S1ap, I work for Kaulig Racing in PR and used to be a World of Outlaws broadcaster. You do so much to help keep the history of the sport of racing alive. People like you are exactly what the sport needs. Hope our paths meet at some point this year!
Seconding this. I'm just some guy in Massachusetts, but this channel's got me very into American racing history, even if I don't care a ton for the sport. The people and technologies involved are absolutely fascinating, and S1ap's got this way of really hooking you.
I have a long shot question but it's almost worth asking. Does Kaulig Racing hire any at home positions? I don't live in the Nascar realm of North Carolina but I'd like to work for a team in some fashion
Gotta say man, the algorithm recommended me your video on field fillers earlier this week and I've gone through a bunch of stuff you've uploaded over the years. I was into nascar as a kid but kinda drifted towards following baseball and basketball more as I went through high school/college. Your vids have rekindled some of that fandom and your historical knowledge of the sport is great to listen to. Keep up the work, I'm rooting for the short tracks
I feel the same way. Huge baseball/hockey fan but have been getting back into nascar again because of these youtubers. Was a big Jeff Gordon fan as a kid.
4:30 As a Winnipegger who lost our beloved NHL team the same year NASCAR dropped North Wilkesboro, and lived to see the NHL come back full time in 2011, I'm glad they've gotten the sport back after all these years.
This is how I feel about the Atlanta Thrashers, I wish the Jets would do more to honor the Thrashers history instead of completely ignore it. Redneck hockey needs all the friends it can get.
Racing in cup at Wilkesboro was never that great. You had DW or the Junior Johnson car against the field. Usually 2 or 3 check out on the field and the wrecks kept them all separated. Just a nightmare to view. The new cars might change my mind; with the field being closer sorted lap time wise, but still a big field on a small track.
You were the guy that got me into Nascar and American racing in general, so it only seems fitting that I visit my first short track because of your initiative. Last year I visited the US for the first time and ventured from new york to west Virginia, and Im buzzing to get back and see more than just tourist traps.
Hey if your gonna come down to the US, Specifically New York, I recommend making a trip down to Riverhead Raceway, It’s one of the last tracks on the East End of NY, and it’s an amazing little short track that doesn’t get as much love as it used to.
Get with Garrett Mitchell (Cleetus McFarland) and get with the Freedom Factory in Bradenton (previously DeSoto Raceway). He is actively promoting and putting on legit short track races. Would be a fantastic way to really push the Save the Short Track Campaign.
@@GhostToes1 It is indeed in trouble. This is the one of the major issues with race tracks and developers. Slap did a video on it a few months ago. Track sits there for 50-80 years no issues, housing developers move in and buy up a ton of land in the area as cities develop and build housing. Majority of residents complain about the noise from the now near by speedway. Cities start putting in noise restrictions and essentially force the speedways to close down. Speedways either spend a ton of money fighting the city and residents in court, then run into money issues then close down. Or just avoid the whole battle and throw in the towel. Freedom Factory/BMP unfortunately is sitting in an area that just had a ton of land around it approved for residential zoning. Once the houses are built and the neighborhoods are formed this cycle is going to start. Watch Cleetuses video on it. Hes already fighting, he fought to try to get the zoning denied (and failed). There is a 50/50 chance within the next 5-15 years FF will be under fire from residents or closed. Living next to a race track is less than ideal for noise.
@@winningfreak1Yup, there is no winning when a developer plans to put over 5,000 homes next door to a race track. It's not if the track shuts down, it's when the track shuts down.
Haven't been keeping up with news so it's fantastic to hear that North Wilkesboro will host NASCAR races once again in the form of the Craftsman Truck series and will even get to have a Cup race with the All-Star Race. Seems like just a few weeks ago, the best thing that seemed like it would happen with the track is the scanning of it for iRacing. Now of course, it's up to us to keep it going. To make sure NASCAR never again thinks it's worth giving any of North Wilkesboro's time to some other track.
I would wholeheartedly reccomend coming up to Wisconsin from the 5th to the 8th of October for the Oktoberfest race weekend in Lacrosse. It's the season finale for the ASA Midwest Tour, and it holds a lot of great racing each year.
Came to the comments to say this. Also beaver dam, Madison, Jefferson, Angell Park, WDIR, Slinger... So many that I'm worried for. Especially tracks like Lax fairgrounds (IN west Salem) and Angell Park (IN Sun Prairie, right next to the highschool) that I see as at risk of shitty neighbors.
I'm honestly stunned S1ap isn't trying to get Slinger and the Snowball Derby on his list of races he's headed to. Also, s1ap's out here living the dream every race fan wants.
Some of the greatest short track drivers have raced at Rockford. The first time I watched Dick Trickle was at Rockford. He was dirt tracking his purple #99 Mustang out of turn four, on the way to another victory. When I went to Oswego I sat in the old metal grandstands, partly because I like old grandstands, and partly because I didn't know there was a big grandstand on the backstretch. I had forgotten to bring my earplugs, that I left on my motorcycle. That old metal structure rang like a bell when those race engines roared past, so I quickly went back to the bike to get the earplugs. I've also been thinking about hitting some Alabama tracks this year. It's been quite some time since I've been down there. Good luck on your venture.
