Category: 2021

All posts from the year 2021

There is a big garage on the edge of a pleasant and quiet neighborhood in northwest Roanoke County. In that garage a handful of people gathered to work on a race car. Beyond that, the house is similar to the others. There is no other indication that there is anything going on any different from the other homes beyond that big garage. It’s just those racetrack people at the end of the street. They’re good people. Pleasant neighbors and all that…

There is a common stereotype when it comes to “race” people. Old cars in various states of repair sitting in weeds or up on blocks and odd folks coming and going with bits of other cars and driving things barely beyond a salvage yard…

That may fit some. Not so much for Tink Reedy. Nice man. Nice home. Nice yard. There just happens to be a racing car in a big garage. The car is driven by third generation racer Bryan Reedy. Bryan, Tink’s son, took a wheel as his father stepped away. The Late Model #17 is being prepped for the season opening race at Motor Mile Speedway.

Bryan was no stranger to the track. He had been coming with his father and working in the pit crew. He began driving the Mod-4 series in 2007 and grabbed some wins along the way. He also won some in Limited Sportsman. He ran well enough for a third in points at Motor Mile in Late Model in 2017. Reedy and the white and striped #17 was doing well that same year at Martinsville in the Valley Star 300 when it stopped… Suddenly. With nowhere to go but the wall with other cars spinning in front of him Reedy and the #17 were done for the night.

The car was broken and Motor Mile, the home track, was down for a re-think on future racing for 2018… Without a “home track” it was a slow fix on the car. However, it was fixed and ready for Motor Mile when they set the 2019 schedule.

Reedy is simply doing what his father did. Race cars. His grandfather, Orvil, raced and made some runs in the NASCAR Busch Series. His father, Tink, raced to championships at Franklin County and Motor Mile (New River Valley Speedway).

Bryan is friendly, open and unassuming. During a chat at the garage, while changes were being made to the #17 after some practice laps at Motor Mile, Reedy was happy to talk about racing and the new season. He just wants to race, see his friends at the track and run as well as he can. He has many reasons to be looking forward.

First and foremost, he has respect for the sport and his fellow drivers. Bryan made it clear that he knows what the teams put in their cars off the track and the investment of time and money it takes. He takes that with him as he climbs behind the wheel to race. Racing clean and respecting his equipment, and that of the other drivers, is something he takes to heart.

His family and friends… In the garage was his father, Tink. Tink Reedy, despite no longer driving, is still pretty quick. To see him move whenever there was a chance he was in a camera shot was reminiscent of Speedy Ganzales. (A “Speedy” sticker is on the #17, a carryover from the same on some of Tink’s cars) Also in the garage, more precisely, shoulders deep in the suspension of the car, was Clay Highberger. Clay is an “old school” mechanic who knows the #17 like Commander Scott knows the USS Enterprise. He knows racing and he knows cars and beyond the Reedy team also does some wrenching for some dirt track racers.

Sponsors… Without them it’s simply not possible to put a competitive car on the track. For 2019, Bryan scored top 10s and top 5s following a rocky start of the season. 2020 was a bit strange with Motor Mile down yet again for Covid restrictions. Bryan ran at Dominion, Ace and Franklin County during 2020… All the while being conscious of the health guidelines in place. Despite all of that, he did drive to win at Franklin County putting the Reedy name in Victory Lane where his father held a championship. The sponsors rode along to help make it happen.

The car has influences from Bryan’s father. He had changed some of the scheme for a couple of seasons but for 2021 is back to the stripe and color configuration he ran in 2017. His father and Clay said they liked that look better, anyway. The style of the “17” itself is the same type style his Dad ran with.

Bryan is a devoted family man and his daily job keeps servers and computers running smoothly at the community college. By all measure he is your average fellow making a way for his family. Racing just happens to be a thing he enjoys and the family has known for a long time.

Will there be a fourth generation of racers…? Time will tell. His sons are racing karts.

For now, it’s a new season with the challenges of getting the car ready and keeping it in shape to race again. He has lots of support behind him from family, friends and sponsors.

He did point out… There is room on the car for more. The car is white. Sponsor logos really pop on a white car. Interested…?

For more – Visit Bryan Reedy Racing online

Racing is difficult. It takes time and money to put a race car on a track.

With that out there, consider the race track. The preparation, maintenance and safety concerns for the facility take a lot of effort and cash flow. Economics underline the whole of it. There are so many factors to weigh in that some tracks are falling out.

Motor Mile Speedway was in that situation. The track opened in the 1950s and operated as Pulaski County Speedway, New River Valley Speedway and currently, Motor Mile Speedway. There was a downturn that caused some hard decisions which included an off year in 2018.

