Drifting event wraps up South Boston’s season

Published 3:33 pm Friday, October 28, 2022

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South Boston Speedway will host its final spectator event of the 2022 season Saturday afternoon, October 29, with SoBo Drifts Powered By Barlow’s Tire.

Spectator gates will open at noon and drifting will begin at 12:30 p.m.

A new course set up in the infield of the speedway will provide participants with a different challenge from the course they experienced in the early spring.

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“The layout we had in March was suitable for pretty much anyone from beginners to the experienced drivers,” noted South Boston, Virginia native Matt Young, one of the event’s organizers and a participant in this weekend’s event. “The layout for Saturday’s event is a little more advanced. We will start the cars on the backstretch of the oval track, and they will cut down into pit road between Turn 3 and Turn 4. They will shoot down pit road and cut into the infield coming off Turn 2.

“The cars will be able to carry a lot more speed than last time, if they want to,” Young continued. “Also, the cars will be close to wall, so spectators in the tailgate section in Turn 3 and Turn 4 will be closer to the cars.”

The new course took some time to take shape.

“We spent a few days drawing it out,” Young explained. “After that, we came to the track one day and tested it. Everything went great. We will be going back one day this week, set it up and test some more to make sure it works properly and flows well. We can make some changes if we need to, but the layout is pretty solid as it stands.”

According to Young, there a lot of enthusiasm from participants about Saturday afternoon’s event.

“I’m hearing good things,” Young pointed out. “People are really excited about it and are really looking forward to checking out the new layout.”

Drifting is one of the fastest-growing forms of motorsports. Its popularity took a big jump following the release of the movie “The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift” in 2006. That movie involved car culture and street racing in its background and featured numerous exciting drifting sequences.

For those unfamiliar with the sport of drifting, the driver intentionally oversteers a car’s rear wheels forcing them to lose traction, while maintaining control of the vehicle with the car’s front wheels.

Saturday’s event-day schedule has pit gates opening at 10 a.m. A drivers meeting is set for 11 a.m. and spectator gates will open at 12 noon.

Spectators will use the Turn 4 or backstretch ticket gates to enter the event. Persons attending the event may view the event from the speedway’s trackside tailgating areas and the lawn chair area in turns three and four. The frontstretch gate will not be open. Individuals are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs, as the majority of the grandstand areas will be closed.

Admission is $10 for adults with children ages 12 & under admitted free. There will be no advance ticket sales. Tickets will be sold only on the day of the event.

Drifting will begin at 12:30 p.m. There will be a break and Trunk or Treat on the frontstretch of the oval track at 2:30 p.m. Drifting will resume at 3:15 p.m. and the event will end at 6 p.m.

Driver passes as well as passes for crew members and non-drivers can be purchased in advance using the Pit Pay app. Anyone can purchase a pit pass.

Fans and competitors can find the latest updates and news on the speedway’s website, southbostonspeedway. com, and through the track’s social media channels. Information may also be obtained by phoning the speedway at (434) 572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440- 1540 during regular business hours Monday through Friday.