I love this so much!! Not only is this completely on-brand for you, BUT it kinda reminds me of something a British TH-camr named Smiv does with his On The Road series. He's a football (soccer) TH-camr, and his On The Road series is all about travelling to as many different football stadiums and grounds as possible around the UK (and even further afield sometimes!) and vlogging about his experience as a fan at each stadium watching football games there. And while he does go to big Premier League clubs and such, most of the episodes involve visits to lower league and even non-league grounds, staffed by volunteers or featuring amateur clubs. These clubs are the ones who are often under threat in terms of losing their grounds, or struggling to make ends meet as they literally only rely on ticket and merch sales to survive, with no TV revenue or anything like that. And via his series, I love how many grounds I've found out about and clubs I've learned of, including ones in my neck of the woods, that I want to go out and support myself. Can't wait to follow the SSTTA on this channel, and heck I might try something of my own here in the UK
Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, CA has must see short track racing on their nascar nights held throughout the year. On those nights they have 2 different late model races, a legend car race, street stocks, trucks, and enduros. All that action for $20, it’s hard to beat.
S1ap I gotta say man I might not be able to go to any of the races, but I will support you completely on TH-cam and what not. You’re a great TH-camr and your master idea is 100% gonna work‼️‼️
I'm on this same mission Slap. I had the privilege of attending races events at 10+ different short tracks last year. Many of them for the first time. Going to be adding New River (Goodyear/Coastal Plains) to this list this Saturday for the Battle of The Stars event. Keep at it! Maybe I'll see you out there sometime 👍
This is awesome brother. I used to go to the Rattler 250 when I was stationed at Fort Rucker and that little track in the middle of nowhere that is Kinston, Alabama put on a really good show. Growing up in Mississippi our only asphalt short track closed in 1987, the year before I was born, but not before my dad won two track championships in the sportsman division. All racing is awesome and I wish we had a track like South Alabama Speedway.
Thank you so much for your hard work, S1ap! There's a local track in PA, Grandview, that had a serious rumor scare of being sold this winter but is still back strong this year. They hold a great series called Thunder on the Hill that Cup drivers still come and race in every year (it used to be held during the week between Pocono and the July Daytona race, and though the schedule has changed the race date hasn't, and neither have the star entries). It's awkward to have on a Tuesday night, but if you ever find yourself up North in late June, I highly recommend it! Save Short Tracks!
I haven't been a NASCAR fan since I was a young young man.. Wasn't the same for me after #3 left us... But over the last few days of watching your content, I've been teleported back to my youth.. watching any kind of racing I could find on cable.. SpeedWorld! Always seemed to have something on every night in the late 80's early 90s.. loved it! Thank you, S1ap, for bringing back cherished memories of watching Thursday Night Thunder while downing endless PB&Js. Wish you were coming closer to my side of the country, but I'm not sure as to what kind of 'local racing' we have at the tracks up in here in the PNW.. Regardless, keep up the great work!
The PNW has a pretty vibrant scene and I even got some offers to come out that way but due to costs and scheduling I wasn’t able to make it out west but they have lots of great joints out. Glad here I could rekindle that fire a little bit.
It's awesome that you're doing something like this. I only wish I could get to half of the races you're planning to get to but Stafford is still here and not going anywhere and will continue to support them and the SK Modifieds. One place you should consider even though it's Thanksgiving weekend is the Turkey Derby at Wall Stadium and also Stafford at some point for Spring Sizzler at the end of April
I live like 20 minutes from Stafford and I'm going to be there a lot. My cousin actually races SK Lights at Stafford and Waterford and his dad is racing at Stafford. I will probably be going to Thompson and Waterford a couple times.
Slinger Speedway, the "World's Fastest Quarter Mile Oval," is about an hour and a half from Rockford Speedway. If you have time you should check it out. They have a race Sunday, June 11th.
Awesome schedule Slap! Hoping one day you can include Crisp Motorsports Park (Watermelon Speedway) next year! Great 3/8 mile paved D oval. Great weekly racing in Cordele, Georgia.
Hello Slap, I'm a french viewer and big fan of Nascar, short track racing and especially asphalt super late models, thank you for everything that you're doing and I will be following this closely in 2023 !
Awesome initiative, can't wait to see what these short tracks have to offer! Even though you won't be coming to my local short track, I'll do my best to represent at Houston Motorsports Park!
I'm moving to the UK from SC in 4 days and you announce this? How dare you sir. Awesome idea for a project, love your stuff and your passion for short tracks is infectious.
You should come on up to MN. Alexandria and Fergus Falls are the two big names where we live and they put on a show. Viking speedway(Alex) there are short trackers, late models, Midwest modified, late model stock, and more. There’s a sprint car track up by Hawley too. All of them dirt.
Finally some dirt super late model coverage....... slap if you haven't seen these cars in real life up close and personal ....oh boy you are in for a treat.... the smell of burning race fuel the sound and vibration of 900 horsepower ready to eat is just .....you HAVE to experience it. When the a main starts and the 24 plus fastest cars possible all light it up at once coming out of 4 it's just undescribably awesome
This man is a legend. Am thinking of starting go kart racing in my country because of this channel. Keep up the good work if what am planning becomes big ill call you to witness all expenses paid
Being up here in TR this has got to be one of the best schedules of attended races I’ve seen. Good luck with everyone one of them and getting more people to get on this bandwagon! Support the local Racetrack!
As someone who's got close ties to it, I really suggest you get up to Dominion Raceway in Virginia. We're primed for another great year of battling between "Air Doug" Barnes Jr. and Peyton Sellers for the track championship. Peyton is your defending track champion, but Doug has been there before and had a lot of bad luck last year. It'll be a show between those two for sure.
Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland is still easily my favorite dirt track. I’ve had a fantastic experience every single time I’ve ever gone. I LOVE the racing there.
Nice to see, I’m doing my part in the upper Midwest by planning on visiting 18 tracks across Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Quite a few will be new to me as well so I’m looking forward to it.
