Drifting event kicks off 2023 season at South Boston

Published 1:10 pm Friday, March 3, 2023

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By Joe Chandler

South Boston Speedway

Drifting offers a unique mixture of speed, artistry, and excitement for car enthusiasts. Fans can experience the sport when South Boston Speedway hosts its first spectator event of the 2023 season, SoBo Drifts powered by Barlow’s Tire on Saturday, March 4.

Drifting will begin at 11 a.m.

“Drifting has really caught on here at the speedway,” said South Boston Speedway General Manager Chase Brashears. “We try to make it a fun, laid back event where the participants have a great time and get plenty of seat time. The participants, the fans and our entire team have a great time with the event.”

SoBo Drifts powered by Barlow’s Tire on Saturday, March 4 is the third open-to-the-public drifting event to be held at the speedway. A drifting event was held to open the 2022 season, and another was held last October to close out the track’s 2022 season slate.

Both events were successful, and participants are looking forward to returning to South Boston Speedway.

“Being able to drift at the historic South Boston Speedway is cool and different in itself,” said South Boston, Virginia native Chad Campbell, a participant in both of last year’s drifting events.

“The course layout is challenging and fun, including banked hairpin turns, a long sweeper down pit road, and flowing sections in the infield. The size of the course and the flow of the event allows for great amounts of seat time.”

Campbell noted it was great to see a good turnout of fans at last year’s drifting events.

“Since South Boston Speedway is so popular with local fans with other types of racing those fans come out and check out our sport,” Campbell pointed out. “There is something special about that. It doesn’t happen everywhere or often.”

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MARCH 4

Fans attending SoBo Drifts powered by Barlow’s Tire on Saturday, March 4 will experience the sounds of high-revving engines, seeing and smelling tire smoke as it boils up from spinning tires and the action of cars sliding through twists and turns on a course that snakes through the speedway’s infield area and portions of the oval track. Cars that fans will see during the event will range from small compact cars to powerful muscle cars.

The Saturday, March 4 event day schedule has pit gates opening at 9 a.m. A drivers meeting is set for 10:30 a.m. Spectator gates will open at 10:45 a.m. and drifting will begin at 11 a.m.

The first drifting session will run from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. After a break, drifting will resume at 2 p.m., with the event ending at 6 p.m.

Admission is $12 for adults with children ages 12 and under admitted free. Tickets will be sold only on the day of the event.

Spectators will use the Turn 4 ticket gate or backstretch ticket gate to enter the event. Persons attending the event may view the event from the speedway’s trackside tailgating areas, the lawn chair seating area in turns three and four or a small section of the main frontstretch grandstands.

Refreshments will be available at the Turn 3 concession stand.

Driver pit passes as well as pit passes for crew members, non-drivers, and infield spectators can be purchased in advance using the Pit Pay app or purchased on the day of the event. Anyone can buy a pit pass.