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South Boston Speedway
Location
1188 James D. Hagood Hwy. South Boston, Virginia 24592
Capacity
10,000 (est.)
Owner
Mattco Inc. (Pocono Raceway)
Opened
1957
Website
southbostonspeedway.com
Oval
Surface
Asphalt
Length
.400 miles (.644 km)
Banking
12° – Turns 10° – Straights
South Boston Speedway, or "SoBo", is a short track located just outside South Boston, Virginia. SoBo is located approximately 60 miles (97 km) east of another area familiar to most NASCAR fans, Martinsville. It is owned by Mattco, Inc., the Mattioli family trust that owns Pocono Raceway, with general manager Brandon Brown operating the track, replacing Cathy Rice who retired in 2021 after serving in that role for 21 years and Chase Brashears who was in the role for two years.[1] NASCAR's three national series have raced at the track, though the Cup Series has not done so since 1971, while the Busch Series last raced here in 2000. After the Busch Series left the schedule, the Craftsman Truck Series competed at SoBo for a few years between 2001 and 2003. The SRX Series visited the track in 2022.
Like most tracks in the region it is NASCAR sanctioned therefore drivers can run for NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series National Points, the track has produced most of the national champions in the past two decades. The track holds around 12 events annually for its local racing divisions which includes the Late Model Stock Cars, Budweiser Limited Sportsman, Southside Disposal Pure Stock, and the VSP Heat Hornets. The East Coast Flathead Ford Racing Association and the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club make occasional appearances. All events are broadcast live on FloRacing
The track has historically been known for its modified racing, The original SMART Modified Tour ran at the track in 1992-93 and 2001 its successor, the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour, ran annually from 2009 to 2013 and biannually from 2014 to 2016, the reincarnation of the SMART Modified Tour has run a race since 2021. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour has run twice at the track, in 2001 and 2019, the NWMT was scheduled to return for a third time in 2020 but the race was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The ARCA Menards Series has held 3 races at South Boston from 2002 until 2004. The facility also hosted 11 NASCAR Southeast Series races from 1992 to 2006. The ARCA Menards Series East (then NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) replaced the Southeast Series at the track for the next five years and returned in 2017 for twin 100 lap races that continued into 2019.
South Boston in recent years has been known for its Late Model Stock racing. The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 is SoBo's Crown Jewel race, held annually on Independence Day weekend, and is the first race in the Virginia Triple Crown. The CARS Pro Late Model Tour and CARS Late Model Stock Tour has held multiple events at the speedway including a stretch of 21 events from 1997 to 2011 (as the CARS X1-R Pro Cup Series) and has made an annual stop since 2017. In 2014 and 2015 the track held the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown. The ASA National Tour hosted 2 races at SoBo—one in 2001 and the other in 2002.
Some of the better known graduates of South Boston's Saturday night weekly events include Jeff Burton, Ward Burton, Elliott Sadler, Stacy Compton, and the Bodine brothers (Todd, Geoff and Brett). Danville, Virginia driver Wendell Scott, the first African-American driver to compete at NASCAR's highest level, also raced in Modified Division events there.
^"South Boston Speedway Celebrating 65 Years". 8 January 2022.
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