I have been watching your channel for a while now and i am really glad you’ve decided to come to some dirt races. I race at the Fayetteville motor speedway in North Carolina and think you would like it. One of the key events of Fayetteville motor speedway is the cash money 100. I think you should try to make that race because it’s always a good show
I don't even follow NASCAR anymore but I follow you because you make great content and are passionate about the best parts of the sport, and this proves it! And maybe I'll catch you in Oswego!
s1ap making a statement supporting these cathedrals of speed and seeing they succeed for years to come. S1ap you're the man making sure short and dirt track racing has it's moment in the sun
The Martinsville race on April 16th is gonna be my first ever race! I hope I can get to meet you there, you're the reason I became a fan of racing as a whole!
A few years ago Fox did a documentary on Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, NY who had their 100 year anniversary of motor racing. They host a massive weekend to close off their season called Eastern States, which also happens to be one of if not the oldest modified event in America, however they seem to be in massive peril at the moment. It seems as if they may not make it the next few years and that worries me immensely. The town around it has grown immensely from farmland into an urban sprawl and real estate investors are looking for any land to build up in that area.
love that your doing this. Unfortenetly i wont be able to make any of the races since I'm out in colorado. ill keep supporting my local short track, Colorado National speedway, as much as I can.
Great plan S1ap. I've never been but live about an hour from Devils Bowl Speedway here in the DFW area. I'll be sure to make a visit this year. Always wanted to check it out and know they could use more support.
If you ever find your way up to Virginia, Wythe Raceway is a great high bank dirt track. Right up where i-77 comes into i-81. Its actually where the guys from Bristol came to figure out how to make a dirt track and where many of the drivers came to test.
I hope you were able to make it to Rockford on June 10th. That race was also my first time at the track and the trailer race did not disappoint for sure.
Just watching this video made me realize how much culture + variety is contained in short track ovals, NASCAR really is only the tip of the iceberg for oval racing in America. S1ap summer tour boutta go insane and I'll try and make it to one of your stops
If you ever decide to do this in later years, we have a few mainstays here in the northwest. The ones I know about that are currently operating are as follows: State Fair Raceway - Yakima, WA (Dirt) Stateline Speedway - Stateline, ID (Paved) Wenatchee Super Oval - Wenatchee, WA (Paved) Grays Harbor Speedway - Grays Harbor, WA (Dirt) Former tracks or tracks under renovation that I know about are as follows: Tri Cities Raceway - Richland, WA (I think renovation) Qlispe Raceway Park (Formerly Spokane County Raceway) - Airway Heights, WA (Road Course and Drag Strip are up as of 2023, but the oval may be shut down for a while) Yakima Speedway - Yakima, WA (Shut Down in 2021 or 22, I can't remember) I'm a drag racer, but I do enjoy some oval racing occasionally.
Glad to hear you’re coming to Rockford! All the local racers here are heartbroken, but at-least we were given one last season to enjoy and cherish. I’ll keep an eye out for ya at the trailer races!
There's two short tracks in eastern Virginia you can check out: 1. Langley Speedway in Hampton, VA. It's paved and about 3/8 mile. 2. Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, VA. It's a dirt track owned by the Sawyer family who owned Richmond before the France family bought it.
I'm glad to hear you are coming to South Alabama Speedway. It's a very underrated racetrack the family that owns it are an amazing group of people and it deserves more attention.
This is a great initiative. I am going to do what I can and visit all of the tracks in my home state of Connecticut this year. We don't have many tracks, but we have some historic ones for sure.
While your in Wisconsin, you should come to beaver dam raceway. The track is struggling as of late and I go there so much to try to keep it from going away. They just recently switched to Tuesday night races and there will be races on the 29th of augest. Also depending how long the races take at Milwaukee I was also going to go to slinger speedway the fastest quarter mile if you want to go too. I think it would be great for All of the tracks and I love what you’re doing and hope to do it someday as well
It was announced a few weeks ago that my local track will close as well. Rockford speedway, in loves Park Illinois will be closing at the end of the 2023 season. I grew up going to the speedway still go to this day. The National Short Track Championships is one of my favorite weekends.
Can you try and get more attention to Hartwell Speedway in Hartwell, GA? We’re just an hour down the road from you and it just closed down, there’s also Lavonia Speedway 15 minutes down the road from that which is still open and running a lot of SLM races
The 90 minute enduro at the Indianapolis Speedrome should be a good show. If you enjoy it, you should come back the weekend of Sep. 7,8 and 9 for a 3 hour figure 8 enduro. That race usually has 40+ cars in it.
4:56 just noticed this but IRP doesn't have any races on Saturday the 27th. Carb Night Classic is Friday the 26th with Silver Crown, Midgets, and USF/(Pro) 2000s
Hey Slap, far north east Georgia (counties apart of the Greenville television market) has always had a strong dirt track scene that has started to become uncertain like the rest of America. Hartwell Speedway closed its doors abruptly over the winter. This closure leaves just Toccoa Raceway, and Lavonia Speedway in the area, with Toccoa’s future less certain by the year. In your video you mentioned the chance to see what little amount of Sprint car action we have in our region, Lavonia has sprint cars run usually 1-3 times a year and it’s only a 30 minute drive from Anderson. Thank you for the amazing content you put out and the spotlight you bring to grassroots racing.
I know there’s gonna be tracks that need the support more than my local short track, but if you’re ever swinging around North Dakota it’s always a fun time on Friday night at Dakota Speedway. Generations of families have raced the dirt oval, and we have two decent sized towns worth or car people that attend just about every event.
Growing up in Central Indiana I got to see a lot of motor sports (tractor pulls, go-karts, outlaws, stock cars, and indy cars). So I'm stoked you're not only attending the 500, but checking out other races in the state!