The decision to drop the NASCAR licensing and restructure for 2018 left a pool of local racers in a bind facing the prospect of more travel to tracks further away. However, the track came back in 2019 with sanctioning in place and began to look forward.

Then there was 2020. We all know about 2020…

For 2021, facing economy and the distraction of fans, there was some uncertainty. However, the latter part of 2020 brought some new life to the planning and execution of events at Motor Mile. Rusty Wallace…

The Rusty Wallace Racing Experience is handling much of the operations for at least two years. This also brings more fan involvement directly to the track as RWRE will be offering track time to fans by putting them in a race car and on the track. The Rusty Wallace Racing Experience have four dates currently scheduled for fan driving. The cost is quite attractive and starts at just $69.00 to try your hand at the wheel.

With RWRE in the mix, Motor Mile Speedway has some new tires and fuel to push forward to future laps for drivers and fans. However, much of this may depend on the fans. It’s going to take the support of the community and the drivers to generate the interest and excitement at the track.

There are many things to do. People have so many “entertainment” options. The economy of the “car” is changing. Hybrids and electrics and the interests of people are certainly changing the dynamics of keeping people interested in racing. The challenge is there and it’s being played out at race tracks across the country.

Racing is going to change. It is inevitable. However, that change can also be a part of the fan experience. To be there and witness the speed and the sound is part of the attraction of racing. As the dynamics of the automobile and its influence evolve it will become a challenge at race tracks to embrace those changes.

Race fans shouldn’t be looking backward to what was but looking forward to what can be. Get into these tracks and experience some of it and have some memories and conversations as the changes come into play. Racing is changing. Be a part of it. Keep it going. We’re going to keep racing things with wheels.

Motor Mile Speedway has their season opener this weekend. Saturday afternoon has a full schedule of racing with Late Models and several support series. These drivers are ready to race.

*Yes… The Big Dogs are at Martinsville. NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Whelen Modifieds are scheduled for Thursday through Saturday nights. Everybody can’t go. Even with a relaxed Covid attendance requirement, everybody can’t go. Motor Mile could be a great alternative…

**Just sayin’… Go racing!

Visit Motor Mile Speedway Online!

Photos From Motor Mile Speedway: Track Testing Wednesday April 7, 2021

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Timing is everything. The Whelen Modified race at Martinsville is just days away as the SMART Modified Tour turned up the heat just down the road at South Boston Speedway. For race fans, the laps at South Boston wasn’t so much a preview as it was an event on its own standing. The SMART run at SoBo was joined by Late Model, Pure Stock and Hornets racing. The afternoon did not fall short on the show which the track is known for.

The Late Model race started the ticket for the Pocono Organics’ CBD Race Day and the action ran with a chase to lead by South Boston local Trey Crews. Crews took it away from Jacob Borst a third of the way in and pushed the lead to the win. It wasn’t for lack of trying but Borst just couldn’t manage to grab a pass back and crossed the checkers in the second slot. Peyton Sellers, a dual winner at SoBo at the opener in March, lost a tire and raced back to third.

Short as the race may be, the Budweiser Pure Stock 15 lap sprint continued the show with Nathan Crews leading the others start to finish. Crews had also won the opener at SoBo. Justin Dawson and Bruce Mayo came across two and three.

The SMART Tour Modifieds rolled out with some well known names in the seats. Well known Modified brother drivers Burt and Jason Myers were on tap. JTG Daugherty NASCAR Cup Driver Ryan Preece was racing with hist short track record. NASCAR Cup Champion (2000) Bobby Labonte was ready to go. We even caught a glimpse of FOX Broadcaster Mike Joy lingering about…

The current Cup driver, Ryan Preece, quickly took control of the field. Labonte had late race trouble and was out of it. Preece was there to take advantage of the restart with seven laps to go and kept Chuck Hossfeld in the mirrors for the win. It was a second win for Ryan Preece at SoBo (2015). Burt Myers ran third and brother Jason came across fifth. Dennis Holden split the Myers in fourth.

A mid-point wreck at the entrance to turn three held the race for quite a while. A multiple car incident had the #83 of Tim Brown nose first in the wall. Brown was removed from the car by Emergency Crews. At the time he was reported to be responsive and aware. Brown was taken to the hospital and the latest is that he is being treated and does not have serious or life-threatening injuries. His status for getting back on track is unknown and best thoughts are there for family, team and friends.

The closing event, as the SMART teams were loading up, ran with the Budweiser Hornets. Josh Dawson managed the pass of Jared Dawson with five to go for the win. Kevin Currin rolled through in third.

