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Feature article
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Racing big part of the culture
By Jeff Bobo
Lonesome Pine Raceway home for local drivers
North Carolina may still be the epicenter of grassroots stock car racing in the United States, but race fans can’t be disappointed with what the Tri-Cities region has to offer.
Twice a year the biggest names in NASCAR stock car racing come to Bristol to compete on the high banks of the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” of Bristol Motor Speedway.
BMS broadened its horizons in 2004, adding a USAR Hooters Pro Cup to its August calendar, and a UARA-Stars Late Mode touring event in September, and those series will return in 2005. The NASCAR Nextel Cup, Busch and Crafstman Truck Series are still BMS’s top attraction, however.
But, for the race fans who don’t want to wait six months to attend a racing event, there is plenty of local racing action in this region both for round trackers and drag racing enthusiasts.
Lonesome Pine Raceway in Coeburn, Va., is a three-eighths mile asphalt oval with events every Saturday night.
Lonesome Pine Raceway is a stepping stone track for racers who hope to move up the ranks into a national touring series.
In just the past two years, several drivers have moved up to a major racing series from local tracks, including Eric McClure (Nextel Cup, ARCA and Busch), Caleb Holman (Busch and ARCA), Wade Day (American Speed Association), Butch Jarvis (Busch and ARCA), Danny O’Quinn Jr. (Hooters Pro Cup, ARCA), Robbie Ferguson (Hooters Pro Cup, NASCAR Southeast Series), and Steve Blackburn (ARCA) to name a few.
But, Lonesome Pine Raceway also is home to local racers who are content to maintain their weekend warrior status and fulfill their need for speed at their home tracks.
Aside from the Late Model Stock Cars, LPR features the Street Stock (or Grand Stock) division, which are basically V-8 muscle cars with roll cages welded in them.
Other divisions include the three-quarter scale Pro Challenge cars with 1,100 c.c. motorcycle engines, the four-cylinder compact car racers, the modified four cylinder cars and of course, the “Bombers.”
Aside from the local racing action, the track typically also is the site of national touring events.
In 2005 LPR hosts a USAR Hooters Pro Cup race televised on the Speed Channel, and also hosts two UARA-Stars Late Model touring races.
But, if you prefer dirt to the paved ovals, head on down to Bulls Gap, Tenn., to Volunteer Speedway, which claims to be the “The World’s Fastest Dirt Track.” Located at the Bulls Gap exit on I-81, Volunteer Speedway packs the grandstands every Saturday night with fans eager to watch the dirt Super Late Models, UMP Modifieds and various divisions of street cars converted into racers.
“The Gap” as it is know to fans, also hosts The World of Outlaws Late Model touring series and the O’Reilly Southern All Star Series, and always has a “big money” special Super Late Model event attracting top drivers nationwide in the days leading to Bristol Motor Speedway weekend of racing.
It gives the Bristol fans camping at the track during the week a little racing appetizer before the big boys hit the high banks.
There’s plenty of action for drag racing fans every Friday and Saturday night at the International Hot Rod Association-sanctioned Cherokee Raceway Park. The track located five miles west of Rogersville on Highway 11-W also holds occasional Thursday Night Street Fight events where fans can bring their street car to race on the one-eighth mile track.
Bristol Dragway also hosts weekly drag racing action, various Street Fight events, as well as the nation’s premier drag racing touring series, the National Hot Rod Association.
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