Seeing North Wilkesboro being brought back legitimately makes me cry tears of joy. Historic venues being abandoned or demolished always makes me irrationally angry. Tokyo just approved plans to demolish Meiji Jingu Stadium, the 4th oldest pro baseball stadium in the world, for a land development scheme that reeks of corruption and cronyism. Yes they're gonna build a new stadium close by, but like new Yankee Stadium it'll be a hollow facsimile of what once was. I'll definitely make the trip out to Rockford for it's swan song.
S1ap dude would love for you to come up and Visit Lacross Fairgorunds Speedway. And Thank You for keeping the history of short track racing known. 💪😎👍👍👍👍
I'll be taking my dad to the SRX race at Thunder Road in Barre, VT You should take a trip to Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH someday. It's the closest track to me and I'd love to meet you.
Yeah I was planning on doing shorts to try to promote my local speedway (Indianapolis Speedrome) during this racing season, maybe you can get a hashtag together so when people post shorts people can click on it and see all videos people will post. This is a great idea you have! A lot of these track owners are old timers and don’t really utilize social media as much as they should!
Looking forward to the rest of this year from you. Hey if you ever find yourself in western Vermont, give Devil’s Bowl a look. Great races every Friday.
I grew up watching the Rockford Speedway trailer races... Damn shame they're finally closing up.. it's what made me a fan of racing more than Nascar did at first..
You should consider going to the Eastern states Weekend at Orange County Fair Speedway in NY it’s a three day weekend at the end of October with some great dirt track racing!
i don’t plan on hitting up any of the tracks on your tour but i will definitely be at my local dirt track (new egypt) as much as i can and am definitely not going to miss the whelen modifieds when they come to wall speedway in july!
Just an FYI, the Little 500 at Anderson is actually a Sprint Car race, NOT a midget race. As for supporting my local short tracks, they may be under water until June with the rain in Cali lately lol. I hope to be working as a corner official again this year at my local track and hope to add a little variety this year with some supercross and pro motocross races and an arca west race or two to go with 410 non-winged sprints and late models on dirt. Wish they still ran king of the wing sprints at Irwindale and kern county though. They fly on the pavement. Dirt too
Hey S1ap it's great to hear and see what you're doing, it's really inspiring. There's quite a few short tracks in Michigan that I haven't attended in decades. Probs should start doing that again. I'm hype for you to head to Anderson Indiana for the Little 500, it's one of the best races I've ever attended. My dad and I used to make our annual pilgrimage to Anderson for ages. Unfortunately he can't travel well any more so we kinda stopped going. Either way enjoy, it's amazing! If you can swing it check out the "Carb Night Classic" at IRP. Used to be Midgets on dirt which were just amazingly awesome, now it's Silver Crown cars with Midget support on pavement but still awesome. Hosted the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend you can make a great trip out of it: Friday Carb Night Classic, Saturday Little 500, Sunday the big show if you stick around. Keep up the good work and keep up the amazing content. I always learn something new watching your content and a lot of it is really inspiring to get back into types of racing I've let go of. Thanks!
S1ap, I work for Kaulig Racing in PR and used to be a World of Outlaws broadcaster.
You do so much to help keep the history of the sport of racing alive. People like you are exactly what the sport needs. Hope our paths meet at some point this year!
Seconding this. I'm just some guy in Massachusetts, but this channel's got me very into American racing history, even if I don't care a ton for the sport. The people and technologies involved are absolutely fascinating, and S1ap's got this way of really hooking you.
@@hoodieninja_7203 Hell I am some guy from Greece with a passion for motorsports and Slap is a good place to get info for racing in the USA.
I have a long shot question but it's almost worth asking. Does Kaulig Racing hire any at home positions? I don't live in the Nascar realm of North Carolina but I'd like to work for a team in some fashion
@@hoodieninja_7203hey I’m from mass too lol get out and see seekonk at some point this year you’ll find me there every week!!
Thanks for working for my favorite team
s1ap is rising above to where he has Dale Jr influence within the local short track communities
Dude is putting his money (and time and effort) where his heart is. Very awesome!
We should do this to
S1apshoes being an absolute champion 🎉
I really hope we can save these tracks, they are the backbone of American culture.
@@SavingTheUndesireables A pole position winning champion at that!
gp laps and s1apsh0es
whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat
Gotta say man, the algorithm recommended me your video on field fillers earlier this week and I've gone through a bunch of stuff you've uploaded over the years. I was into nascar as a kid but kinda drifted towards following baseball and basketball more as I went through high school/college. Your vids have rekindled some of that fandom and your historical knowledge of the sport is great to listen to. Keep up the work, I'm rooting for the short tracks
I feel the same way. Huge baseball/hockey fan but have been getting back into nascar again because of these youtubers. Was a big Jeff Gordon fan as a kid.
Slap’s best videos are his ones about Davey and kulwicki two awesome videos if you haven’t watched those two you definitely need to
4:30 As a Winnipegger who lost our beloved NHL team the same year NASCAR dropped North Wilkesboro, and lived to see the NHL come back full time in 2011, I'm glad they've gotten the sport back after all these years.
Is Texas Motor Speedway the Arizona Coyotes of NASCAR?
@@GatoradeCupSeriesX94 The similarities are way too close for comfort.
This is how I feel about the Atlanta Thrashers, I wish the Jets would do more to honor the Thrashers history instead of completely ignore it. Redneck hockey needs all the friends it can get.
@@GatoradeCupSeriesX94 Hey, woah, that's an insult to the Coyotes!
Racing in cup at Wilkesboro was never that great. You had DW or the Junior Johnson car against the field. Usually 2 or 3 check out on the field and the wrecks kept them all separated. Just a nightmare to view. The new cars might change my mind; with the field being closer sorted lap time wise, but still a big field on a small track.
