Southside Speedway

Southside Speedway (affectionately dubbed "The Toughest Short Track in the South") is a short track used for stock car auto racing located just South of Richmond, Virginia in Chesterfield County. It is a .33 mile asphalt oval, and features a slight bank in the turns, but not enough to notice it with the naked eye. The track is run by Sue Clements, and entered the 2008 season on April 11. The defending track champions are Chris Dodson (Late Model Sportsman), Thomas Stinson (Modifieds), Chris Hott (Grand Stock), Michael Moore (U-Car) and Timmy Tiblis (Street Stock)

History

Southside Speedway, which used to be known as Royall Speedway in the early 50's,first opened on July 11th, 1959 with Modifieds as the feature division. For a few years, it was used as a part of NASCAR's early circuit. The first NASCAR race on Southside speedway happened on August 18, 1961. At that time, the track was a 1/4 mile dirt oval. At 58.86 mph, Junior Johnson took the pole for the 150-lap race in his 1960 Pontiac. He led every lap of the race that took about 45 minutes to race. By the next year, Southside Speedway had become a 1/3 mile asphalt oval. At 71.145 mph, Rex White took the poll, but would duck out on lap 134 with engine trouble, which would lead Jimmy Pardue to win the 200-lap feature in his 1962 Pontiac. Richard Petty would finish third in that race. Later that season, Rex White's bad luck would continue. After leading 276 laps of a 300 lap feature, he would lose his lead to Cliff Stewart, who would win the event in his 1962 Pontiac. The last main circuit race recorded at Southside Speedway was on May 19, 1963, in which Ned Jarrett would lead the most laps and win the 300-lap feature in his 1963 Ford. Since this time, Southside Speedway has been used to house several NASCAR syndicated feature series, in which the track has seen great names such as Darrel Waltrip and Bobby Allison turn left at the 1/3 mile track.

Throughout the track's history, there has often been one or two single divisions that brought the fans to the track, and several other novelty divisions that have been used by drivers as a stepping stone to the more prominent divisions. Usually, the more prominent division has been any variety of Late Model cars or Modifieds, and it's immediate predecessor division has been the Grand Stock class, or something similar thereof, such as Pure Stocks.

During the 70s, three names emerged that would plant the seed for future generations of competition at Southside Speedway. Ray Hendrick, Cal Johnson and Ted Hairfield were older drivers whose sons and grandsons have become competitive forces throughout the decades.

The Hendricks
Ray Hendrick raced his burgundy Modified car during the 60's and 70's, and quickly planted the seed for the Hendrick dynasty. In 1974 and 1975, he placed 8th and 9th respectively in the National Late Model Sportsman Points, which would later become known as the Busch Grand National Series. At Martinsville Speedway, Ray Hendrick is 1st in all-time wins after he won 20 collective races between 1963 and 1975. He sits atop this list of great drivers including Richard Petty and Geoff Bodine. Ray Hendrick is best known for his philosophy of racing anywhere and everywhere. He participated in 17 NASCAR Winston Cup races, of which he captured 6 career top fives. Cancer claimed Ray Hendrick's life on September 28, 1990.

Later down the road, his son Roy Hendrick would enter the Late Model Stock Car division in a Pontiac whose paint scheme would become identical to his father's modified car. These cars were burgundy, whose white number 11 was encased in a white circle with a wing coming from the side. Roy Hendrick also made a name for himself and neighboring short tracks that feature Late Model-type racing including Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia and South Boston Speedway. Roy Hendrick dominated Southside Speedway for years, because of which he is commonly referred to as "Rapid" Roy Hendrick. Because of his and his father's reign at these tracks, the "Flying Eleven" logo has become as common among the Virginia short track circuit as Dale Earnhardt's number Three has become an iconic symbol among the NASCAR circuit. Over the past few years, Roy's son, Brandon Hendrick has peeked his head into the Late Model Sportsman and Modified divisions. Brandon currently races the number 55 car in Southside Speedway's Late Model Sportsman division. Roy Hendrick currently races the number 39 car in the Late Model Sportsman division at Southside Speedway.

