I come from Indiana and most of the dirt racing experience up until my move to North Carolina for college was based on the way we do things in Northern or Midwestern states.

After moving to Concord, NC, I became a regular at all the area tracks. Upon visiting these tracks on a regular basis, I noticed there were some key differences between the way racing takes place in the South and the way we do things in the rest of the country. People who have had the ability to travel extensively in the racing world take a lot of these differences for granted, but for those of you who haven’t had the chance to experience the entire gambit of regional racing let me break down some of these differences for you.

In the South, racing starts LATE.

Traditionally racing in Northern states will begin around the 6 PM hour. We are accustomed to watching race action by 7. In the South, most tracks do not really get down to the action until 8 PM. Occasionally, the first race doesn’t even hit the track until 9. One of the major reasons for this is the heat. Tracks like to give some time for the sun to set and the heat of the day to subside to make it more comfortable for the fans and teams. The cooler evening temperature also allows the track to keep the racing surface preserved for better racing. The cooler temperature keeps more moisture in the tracks and keeps the track from bolting up as long as possible.

In the South, the racing formats can vary greatly. A lot of the region's tracks do not run heat races and rely on qualifying to lock in the feature and send the rest to the B-Mains. Some tracks lock in the top two to four qualifiers and send the rest to heat races. There is a flavor for everyone in the South, but don’t expect the Northern styles of qualifying, heats, B-mains, and features. It’s going to be different and that’s all right.

The South wants fenders on those cars. One of the biggest differences between the rest of the country and the South is the lack of open-wheel racing. This rings especially true in the Carolinas and Georgia. They may run three different divisions of Late Models ranging from Super to Crate to Limited, but one class that is noticeably missing on many southern cards is the open-wheel Modified.

They tech the cars extensively and for a good reason.

In the South, the post-race tech inspections are extensive. Before and after every event they will spend more time taking these cars apart and measuring them at every angle. The reason being is that racers in the South are among the most innovative and passionate on earth. They will push every grey area and work every advantage. On the flip side, they are also a group that hates to think anyone is receiving an unfair advantage. So the tracks and series do their best to keep everything legal and fair. Sometimes it turns into a bit of a spectacle. People will sit around and watch the post-race tech, turning it into part of the event itself. The closest thing we have ever had to this in the North is the forgotten practice of Tech Night at Eldora.

The concession stand offerings get interesting in the South.

No joke, I have been to Southern tracks that sell soup beans and corn bread at the concession stand. If any of you Southerners want to see a shocked Yankee, take them to get a burger and watch his or her shock after finding that big scoop of slaw on their burger. It might come as a surprise to those of you down South, but we do not put slaw on sandwiches up north.

Keep in mind these are not the only differences, just the ones that stick out the most in my mind. No matter where you’re at in the country, it’s still racing and it is still fantastic.

Anybody from the North who doesn’t have the chance to experience racing from the South in person can check out Southern racing at its finest by watching next weekend's Ultimate Super Late Model event at Dublin (NC) Speedway LIVE on FloRacing.

By Jonathon Masters

- Jonathon Masters has a lifelong connection with dirt racing. His family has owned and operated MasterSbilt Race Cars manufacturing dirt late model chassis for 35 years. He attended college in North Carolina for motor sports management and has written for various industry publications. Jonathon was an account executive at The International Motorsports Industry Show, founder of the Heartland Auto Racing Show, and has been a racing industry professional for over a decade.

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