S1ap: your the hero short tracks need. But the hero short tracks don’t deserve, plus you dropped this 👑 king
Good ol Slap
Nothing better on a Sunday morning! 🍻
@@JohnYenchick morning? Wth do u live I don't even think it's morning in America
@@Blossomy77 well it was barely in Pennsylvania when I posted this a half hour ago! 😂
This is awesome dude, and with this plan you might not just save short track racing, but the entire sport of stock car racing!
You were the guy that got me into Nascar and American racing in general, so it only seems fitting that I visit my first short track because of your initiative. Last year I visited the US for the first time and ventured from new york to west Virginia, and Im buzzing to get back and see more than just tourist traps.
If you go to many of these short tracks beware. You're gonna get drunk.
@@kramnull8962 Not just drunk, hammered.
Come to Carolina , Darlington! Not really a short track but the southern 500 is worth the trip.
Hey if your gonna come down to the US, Specifically New York, I recommend making a trip down to Riverhead Raceway, It’s one of the last tracks on the East End of NY, and it’s an amazing little short track that doesn’t get as much love as it used to.
Get with Garrett Mitchell (Cleetus McFarland) and get with the Freedom Factory in Bradenton (previously DeSoto Raceway). He is actively promoting and putting on legit short track races. Would be a fantastic way to really push the Save the Short Track Campaign.
His track is in trouble now too as that county approved another housing development next to his track
@@ekrwy2 not really, I mean, it's not ideal, but the Freedom Factory and BMP aren't going anywhere.
@@GhostToes1 It is indeed in trouble. This is the one of the major issues with race tracks and developers. Slap did a video on it a few months ago.
Track sits there for 50-80 years no issues, housing developers move in and buy up a ton of land in the area as cities develop and build housing. Majority of residents complain about the noise from the now near by speedway. Cities start putting in noise restrictions and essentially force the speedways to close down.
Speedways either spend a ton of money fighting the city and residents in court, then run into money issues then close down. Or just avoid the whole battle and throw in the towel.
Freedom Factory/BMP unfortunately is sitting in an area that just had a ton of land around it approved for residential zoning. Once the houses are built and the neighborhoods are formed this cycle is going to start. Watch Cleetuses video on it.
Hes already fighting, he fought to try to get the zoning denied (and failed). There is a 50/50 chance within the next 5-15 years FF will be under fire from residents or closed. Living next to a race track is less than ideal for noise.
@@winningfreak1Yup, there is no winning when a developer plans to put over 5,000 homes next door to a race track. It's not if the track shuts down, it's when the track shuts down.
Did Cleetus try real short track racing like with late models, or just the gimmick events?
Haven't been keeping up with news so it's fantastic to hear that North Wilkesboro will host NASCAR races once again in the form of the Craftsman Truck series and will even get to have a Cup race with the All-Star Race. Seems like just a few weeks ago, the best thing that seemed like it would happen with the track is the scanning of it for iRacing.
Now of course, it's up to us to keep it going. To make sure NASCAR never again thinks it's worth giving any of North Wilkesboro's time to some other track.
A toast to North Wilkesboro!
I would wholeheartedly reccomend coming up to Wisconsin from the 5th to the 8th of October for the Oktoberfest race weekend in Lacrosse. It's the season finale for the ASA Midwest Tour, and it holds a lot of great racing each year.
Hate to break it to ya but that's probably reserved for sdw at Oswego
@@triciamcconnell3959 yeah I realized that after I posted the comment, oh well
Or hit up Slinger for the Slinger Nationals
Came to the comments to say this.
Also beaver dam, Madison, Jefferson, Angell Park, WDIR, Slinger... So many that I'm worried for. Especially tracks like Lax fairgrounds (IN west Salem) and Angell Park (IN Sun Prairie, right next to the highschool) that I see as at risk of shitty neighbors.
@@VojaxRacing I REALLY hope more attention can be brought to the Midwest Tour. There's so much phenomenal racing that takes place
I'm honestly stunned S1ap isn't trying to get Slinger and the Snowball Derby on his list of races he's headed to.
Also, s1ap's out here living the dream every race fan wants.
Some of the greatest short track drivers have raced at Rockford. The first time I watched Dick Trickle was at Rockford. He was dirt tracking his purple #99 Mustang out of turn four, on the way to another victory. When I went to Oswego I sat in the old metal grandstands, partly because I like old grandstands, and partly because I didn't know there was a big grandstand on the backstretch. I had forgotten to bring my earplugs, that I left on my motorcycle. That old metal structure rang like a bell when those race engines roared past, so I quickly went back to the bike to get the earplugs. I've also been thinking about hitting some Alabama tracks this year. It's been quite some time since I've been down there. Good luck on your venture.
Living a race fans dream. Thank you for trying to help local racing!
I love this so much!! Not only is this completely on-brand for you, BUT it kinda reminds me of something a British TH-camr named Smiv does with his On The Road series. He's a football (soccer) TH-camr, and his On The Road series is all about travelling to as many different football stadiums and grounds as possible around the UK (and even further afield sometimes!) and vlogging about his experience as a fan at each stadium watching football games there. And while he does go to big Premier League clubs and such, most of the episodes involve visits to lower league and even non-league grounds, staffed by volunteers or featuring amateur clubs. These clubs are the ones who are often under threat in terms of losing their grounds, or struggling to make ends meet as they literally only rely on ticket and merch sales to survive, with no TV revenue or anything like that. And via his series, I love how many grounds I've found out about and clubs I've learned of, including ones in my neck of the woods, that I want to go out and support myself.