Next up is a NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division double header in a six race event set for April 17th.

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It still would have been a NASCAR short track showdown without tons of clay dirt dragged in and dumped on the oval at the bottom of a grandstand bowl. The dirt added dust, hampered visibility, restricted high line racing and above all of that… Well… It made for a good show.

Racing started on dirt and NASCAR brought it back with the Food City Dirt Race. The trucks had opened the door with races at Eldora and someone thought dragging truckloads of dirt into the Bristol stadium would be a fun thing. Pandemic and crowd limitations and whatever the case, NASCAR and the folks at Bristol cooked up a plan for something outside of the box.

Racing on dirt in the great stadium… As gimmicks go, it was a pretty good one. The ruts and the bumps and the loose upper groove and chunks breaking loose and the slipping and the sliding put drivers on a surface like no other. Dirt tracks don’t really have concrete or asphalt just inches below the surface. Dirt tracks are built on more dirt…

The Bristol Dirt Race was a “Frankenstein’s Monster” of surfaces built in reverse. Throw dirt on the manufactured road surface and cut loose a lot of heavy NASCAR race cars and see how things shake up.

Beyond all else, the rain came and came and came again. The wet made a mud that stuck like glue to grills and windshields and completely bogged the schedule to run on Monday, March 29. The combined schedule of Camping World Trucks and NASCAR Cup put a burn on the dirt that was already mucked from rain. Despite the rain and schedule, the races ran and the track held… sort of…

Martin Truex Jr. was the force to reckon with in the truck race and went on for the win. The Cup race ran later that afternoon.

It shook up. Crashes, spins, visibility, tires and overheating hit many drivers through dusty laps filling the air with the track they were racing on. A late race spin put it all on overtime.

Denny Hamlin started in the second spot outside of Joey Logano. Hamlin made the gamble of going high but the loose dirt in the outside put him quickly in the wall leaving a mostly clear path for Logano to run the checkers on the dirt race at Bristol.

Joey Logano has the distinction of winning on the first Cup run back on dirt since the earliest days. The experiment of the Bristol Food City Dirt Race will see more laps as the schedule for 2022 has it on the books to return. They will review the process and make the track better, as far as the planning goes…

For now… It’s Joey Logano for the win at the Bristol Dirt Race.

It seemed like a good idea. The planning was extensive. The engineering of it was measured to the last bucket.

The wild card, as it can be on a race weekend, was the same as always. After the planning and hauling and making ready, it was the weather that dropped the ball…. Or the water as it is…

Here’s the thing… And it may or may not be a big thing… But dirt on the track at Bristol for a NASCAR Cup race is a gimmick. Granted, it’s a good one. But it is what it is. It’s a twist on a classic race at a historic facility to draw some attention and make a good show.

We’ll see… The drivers couldn’t. Practice went well on the dry surface. Except for the tires wearing really quickly… And the track surface rutting up… And the inconsistency of the racing lines… Traditional dirt races on real dirt tracks are not as long and the track is refreshed at intervals. The Cup race at Bristol doesn’t have these options for a number of reasons.

However, throw in a day of rain and the Camping World Trucks trying to get the qualifying races in and you get two laps of a mess. On the dry side, it was still a bit of a mess… When you look a little closer.

The rain has already pushed the truck race to run after the Cup race on Sunday. (If they run… The weather doesn’t look that great…)

If all had gone without the rain it was still a gimmick that could turn either way. From seeing how the Super Late Models ran the week before the one big drawback is apparent. Put it this way… Reminding fans to wear masks in the stands maybe wasn’t a necessity.

Dirt tracks aren’t surrounded by a stadium several stories tall. The open air of those small dirt tracks lets the dust from lap after lap drift away. The bowl that is Bristol holds all of that in with little means of escape. Cover your beer, and your face…

Now with the rain that hardpack dirt gets tossed up under tires and thrown back on the grills and windshields of every car in the pack. The mud sticks like glue and packs up like brown concrete. Drivers can’t see anything and engines can’t cool. Throw out the radiators and drive blindfolded…

But fans can see and breathe… Every single one of the two laps before the red flag gets thrown.

The practice sessions on the dry track put out so much dust the TV cameras could barely view the other end of the track. Now… Half way through the race the surface would likely be packed and “rubbered” up on the low and high line. The dust would likely ease by then.

