main racing division. For a few years, Southside Speedway was even part of NASCAR's early racing schedule.
NASCAR Races at Southside
The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Southside Speedway was on August 18, 1961. At that time, the track was a quarter-mile dirt oval. Junior Johnson was super fast, getting the top starting spot (pole position) at 58.86 miles per hour (94.73 km/h) in his 1960 Pontiac. He led every single lap of the 150-lap race, which took only about 45 minutes!
By the next year, Southside Speedway had changed to a one-third mile asphalt oval. Rex White took the pole at 71.45 miles per hour (114.99 km/h). But he had engine trouble and had to leave the race early. This allowed Jimmy Pardue to win the 200-lap race in his 1962 Pontiac. Richard Petty, a famous racer, finished third in that race.
Later that season, Rex White had more bad luck. He led 276 laps of a 300-lap race. But he lost his lead to Cliff Stewart, who won the event in his 1962 Pontiac. The last major NASCAR Cup Series race at Southside Speedway was on May 19, 1963. Ned Jarrett led most of the laps and won the 300-lap race in his 1963 Ford.
Since then, Southside Speedway has hosted several NASCAR-sanctioned series. Many great drivers like Darrell Waltrip and Bobby Allison have raced there.
Racing Divisions Over Time
Throughout its history, Southside Speedway usually had one or two main racing divisions that fans loved. Other divisions were often used by drivers to gain experience before moving up. The most popular divisions were usually late model cars or modifieds. The step-up division before them was often the Grand Stock class.
In the 1970s, three important names appeared: Ray Hendrick, Cal Johnson, and Ted Hairfield. Their sons and grandsons would later become strong competitors at the track for many years.
The Hendrick Family Legacy
Ray Hendrick raced his burgundy Modified car in the 1960s and 1970s. He started a racing tradition for his family. He was incredibly successful, especially at Martinsville Speedway, where he holds the record for most wins (20 races between 1963 and 1975). This puts him above racing legends like Richard Petty! Ray Hendrick was known for racing everywhere. He competed in 17 NASCAR Winston Cup races, finishing in the top five six times. Ray Hendrick passed away on September 28, 1990.
His son, Roy Hendrick, later raced in the Late Model Stock Car division. His car looked just like his father's famous burgundy Modified. Roy Hendrick became very dominant at Southside Speedway and other nearby tracks like Langley Speedway and South Boston Speedway. People often called him "Rapid" Roy Hendrick because he was so fast.
Because of Ray and Roy's success, their "Flying Eleven" logo (a white number 11 in a white circle with a wing) became a famous symbol in Virginia short track racing. It's as well-known as Dale Earnhardt's number three in NASCAR. More recently, Roy's son, Brandon Hendrick, has also started racing in the Late Model Sportsman and Modified divisions. Roy Hendrick still races the number 39 car in the Late Model Sportsman division at Southside Speedway.
The 1980s Racing Scene
In the mid to late 1980s, the main divisions at Southside Speedway were Late Model Stock Cars, Grand Stocks, and Mini Stocks. The biggest rivalry was between Wayne Patterson and Roy Hendrick. Other strong drivers like Bugs Hairfield, Roger Sawyer, David Blankenship, and Eddie Johnson also won track championships.
On Saturdays in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the track often held enduro races. These were wild 100-lap races with up to 80 cars! The track would be packed with cars, making it hard to follow. Southside also featured other divisions sometimes, like Modifieds, Pure Stocks, Factory Stocks, and Go-Karts.
In the early 1990s, Southside Speedway added an Enduro-style division that raced every week. They were first called Street Stocks, then later "Southside Chargers."
Wayne Patterson lost his sponsorship in the late 1980s, which allowed Roy Hendrick to dominate the Late Model Stock Cars in the early 1990s. The fight for second place was usually between Bugs Hairfield, Eddie Johnson, and Shayne Lockhart. Wayne Patterson returned in the mid-1990s, bringing back his rivalry with Hendrick. Later in the 1990s, Shayne Lockhart and Eddie Johnson became the top drivers.
Denny Hamlin's Start
In 1997, Denny Hamlin started his racing career in the Mini Stock division at Southside Speedway. Over the next five years, he won many races and set track records at Southside and other nearby tracks. After racing in the Craftsman Truck Series and the Busch Series, Hamlin joined Joe Gibbs Racing. He raced his first full-time Nextel Cup season in 2006. That year, he won both races at Pocono International Raceway, earned the Rookie of the Year award, and made it into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Curtis Markham, a former Southside Speedway champion, is now Hamlin's spotter.
From 2008 to 2010, Denny Hamlin hosted a special race called the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown. This event later moved to Richmond International Raceway.