Can't wait to follow the SSTTA on this channel, and heck I might try something of my own here in the UK
Up here in northern Illinois we're losing one of our last oval tracks this year, and the same one that Chad Knaus grew up with. Godspeed to you sir.
Rockford
Still hard to believe this one going away.
Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, CA has must see short track racing on their nascar nights held throughout the year. On those nights they have 2 different late model races, a legend car race, street stocks, trucks, and enduros. All that action for $20, it’s hard to beat.
Hell yeah Rockford Speedway made your list, you'll enjoy the trailer races, always a blast. Such a shame they're closing it down.
That leaves grundy as the last paved short track in Illinois
Glad he’s making it up here to see the track. I’m still disappointed to see it go. Lots of memories
S1ap I gotta say man I might not be able to go to any of the races, but I will support you completely on TH-cam and what not. You’re a great TH-camr and your master idea is 100% gonna work‼️‼️
I'm on this same mission Slap. I had the privilege of attending races events at 10+ different short tracks last year. Many of them for the first time. Going to be adding New River (Goodyear/Coastal Plains) to this list this Saturday for the Battle of The Stars event.
Keep at it!
Maybe I'll see you out there sometime 👍
Dirt is better
Definitely will be joining you on a few more than I thought I could. Can’t save my old hometown track but there’s plenty others that can be
S1ap I'll see you at IRP! That track is my favorite track in Indiana, and I absolutely love that the Craftsman trucks came back to that track!
It’s guys like s1ap and Stapleton42 that are keeping the history alive. Thank ya fellas
This is awesome brother. I used to go to the Rattler 250 when I was stationed at Fort Rucker and that little track in the middle of nowhere that is Kinston, Alabama put on a really good show. Growing up in Mississippi our only asphalt short track closed in 1987, the year before I was born, but not before my dad won two track championships in the sportsman division. All racing is awesome and I wish we had a track like South Alabama Speedway.
Burning rubber... a pastime as old as the engine itself!
Heck Yea! Much respect from Mississippi! Support your local tracks! 🏁👍
Thank you so much for your hard work, S1ap! There's a local track in PA, Grandview, that had a serious rumor scare of being sold this winter but is still back strong this year. They hold a great series called Thunder on the Hill that Cup drivers still come and race in every year (it used to be held during the week between Pocono and the July Daytona race, and though the schedule has changed the race date hasn't, and neither have the star entries). It's awkward to have on a Tuesday night, but if you ever find yourself up North in late June, I highly recommend it! Save Short Tracks!
I haven't been a NASCAR fan since I was a young young man.. Wasn't the same for me after #3 left us... But over the last few days of watching your content, I've been teleported back to my youth.. watching any kind of racing I could find on cable.. SpeedWorld! Always seemed to have something on every night in the late 80's early 90s.. loved it! Thank you, S1ap, for bringing back cherished memories of watching Thursday Night Thunder while downing endless PB&Js. Wish you were coming closer to my side of the country, but I'm not sure as to what kind of 'local racing' we have at the tracks up in here in the PNW.. Regardless, keep up the great work!
The PNW has a pretty vibrant scene and I even got some offers to come out that way but due to costs and scheduling I wasn’t able to make it out west but they have lots of great joints out. Glad here I could rekindle that fire a little bit.
It's awesome that you're doing something like this. I only wish I could get to half of the races you're planning to get to but Stafford is still here and not going anywhere and will continue to support them and the SK Modifieds. One place you should consider even though it's Thanksgiving weekend is the Turkey Derby at Wall Stadium and also Stafford at some point for Spring Sizzler at the end of April
I live like 20 minutes from Stafford and I'm going to be there a lot. My cousin actually races SK Lights at Stafford and Waterford and his dad is racing at Stafford. I will probably be going to Thompson and Waterford a couple times.
As a diehard short track racing fan, I am absolutely looking forward to this series. Great work, S1ap.
Holy kazooly. Jesse my guy. I miss ya. Your videos were amazing man. They got me into the truck and Busch series.
You go, Slap. Hope you can keep things going. It's too late for my town. We lost ALL of our tracks. 3 dirt tracks and 2 drag strips. All gone.
Slinger Speedway, the "World's Fastest Quarter Mile Oval," is about an hour and a half from Rockford Speedway. If you have time you should check it out. They have a race Sunday, June 11th.
Awesome schedule Slap! Hoping one day you can include Crisp Motorsports Park (Watermelon Speedway) next year! Great 3/8 mile paved D oval. Great weekly racing in Cordele, Georgia.
Hello Slap, I'm a french viewer and big fan of Nascar, short track racing and especially asphalt super late models, thank you for everything that you're doing and I will be following this closely in 2023 !
Awesome initiative, can't wait to see what these short tracks have to offer!
Even though you won't be coming to my local short track, I'll do my best to represent at Houston Motorsports Park!
I'm moving to the UK from SC in 4 days and you announce this? How dare you sir.
Awesome idea for a project, love your stuff and your passion for short tracks is infectious.
Good luck soldier, your contributions to trying to save short tracks wont go unoticed o7.
I don't even follow short track and I am stoked for you. That's how good your videos are.
You should come on up to MN. Alexandria and Fergus Falls are the two big names where we live and they put on a show. Viking speedway(Alex) there are short trackers, late models, Midwest modified, late model stock, and more. There’s a sprint car track up by Hawley too. All of them dirt.
YOU MAD LAD!!!!! Good luck!!!!
Hell yeah dude. I support the effort. We need to save em all. Great video as always.
