NASCAR: If not Nashville, where will NASCAR go for more short track racing?
South Boston Speedway
There’s no shortage of confidence in the little Virginia town of South Boston, where the best short track racing in America is. They let you know before you even get to your seat with a big, loud and proud sign at the track’s entrance. South Boston Speedway has the “best NASCAR short track racing in the country.”
South Boston has been a staple of NASCAR since the 0.4-mile track opened in 1957. Between 1960 and 1971, the track hosted 10 Cup Series races, and it hosted a whopping 35 races Xfinity Series races from 1982 to 2000. It also hosted three Truck Series races from 2001 to 2003.
The Southeast Series started racing at South Boston in 1992 and K&N Pro Series East picked up the date in 2007. Even the Modified tours have adopted South Boston as a home, with the Southern Modified Tour making annual trips there until that series dissolved in 2016. The Whelen Modified Tour plans to make South Boston a permanent stop after a successful trip last weekend.
NASCAR is South Boston, and South Boston is NASCAR. It has a pedigree that rivals some tracks that are currently on the Cup Series schedule.
Improvements: South Boston needs a SAFER barrier, an infield care center and more seating. Those are the three biggest things that all tracks need in order to receive a major NASCAR race in this day and age, especially since when it comes to a SAFER barrier and infield care center, regardless of how much NASCAR wants more short tracks, they’re not going to take shortcuts. South Boston also needs an adequate press box for the commentators.
What it has going for it: As you can tell from the preamble, South Boston has loads of history on its side. That history grants it a huge following among locals, short track enthusiasts, and pretty much everyone who’s ever raced on the track, including numerous racing legends.
South Boston is also a generic short track, which sounds bad, but it’s actually a positive. All three short tracks on the current schedule include some variation or gimmick on top of the standard short track formula. Bristol has the high banking producing high speeds, Martinsville has the iconic paperclip shape and Richmond is a tri-oval. South Boston is plain, but it would be unique on the schedules of the top three NASCAR series.
Other obstacles: Proximity to other tracks may hamper South Boston the most. Martinsville is just under an hour and a half away while Richmond is only two hours away. Even Charlotte Motor Speedway is around two and a half hours away.
However, going back to the idea of mid-week racing, because of proximity, South Boston would be a decent mid-week partner for one of those tracks. The Cup Series can race there on a Thursday and cruise down to Martinsville or Charlotte for a Sunday race.