The 80's

During the mid to late 80s, the three prominent divisions at Southside Speedway were the Late Model Stock Cars, Grand Stocks and Mini Stocks. The elite of Southside Speedway's limelight through the 80s was shared by the rivalry between Wayne Patterson and Roy Hendrick, but Bug's Hairfield, Roger Sawyer, David Blankenship and Eddie Johnson was always in competition, and passed the track championship around throughout the decade. On Saturdays in the late 80s and early 90s, the track would often feature an Enduro Race that would include upwards of 80 cars racing in a 100-lap melee. These races were incredibly hard to keep up with, as the track was constantly completely congested with cars. The track would also feature a number of other divisions on certain occasions, including Modifieds, Pure Stocks, Factory Stocks, Go-Karts, and many others.

Sometime during the early 90s, Southside Speedway created an Enduro-type division that would race every week with the rest of the Friday night racing activity. Originally, these cars were called Street Stocks, but the name was changed the next year or two years later to "Southside Chargers."

Wayne Patterson lost his sponsorship with Pabst Blue Ribbon during the late 80s, giving way for Roy Hendrick to dominate the Late Model Stock Cars throughout the early 90s. The battle for second was almost always fought between Bug's Hairfield, Eddie Johnson and Shayne Lockhart. This continued until Wayne Patterson made his return during the mid 90s and resurged the Hendrick / Patterson rivalry. During the mid-90s, Shane Lockart was the dominant force, and Eddie Johnson fell into the limelight during the late 90s.

Denny Hamlin

In the early 2000s, a face appeared out of the Go-Kart ranks that would become an icon in the world of stock car racing. Denny Hamlin first started racing in the Mini Stock division at Southside Speedway in 1997. Within the next 5 years, he would see his share of wins and track records at Southside Speedway, as well as in neighboring tracks in Southampton, Langley and South Boston. After racing in the Craftsman Truck Series and the Busch series, Denny Hamlin was adopted by Joe Gibbs and ran his first full-time Nextel Cup season in 2006. That year, he swept both races at Pocono International Raceway, earned the Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year title, and qualified for the Chase for the Championship. It should also be noted that Curtis Markham, former Southside Speedway track champion, is currently Denny Hamlin's spotter.

The Present

During the mid 2000s, Southside Speedway vastly expanded its horizons by offering up to 8 divisions of racing. The two main attractions, the Late Model Sportsman division and the Modified division, typically alternate between their respected Friday nights. Chris Dodson is currently the defending track champion in the Late Model Sportsman division and Thomas Stinson is the current Modified defending track Champion. To keep the three family traditions going, Brandon Hendrick and Chris Hairfield, grandsons of Ray Hendrick and Ted Hairfield and sons of Roy Hendrick and Bug's Hairfield, have become contenders in the Late Model Sportsman division. Chris Johnson, grandson of Cal Johnson and son of Eddie Johnson, also races the #36 car in the Modified division and won his first feature event on opening night of 2008. During the 2007 season the two feature divisions have been dominated by Chris Dodson in the Late Model Sportsman division and Thomas Stinson in the Modified Division. Rudy is the only driver other than Stinson to win in the Modified division in 2007.

In 2008 that would change. Southside Speedway has cut the 100-lap Modified feature in half and now offers 2 50-lap races on Modified nights. This coupling with the 7-car invert before each race has made winning a bigger challenge for Stinson, which has allowed other drivers such as Chris Johnson and Billy Morris to capture wins, but consistency still keeps Stinson in a generous points lead.