Orange County Speedway is one in NY you have to visit
Finally some dirt super late model coverage....... slap if you haven't seen these cars in real life up close and personal ....oh boy you are in for a treat.... the smell of burning race fuel the sound and vibration of 900 horsepower ready to eat is just .....you HAVE to experience it. When the a main starts and the 24 plus fastest cars possible all light it up at once coming out of 4 it's just undescribably awesome
This man is a legend. Am thinking of starting go kart racing in my country because of this channel. Keep up the good work if what am planning becomes big ill call you to witness all expenses paid
I think it's so cool that you're doing this! Short tracks are great, long may they live.
Being up here in TR this has got to be one of the best schedules of attended races I’ve seen. Good luck with everyone one of them and getting more people to get on this bandwagon! Support the local Racetrack!
I believe in you! Support all them local short tracks! Good job! Thanks for bringing the motorsports world to us.
As someone who's got close ties to it, I really suggest you get up to Dominion Raceway in Virginia. We're primed for another great year of battling between "Air Doug" Barnes Jr. and Peyton Sellers for the track championship. Peyton is your defending track champion, but Doug has been there before and had a lot of bad luck last year. It'll be a show between those two for sure.
Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland is still easily my favorite dirt track. I’ve had a fantastic experience every single time I’ve ever gone. I LOVE the racing there.
Nice to see, I’m doing my part in the upper Midwest by planning on visiting 18 tracks across Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Quite a few will be new to me as well so I’m looking forward to it.
I have been watching your channel for a while now and i am really glad you’ve decided to come to some dirt races. I race at the Fayetteville motor speedway in North Carolina and think you would like it. One of the key events of Fayetteville motor speedway is the cash money 100. I think you should try to make that race because it’s always a good show
Great initiative! Well done for doing your part to keeping this hallmark of America going.
putting your time and money in to help the sport you love is badass. well done S1ap
Love what you are doing - I will never get to visit, but it is important history you are trying to save.
I don't even follow NASCAR anymore but I follow you because you make great content and are passionate about the best parts of the sport, and this proves it! And maybe I'll catch you in Oswego!
s1ap making a statement supporting these cathedrals of speed and seeing they succeed for years to come. S1ap you're the man making sure short and dirt track racing has it's moment in the sun
The Martinsville race on April 16th is gonna be my first ever race! I hope I can get to meet you there, you're the reason I became a fan of racing as a whole!
A few years ago Fox did a documentary on Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, NY who had their 100 year anniversary of motor racing.
They host a massive weekend to close off their season called Eastern States, which also happens to be one of if not the oldest modified event in America, however they seem to be in massive peril at the moment. It seems as if they may not make it the next few years and that worries me immensely. The town around it has grown immensely from farmland into an urban sprawl and real estate investors are looking for any land to build up in that area.
love that your doing this. Unfortenetly i wont be able to make any of the races since I'm out in colorado. ill keep supporting my local short track, Colorado National speedway, as much as I can.
Great plan S1ap.
I've never been but live about an hour from Devils Bowl Speedway here in the DFW area. I'll be sure to make a visit this year. Always wanted to check it out and know they could use more support.
If you ever find your way up to Virginia, Wythe Raceway is a great high bank dirt track. Right up where i-77 comes into i-81. Its actually where the guys from Bristol came to figure out how to make a dirt track and where many of the drivers came to test.
Loved sitting on the Hillside as a kid.
I hope you were able to make it to Rockford on June 10th. That race was also my first time at the track and the trailer race did not disappoint for sure.
Just watching this video made me realize how much culture + variety is contained in short track ovals, NASCAR really is only the tip of the iceberg for oval racing in America. S1ap summer tour boutta go insane and I'll try and make it to one of your stops
Thanks!
Thank you so much! I'll put it to good use.
If you ever decide to do this in later years, we have a few mainstays here in the northwest. The ones I know about that are currently operating are as follows:
State Fair Raceway - Yakima, WA (Dirt)
Stateline Speedway - Stateline, ID (Paved)
Wenatchee Super Oval - Wenatchee, WA (Paved)
Grays Harbor Speedway - Grays Harbor, WA (Dirt)
Former tracks or tracks under renovation that I know about are as follows:
Tri Cities Raceway - Richland, WA (I think renovation)
Qlispe Raceway Park (Formerly Spokane County Raceway) - Airway Heights, WA (Road Course and Drag Strip are up as of 2023, but the oval may be shut down for a while)
Yakima Speedway - Yakima, WA (Shut Down in 2021 or 22, I can't remember)
I'm a drag racer, but I do enjoy some oval racing occasionally.
A man doing what he can to keep his hobby going. You love to see it
Go, Slapshoes, Go! I can't wait to see what work you produce over the next year! Best of luck.
Glad to hear you’re coming to Rockford! All the local racers here are heartbroken, but at-least we were given one last season to enjoy and cherish. I’ll keep an eye out for ya at the trailer races!
There's two short tracks in eastern Virginia you can check out:
1. Langley Speedway in Hampton, VA. It's paved and about 3/8 mile.
2. Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, VA. It's a dirt track owned by the Sawyer family who owned Richmond before the France family bought it.
Not all heroes wear capes. This is an awesome idea to generate more exposure.
I'm glad to hear you are coming to South Alabama Speedway. It's a very underrated racetrack the family that owns it are an amazing group of people and it deserves more attention.
This is an Amazing Idea! I hope this goes well for you and short tracks all over the country!
This is a great initiative. I am going to do what I can and visit all of the tracks in my home state of Connecticut this year. We don't have many tracks, but we have some historic ones for sure.
I'm in greenville too lol been loving your videos. When I used to race karts we had a race at TR was wild on that big track.
You're a legend, s1ap. Godspeed.
While your in Wisconsin, you should come to beaver dam raceway. The track is struggling as of late and I go there so much to try to keep it from going away. They just recently switched to Tuesday night races and there will be races on the 29th of augest. Also depending how long the races take at Milwaukee I was also going to go to slinger speedway the fastest quarter mile if you want to go too. I think it would be great for All of the tracks and I love what you’re doing and hope to do it someday as well
You have our support Slap. God speed.