We’ll see. It might be Monday… But we’ll see…

2020 was a mix of “Do” and “Don’t”. Do wear masks. Do social distance. Do wash your hands and do stay home. Don’t gather. Don’t have public events. Don’t have restaurants or clubs or bars or concerts… or races…

South Boston Speedway, with strong ties to NASCAR, did everything right. With the guidelines put in place for Virginia, SoBo settled in with their 2020 schedule essentially put in the garage. It was a decision to play it safe with the rules and stand down. The risk of having any cloud fall over the facility, and the possible ramifications and scrutiny if there was an event and anyone linked the track with a Covid incident, was just not worth it for the long run.

Fast forward to 2021. Vaccines are out. Restrictions on numbers of people are relaxed… a bit. Racing events are able to have limited attendance and indications lead to higher numbers as the year progresses. The folks at South Boston Speedway make the moves on a schedule and the “Season Opener” is on for mid March.

It’s one thing to get ready for racing once winter starts to warm. However, after a full year of down time it would be a bit more complex. Add to that the preparations for the rules still in place with additional signage, staff training and documented cleaning guidelines and you have a task to make things right.

They pulled it off like it was a regular mid-season track event. Fans came in with masks and little hassle. The staff was ready like it was routine. The track officials and safety crews were on mark and the schedule for the day progressed rather smoothly.

The racing was great. A full afternoon of Saturday track speed was spirited and lively. Short track racing as presented by SoBo has a long history of fast laps and crowd pleasing action. This first day of racing for 2021 was no different. Six races and four classes of cars on track brought something for everyone. Two Late Model races (75 laps each), two Limited Sportsman events (25 laps each), 15 laps of Budweiser Hornets and 25 laps Budweiser Pure Stocks filled the afternoon of a brisk March Saturday.

Peyton Sellers was the big winner of the day taking the checkers for both Late Model events. The second win from starting mid pack with an inverted line up from the first race. Sellers, a seasoned driver with winning results around the region, is a regular performer at South Boston. Daniel Moss was the strong winner of the first Limited Sportsman race running out front practically start to finish. The second Sportsman event was won by Eric Winslow who also dominated with his run. Nathan Crews, a Budweiser Pure Stock SoBo title winner, began his 2021 with a win in the series opener. Josh Dawson grabbed the win in the 15-lap Budweiser Hornets Division.

South Boston Speedway is set to host the next event on April 3rd. Late Models, Hornets and Pure Stocks return with the SMART Open Wheel Modifieds. Mark your calendars!

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Mustang, Mazda, Porsche, BMW, Corvette, Acura… Racing on a track with twists, turns, up and down grades…

You might immediately bring to mind the 12 Hours of Sebring… And you would be right. Throw in Cadillac, Lamborghini, Lexus and Aston-Martin with some exotic prototypes and you could fill the IMSA field at Sebring.

However… On the same weekend in March, a paddock full of enthusiast racers gather for club racing at another track a little further north. The track is also on the IMSA schedule but later in the year. (A little later than originally scheduled because of Le Mans… )

Virginia International Raceway, just along the border with North Carolina, is filled with many of the same manufacturers running with IMSA, even if the model years are a little older. The National Auto Sport Association and the March Madness gathering brings club racers of the Mid Atlantic Region to VIR. The drivers are the owners and they take their track time seriously and push the racing they do with the same dedication as the “pros” do. They may have a day job on Monday that is distant from the racing life but the weekends the club gathers are their holidays.

They tune their own cars, trade performance tips and upgrades and take part in course classes to improve their laps. Once the tests and registration and course instruction is done, they line up on the grid and race. There may not be big payouts or national media and sponsorships but the thrill of door to door racing and a shot at the checkered flag and some trophy thrown together from bits in the back of a garage is enough.

This is grass roots love of speed and the cars that bring it. Virginia International Raceway is host to several clubs and similar events throughout their schedule. Practically anyone can come with a car and race. Granted, there are safety items the car must have and the driver must pass some basic racing classes for rules, etiquette and skill to run with other cars but the door is there to drive through.

You might want to have an understanding spouse or a bit of a cushy bank account. Perhaps both. Racing is not the cheapest weekend but it also is not the most expensive. Plus, different clubs have different classes of participation so there is likely a spot for your budget.

The Twelve Hours Of Sebring is pretty big. However, It’s not big enough to keep these NASA club drivers out of their cars when the green flag waves. Some of them may catch the last few hours of Sebring on TV but it’s more likely it will be on in the background as they recall their own day at the wheel with their fellow drivers.

Virginia International Raceway hosts IMSA in October. Between now and then, there is room for the clubs to have lots of laps on the same pavement. Go racing.

Event / Track images gallery. *Note: For official NASA Mid Atlantic photos for purchase, contact Tae Tyson at Flat Out Images or Tony Politi at Politi Pixels. Images below are reference / editorial only.

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