That was a long day. There are tougher ways to spend a day. Twelve hours with a hammer or a shovel or even a paint brush would be much harder than twelve hours wearing two cameras around two race tracks…
But it was still a long day…
First was the bracket racing opening day for the Natural Bridge Drag Strip. The facility actually had the switch flipped in late 2024 after being dormant since 2019. (The dirt oval down the hill has been running continuously, even if with some drama, during that time.)
There were a handful of action days in ’24. For 2025, there seems to be a much harder push to get things moving on with some sense of sustainability. The manager / organizer is G.W. Fitzgerald and he is actively pushing and pulling the place into the light.
The lights along the track are working, by the way… At least, they seemed to be from the view later down on the oval…
Family and friends seem to be very invested with Fitzgerald to make racing there a going concern. The current owners at the speedway dirt oval have been pushing that facility forward with all sorts of improvements. The drag strip is set for its own push ahead. The start line “tower” building is in good enough shape. The racing surface took traction and burnouts well enough. Staging and lane lines were all marked. The “tree” worked as needed. Audio over loudspeakers for announcements was clear enough. Someone thought to have a food tent there. Staffing for staging to starting was coordinated well. The restrooms worked…
What else do you need…? What is not there yet….? Well… The sensors are there at the finish but the results scoring are still dark. Racers times are available on printed tabs at the tower.
Who won…? No idea… Not really the purpose for being there. My reasons were based on seeing what condition things were in (not bad, really…) and to see how well things were put together. To be flat out honest it was a pleasant surprise. The drag strip is several steps ahead of what I expected and I’ll look forward to getting back.
For the oval the progress continues. Improvements to the concessions and lighting were in place for an earlier visit. Infield fencing and track barriers are advancing. The entrance and exit for racers is much improved and uniform. The track scoring board is still working.
More to the point is the fan experience. There can always be more at any event but the fans are turning out in cars, in their own lawn chairs and in the bleachers. The show on the track is lively enough and the racing is close and fast.
For this particular Saturday, five divisions were racing. Street Stock, three divisions of Late Model and Stock 4. Hot laps and qualifying got underway a little after 6pm with opening ceremonies for competition around 8pm.
Going forward there could be a bit of a logistics challenge with the two tracks acting, more or less, as different facilities. The oval and the drag strip are not really operated as a single entity so parking and admission could conflict. However, big events for either track would be coordinated around each other. The drag strip should be an active addition back into the region. It doesn’t look as if the facility in Radford VA is making moves any time soon. The oval is running steady so far. It may be time to check out some speed at Natural Bridge.
Top five results for the speedway are below:
| Street Stock (14 starters) Lee Herring #5 Keith Herring #50 Keith Nelson #45 Trafton Thompson #15 Ben Hamilton #22 | Late Model (16 starters) Tyler Bare #00 Logan Roberson #17 Justin Williams #2W Joe Leavell #8 Derrick Rankin #72 | 602 Late Model (21 starters) Wyatt Coffey #2 Samuel Hamilton #22 Michael Ayers #8 Bryce Smith #4 Stephen Harrison #10H |
| 604 Late Model (21 starters) Justin Williams #7W Ronnie Martin Jr #15JR Braeson Fulton #B6 Corey Almond #7A Logan Roberson #17 | Stock 4 (7 starters) Wesley Givens #8 Gary Smith #97 John Burch #12 Corey Morales #51 Austin Guilliams #33G | Full results can be found online at Natural Bridge Speedway |
Photos from Natural Bridge Drag Strip – May 10, 2025
Photos from Natural Bridge Speedway – May 10, 2025