It was announced a few weeks ago that my local track will close as well. Rockford speedway, in loves Park Illinois will be closing at the end of the 2023 season. I grew up going to the speedway still go to this day. The National Short Track Championships is one of my favorite weekends.
Can you try and get more attention to Hartwell Speedway in Hartwell, GA? We’re just an hour down the road from you and it just closed down, there’s also Lavonia Speedway 15 minutes down the road from that which is still open and running a lot of SLM races
The 90 minute enduro at the Indianapolis Speedrome should be a good show. If you enjoy it, you should come back the weekend of Sep. 7,8 and 9 for a 3 hour figure 8 enduro. That race usually has 40+ cars in it.
4:56 just noticed this but IRP doesn't have any races on Saturday the 27th.
Carb Night Classic is Friday the 26th with Silver Crown, Midgets, and USF/(Pro) 2000s
The Hoosier 100 was rained out and is running that night I believe.
Hey Slap, far north east Georgia (counties apart of the Greenville television market) has always had a strong dirt track scene that has started to become uncertain like the rest of America. Hartwell Speedway closed its doors abruptly over the winter. This closure leaves just Toccoa Raceway, and Lavonia Speedway in the area, with Toccoa’s future less certain by the year. In your video you mentioned the chance to see what little amount of Sprint car action we have in our region, Lavonia has sprint cars run usually 1-3 times a year and it’s only a 30 minute drive from Anderson. Thank you for the amazing content you put out and the spotlight you bring to grassroots racing.
I know there’s gonna be tracks that need the support more than my local short track, but if you’re ever swinging around North Dakota it’s always a fun time on Friday night at Dakota Speedway. Generations of families have raced the dirt oval, and we have two decent sized towns worth or car people that attend just about every event.
s1ap casually being a saint. doing gods work for all motorsport fans
Growing up in Central Indiana I got to see a lot of motor sports (tractor pulls, go-karts, outlaws, stock cars, and indy cars). So I'm stoked you're not only attending the 500, but checking out other races in the state!
Seeing North Wilkesboro being brought back legitimately makes me cry tears of joy.
Historic venues being abandoned or demolished always makes me irrationally angry. Tokyo just approved plans to demolish Meiji Jingu Stadium, the 4th oldest pro baseball stadium in the world, for a land development scheme that reeks of corruption and cronyism. Yes they're gonna build a new stadium close by, but like new Yankee Stadium it'll be a hollow facsimile of what once was.
I'll definitely make the trip out to Rockford for it's swan song.
I ain't missing this race for the world
Glad your able to do this man, cant wait to watch
S1ap dude would love for you to come up and Visit Lacross Fairgorunds Speedway. And Thank You for keeping the history of short track racing known. 💪😎👍👍👍👍
I'll be taking my dad to the SRX race at Thunder Road in Barre, VT
You should take a trip to Monadnock Speedway in Winchester, NH someday. It's the closest track to me and I'd love to meet you.
My local track is Riverhead Raceway, they've fought off land development for years. I have to go more often.
as a Pennsylvanian i cannot express how happy i am that Lancaster was pronounced correctly
Yeah I was planning on doing shorts to try to promote my local speedway (Indianapolis Speedrome) during this racing season, maybe you can get a hashtag together so when people post shorts people can click on it and see all videos people will post. This is a great idea you have! A lot of these track owners are old timers and don’t really utilize social media as much as they should!
My man is trying to start a revolution to save short tracks
April 29 & 30 we could use you at Stafford Motor Speesway in Connecticut for there opening weekend.
Looking forward to the rest of this year from you. Hey if you ever find yourself in western Vermont, give Devil’s Bowl a look. Great races every Friday.
I grew up watching the Rockford Speedway trailer races... Damn shame they're finally closing up.. it's what made me a fan of racing more than Nascar did at first..
You should consider going to the Eastern states Weekend at Orange County Fair Speedway in NY it’s a three day weekend at the end of October with some great dirt track racing!
i don’t plan on hitting up any of the tracks on your tour but i will definitely be at my local dirt track (new egypt) as much as i can and am definitely not going to miss the whelen modifieds when they come to wall speedway in july!
Just an FYI, the Little 500 at Anderson is actually a Sprint Car race, NOT a midget race.
As for supporting my local short tracks, they may be under water until June with the rain in Cali lately lol. I hope to be working as a corner official again this year at my local track and hope to add a little variety this year with some supercross and pro motocross races and an arca west race or two to go with 410 non-winged sprints and late models on dirt.
Wish they still ran king of the wing sprints at Irwindale and kern county though. They fly on the pavement. Dirt too
Hey S1ap it's great to hear and see what you're doing, it's really inspiring.
There's quite a few short tracks in Michigan that I haven't attended in decades. Probs should start doing that again. I'm hype for you to head to Anderson Indiana for the Little 500, it's one of the best races I've ever attended. My dad and I used to make our annual pilgrimage to Anderson for ages. Unfortunately he can't travel well any more so we kinda stopped going. Either way enjoy, it's amazing!
If you can swing it check out the "Carb Night Classic" at IRP. Used to be Midgets on dirt which were just amazingly awesome, now it's Silver Crown cars with Midget support on pavement but still awesome. Hosted the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend you can make a great trip out of it: Friday Carb Night Classic, Saturday Little 500, Sunday the big show if you stick around.
Keep up the good work and keep up the amazing content. I always learn something new watching your content and a lot of it is really inspiring to get back into types of racing I've let go of.
Thanks!