Current Racing Divisions

-Late Model Sportsman
The Late Model Sportsman division essentially entails cars built for racing that are modeled after modern 4-door sedans. This class is closer to the Hooters Pro Cup or Sprint Nationwide Series than the other division. The cars are typically Dodge Chargers, Toyota Camrys, Chevy Monte Carlos, etc., but are built ground-up for racing. This is opposed to other divisions like Grand Stocks or Street Stocks in which street cars are gutted and fitted with the necessary modifications for the race track. The Late Model Sportsman division is officially a migration from the old Grand Stock division that occurred in 2003 and the current Grand Stock division is a new division, but the Late Model Sportsman cars more closely resemble the defunct Late Model Stock Car division of the 80's and 90's. The older Late Model Stock Cars were highly modified street cars, but the new Late Model Sportsman cars are actual racing cars with fabricated bodies and contain mostly racing parts. The current Late Model Sportsman division typically runs 100-lap features and qualifies via time trials.
-Modifieds
"Modifieds" are open-wheel cars that behave similarly to the Late Model Sportsman cars. These cars, primarily built to run on dirt, have modifications that allow them to handle more smoothly on pavement. However, the suspension is built on these cars to "slide" in the corners more as they would on dirt. Therefore, Modifieds are typically harder to handle on the Pavement. The Modified class was the original feature class at Southside Speedway. In the 80's and 90's, the Modified class was a class that was featured once or twice a year at Southside Speedway, and typically came from the dirt track in Saluda to race. These cars, which are now one of the premier classes at Southside Speedway alternate with the Late Model Sportsman division, running every other Friday night. In past years they have run 100-lap features, but in 2008 they are only slated for one 100-lap feature, and most other nights they are scheduled to run twin 50-lap races.
-Grand Stock
The Grand Stock class as seen as the first level under the Late Model Sportsman and the Modifieds. While Southside Speedway has historically almost always had a Grand Stock division, this is seen as a "new" division as of a few years ago. This class is the more premier class of actual street cars. While the front-end may be customized, the rest of the body is mainly stock. Almost always 90% of a Grand Stock field will consist of the Monte Carlo of the late 80's. The Grand Stock division runs 30-lap races and qualifies via 10-lap heat races.
-U-Cars
The U-Cars were debuted in 2003. While Southside Speedway features a karting division, the U-Cars are seen as the beginning class. U-Car is an acronym meaning "U Can Afford to Race", and encompasses American-made 4-cylinder cars. The U-Car race is seen as a "new" division, but is practically a recycled version of the Mini Stock class of the 80's and 90's.
-Street Stock
The Street Stock division is the evolution of the old Enduro Races on Saturdays brought to Southside Speedway by Joe Kelly in the mid-80's. During the late 80's, Southside began experimenting with an Enduro-type class on Friday nights by bringing the Factory Stocks to Southside once or twice a year. When the Enduro races became a Friday night feature at Southside, they were brought on as Street Stocks and eventually became the Southside Chargers. After the series was changed back to Street Stock for several years, they were disbanded for a few years. They were brought back in the mid-2000's, being known as the "Enduro" division and was meant as a no-holds-barred, anything-goes division. After the apparent need for some safety considerations were met, the Enduro cars were fitted with roll cages, the rules were changed and the division became known as Street Stocks again.

Attendance

Southside Speedway has gone through a roller coaster of variations in attendance over the years. At times, Southside Speedway has struggled and survived many years of near shut-down, and at other times Southside Speedway packs the stands every Friday night. During the early 80's, attendance was an issue as the track found it difficult to find cars to race, and would often jump through hoops to provide extra incentive for fans to show up. Around this time, the track was condemned by Chesterfield County because of serious safety hazards associated with the old wooden grandstands. In the late 80's however, the track was fitted with newer aluminum grandstands that could hold twice as many fans and there was promise for a next generation to begin.

Despite these changes, the rumors continued that Southside Speedway would not be around much longer. There were even talks of building a new track to replace it in neighboring Dinwiddie county. In the early 2000's, there was talk of possibly lengthening the track, but ultimately the decision was made to keep it the way it was.

