Best place to live for dirt racing.

[mudslinger47]

Only problem with the midwest is you gotta put up with the flippin winters....ain't happening with this kid.... I'd be headed further south, still get a little weather but not like Iowa and Illinois...

[LITE-INN]

If ya was in Bloomington, IL you'd be in the heart of dirt racing!

I thought Sycamore was lmao

[Late_Model_Mark]

While others have strong points about Illinois and other areas up there, I would highly recommend the South, if you lived near Chatanooga or close to it, shall I say the Eastern Tennessee area, you would have so many choices, Just the options in TN. alone are great, just to name a few, you could hit Boyds, Cleveland(if open),North Georgia, Dixie, Rome, 411, Volunteer, Smoky Mountain, Tazewell, I-75 easliy. Then a short putt into Alabama you can always hit the crowd pleaser at Talladega or Arkadelphia. Maybe venture more south and hit East Alabama Mo. Spwy. If in the Chattanooga area, a short venture to the west you can hit the smokin' Duck River Spwy along with historic Winchester as well as Tennessee National. Then throw in reasonable trips to some great Mississippi tracks like Magnolia, Whynot, Columbus, and Corinth.

2 other points here, in this area, you can see the Lucas Series, World of Outlaws, National Dirt Racing League, Southern All Stars, Southern Regional Racing Series, Nesmith 525 Super Late Models Series, Nesmith Crate Late Model Series, Nesmith and Mississippi Street Stock Series events . Then throw in a pyle of unsanctioned gems like the just completed Ice Bowl, Cotton Pickin' 100, Fall Classic and so on.

Point 2, this is just my view and no "diss" to any other region in any way, in my view, I find the tracks in the South for the most part more radical, fast, and intense, high-banked red clay joints that just rock or the superb and best slick joint in the nation, Magnolia. While I enjoy trips out of the region, the South is the place for me. This is Late Model country down here.


Late Model Mark
Talladega Short Track Announcer

[runyou-2]

Point well made.

Although,if you live in Bloomington,ILLiNOY here are the DIRT racetracks you can go to within an Hour and a Half...
*CAMP Speedway Boswell,In.
*Vermillion County Speedway (IL)
*Kankakee Speedway (IL)
*La Salle Speedway (IL)
*Fairbury American Legion Speedway (FALS) (IL)
*Farmer City Racway (IL)
*Spoon River Speedway (IL)
*Peoria Speedway (IL) <---------------my only maybe THIS season?
*Lincoln Speedway (IL)
*Charleston Raceway (IL)
*Clay County Speedway (IL)
*Macon Speedway (IL)
*Springfeild Mile (IL) once a year

These are ONLY DIRTtracks that ARE open and ARE within 1.5 hrs
True,i am biased here,but istill have to pick this area because of our SUPER BLACK STICKY DIRT.This dirt will either break you,bog you,wheely you,or make you WIN.

Your Red Dirt IS good and MIGHT hang longer,but IMO,here when this blk dirt is prepped tacky,there's nothing like it.


IF you added 1.5 more hours travel time....that list would double.

[swartzman]

Late model Mark named the best the south has to offer.. up at the northern and Midwest states you have god awful winters to deal with verses the southern states and then you have god awful summers to deal with.. you maybe thinking I can handle the heat. But until you actually get out in the south's heat in the summer's you do not know what hot is..

[camarofever]

Wow Illinois sounds nice too. I probably wont be racing late models and will stick with the super stock and hobby stock classes as they are the most affordable year in and out without big sponsors. What is the difference between the souths red dirt and the black dirt you are talking about runyou-2?

[runyou-2]

Wow Illinois sounds nice too. I probably wont be racing late models and will stick with the super stock and hobby stock classes as they are the most affordable year in and out without big sponsors. What is the difference between the souths red dirt and the black dirt you are talking about runyou-2?

The color!....LOL Just kiddin!

The red dirt IS good to race on,no question. One drop of water on it makes it slickern owl chit,but when packed i think it holds moisture well,better than blk dirt, without a lot of work,track prep.Red dirt no doubt can be a real hammer down track,wet or semi dry.IMO it ruts easier,and gets very rough easier than a well prepped blk dirt track.Arca cars race on blk dirt at DuQuoin and Springfield,both Mile tracks and prepped so smooth they look like Asphalt.

Black dirt IMO,requires a lot more track prep,tons and tons of water for a fast track.For a big show some tracks water for 3 days,even when it's only in the 80's sometimes,but....when you lay down and seal a moist black dirt track,you will have a hard time busting a tire loose anywhere on it,even with fire breathing monster motors.When it's moist and well prepped,it's going to be a bad azz fast track with this sticky black dirt.On the other hand....it will turn...slickern owl chit...when it dries. You gotta START with a TON of moisture down deep in it to hold.
During the hot summer,sometimes after qualifying and heat races the track can become dry slick.When the sun goes down and stops burning the top off....The moisture will actually come back to the top before semi and features start.It makes deciding what tire to run a much bigger game for many.


Not dissing either way,i think it's great we have a choice.

[TackyTracker]

I'd say any area east of Vegas would be fine..

[katekerillr]

I think Ballpark, California is an excellent choice.

[camarofever]

katekerillr: How? i live here and think it sucks.... no car count or tracks that treat the drivers right.

[CIRF]

The color!....LOL Just kiddin!

The red dirt IS good to race on,no question. One drop of water on it makes it slickern owl chit,but when packed i think it holds moisture well,better than blk dirt, without a lot of work,track prep.Red dirt no doubt can be a real hammer down track,wet or semi dry.IMO it ruts easier,and gets very rough easier than a well prepped blk dirt track.Arca cars race on blk dirt at DuQuoin and Springfield,both Mile tracks and prepped so smooth they look like Asphalt.

Black dirt IMO,requires a lot more track prep,tons and tons of water for a fast track.For a big show some tracks water for 3 days,even when it's only in the 80's sometimes,but....when you lay down and seal a moist black dirt track,you will have a hard time busting a tire loose anywhere on it,even with fire breathing monster motors.When it's moist and well prepped,it's going to be a bad azz fast track with this sticky black dirt.On the other hand....it will turn...slickern owl chit...when it dries. You gotta START with a TON of moisture down deep in it to hold.
During the hot summer,sometimes after qualifying and heat races the track can become dry slick.When the sun goes down and stops burning the top off....The moisture will actually come back to the top before semi and features start.It makes deciding what tire to run a much bigger game for many.


Not dissing either way,i think it's great we have a choice.

Runyou2, you're spot on about Springfield & Du Quoin, Bob Sargent and his staff have the track prep down pat for those two tracks and 3 of the 4 races he promotes at those two places are day shows. I will say this, though, it rained late in the afternoon prior to the Ted Horn Memorial 100 for USAC Silver Crown cars at Du Quoin this past Labor Day Weekend and the added moisture lent itself to some of the drivers racing right out near the wall for almost the entire 100 miles. Robert Ballou especially flirted with the wall lap after lap. We asked Sarge what was different from his usual track prep and he really didn't have an answer but the only variable was the late afternoon shower.

As far as the difference between red and black track surfaces we've seen them both be good and bad. All things being equal there isn't much difference.