Recent Racing at Southside
In the mid-2000s, Southside Speedway offered up to eight different racing divisions. The two main attractions were the Late Model Sportsman division and the Modified division. These two divisions usually raced on alternating Friday nights.
Chris Dodson was the 2007 Late Model Sportsman champion, and Thomas Stinson was the 2007 Modified champion. The family racing traditions continued with Brandon Hendrick and Chris Hairfield, grandsons of Ray Hendrick and Ted Hairfield. They became strong competitors in the Late Model Sportsman division. Chris Johnson, grandson of Cal Johnson, also raced the #36 car in the Modified division and won his first race in 2008.
Current Racing Divisions Explained
Southside Speedway had several exciting racing divisions. Here's a look at some of them:
Late Model Sportsman Cars
The Late Model Sportsman division features cars built for racing that look like modern four-door sedans. They might have badges like Chevrolet Monte Carlos, Dodge Chargers, Toyota Camrys, or Ford Fusions. But these cars are built from the ground up just for racing. Like cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, they are "stock" cars in name only. They are designed and built specifically for stock car racing.
It's a common misunderstanding that the Late Model Stock Car division just changed its name to Late Model Sportsman. The current Late Model Sportsman division actually came from the old Grand Stock division in 2003. The older Late Model Stock Cars were heavily modified street cars. But the new Late Model Sportsman cars are real racing cars with special bodies and mostly racing parts. These cars qualify by setting fast times and race in features of 150, 100, 75, or 50 laps.
Modified Racing Cars
"Modifieds" are open-wheel cars that race similarly to the Late Model Sportsman cars. Many modern Modifieds are built as if they will race on dirt tracks. Their suspension is designed to slide into turns on dirt, rather than sticking to pavement. Even with changes, Modifieds can be harder to handle on asphalt. Drivers still guide them to glide into turns.
The Modified class was the original main class at Southside Speedway. In the early days, all stock cars were modified street cars. To be a "Modified," they needed even more changes. Today, most top stock car racing series use cars built just for racing. So, current Modifieds are built to be "Modifieds" from the start. They are "modified" mostly in name. These cars are now one of the top classes at Southside Speedway. They race every other Friday night, alternating with the Late Model Sportsman division.
Grand Stock Division
The Grand Stock class is seen as the next level down from the Late Model Sportsman and Modifieds. Southside Speedway has almost always had a Grand Stock division. This class is the top division for actual street cars. While the front of the car might be customized, the rest of the body is mostly original. Most Grand Stock cars are Chevrolet Monte Carlos from the late 1980s. The Grand Stock division races 30-lap races and qualifies through 10-lap heat races.
U-Cars: Affordable Racing
The U-Cars division started in 2003. U-Car stands for "U Can Afford to Race." This class is for American-made 4-cylinder cars. It's seen as a beginner class, similar to the Mini Stock class from the 1980s and 1990s.
Street Stock Division
The Street Stock division grew out of the old Enduro Races that used to happen on Saturdays. In the late 1980s, Southside tried out an Enduro-type class on Friday nights. When Enduro races became a regular Friday night event, they were called Street Stocks and later the Southside Chargers. After being called Street Stock again for several years, the division was stopped for a while. It came back in the mid-2000s as the "Enduro" division, which was meant to be a wild, anything-goes class. But for safety, the Enduro cars were fitted with roll cages, and the rules changed. The division then became known as Street Stocks again.
Track Attendance and Changes
Southside Speedway's attendance has changed a lot over the years. Sometimes, the track struggled and almost closed down. Other times, it was packed with fans every Friday night. In the early 1980s, attendance was low, and the track had trouble finding enough cars to race.
Around this time, Chesterfield County even said the track was unsafe because of its old wooden grandstands. The stands were updated in 1983. In the late 1980s, newer aluminum grandstands were installed. These could hold twice as many fans, bringing new hope for the track's future.
Despite these changes, there were rumors in 1987–88 that a shopping mall might replace Southside Speedway. There were even talks about building a new track in nearby Dinwiddie County.
In the early 2000s, there was talk of making the track longer, but they decided to keep it the same size. When Denny Hamlin, who started at Southside, became a big star in the Sprint Cup series, many fans in Richmond became interested in Southside again. In 2007, Denny Hamlin visited Southside on a Thursday night. The track saw its best attendance in years!
The next year, Denny Hamlin brought his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Kyle Busch, to the track. They raced in a special 175-lap Late Model Sportsman event to help the Denny Hamlin Foundation. Kyle Busch won that race. This event put Southside Speedway in the national spotlight. It was talked about on TV during coverage of other races at Richmond International Raceway.
Images for kids
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Pre Race ceremonies for a 2009 Denny Hamlin Charity event benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