When Denny Hamlin came from Southside and landed in the Sprint Cup series, fans all over Richmond who have jumped on the bandwagon have caused a resurgence of attendance at Southside. In 2007, Denny Hamlin came to Southside on a Thursday night on the week of the May Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway and Southside saw the best attendance it had seen in years. The following year, Denny Hamlin brought Joe Gibbs teammate Kyle Busch to the track to race in a special 175-lap Late Model Sportsman event to benefit the newly founded [http://dennyhamlinfoundation.org Denny Hamlin Foundation] . Kyle Busch won that race after Denny Hamlin was sent to the rear of the field early in the event after an incident involving Billy Morris. The race put Southside Speedway in the national spotlight as the event was talked about that weekend during coverage of racing, qualifying and practice for the ensuing races at RIR on Speed and FOX.

Champions by Year

-Key
END = Enduro (defunct)
GS = Grand Stock
LEG = Legends (defunct)
LLM = Limited Late Model (defunct)
LMS = Late Model Sportsman
LMSC = Late Model Stock Car (defunct)
LS = Limited Sportsman (defunct)
MOD = Modified
MS = Mini Stock (defunct)
P6 = Pro Six (defunct)
PS = Pure Stock (defunct)
SS = Street Stock
SSC = Southside Chargers (defunct)
UC = U-Car

-2008
LMS: 11 - Shayne Lockhart
MOD: 4 - Thomas Stinson
GS: 01 - Chris Hott
SS: 82 - Mike Ganoe
UC: 01 - Renno Marchetti IV

-2007
LMS: 0 - Chris Dodson
MOD: 4 - Thomas Stinson
GS: 01 - Chris Hott
SS: 72 - Timmy Tiblis
P6: 23 - Casey Sipe
UC: 8 - Michael Moore
LEG: 20 - Cameron Patrick

-2006
LMS: 0 - Chris Dodson
MOD: 4 - Thomas Stinson
GS: 01- Chris Hott
UC: 47- Kevin Wilson

-2005
LMS: 53 - Chris Ward

-2004
GS: Mike Gwaltney
LMS: Chris Ward
MOD: Thomas Stinson
LEG: Cliff Daniels
UC: Ryan Wilbourne
P6: 36 - Steve Rudd/Mike Beazley
END: Mike Ganoe

-2003
MOD: 55 - Billy Morris
LMS: 00 - Brian Pembelton
GS: 20 - Randy Adams
LEG: 94 - Jason Miller
UC: 21 - Ryan Wilbourne

-2002
MOD: 51 - Rusty Wood
LLM: 63 - Chris Ward
PS: 62 - Tommy Tatum
LEG: 20 - Cameron Patrick

-2001
GS: 10 - Ray Ashworth

-2000
LMSC: 57 - Eddie Johnson

_1999
LMSC:47 - Phil Warren

-1998
LMSC: 57 - Eddie Johnson

-1996
LMSC: 57 - Eddie Johnson

-1995
LMSC: 95 - Shayne Lockhart

-1994
LMSC: 95 - Shayne Lockhart

-1993
LMSC: 95 - Shayne Lockhart
GS: 1 - Lin O'Neill

-1992
LMSC: 04 - Bugs Hairfield
GS: 1 - Lin O'Neill

-1991
LMSC: 11 - Roy Hendrick
GS: 1 - Lin O'Neill

-1990
LMSC: 11 - Roy Hendrick

-1988
LMSC: 20 - Roger Sawyer
GS: 17 - David Goad

-1987
GS: 5 - Billy Morris

-1984
LMSC: 4 - Curtis Markham

-1983
LMSC: 11 - Roy Hendrick

-1982
LMSC: 14 - Wayne Patterson

External links

* [http://www.southsidespeedway.com Official Website of Southside Speedway]
* [http://www.southsidespeedwayrva.com Fan Site of Southside Speedway]
* [http://www.racing-reference.info/tracks?id=155 Historic NASCAR results of Southside Speedway]