For generations, Friday night short-track racing has been the heart of American motorsports. For hundreds and thousands of people around the country, that’s what racing was. Friday night with your family at the local racetrack, either watching or for a few of those, racing. The local speedways were the place where young drivers learned their craft, fueled their dreams, and formed life-long friendships or rivalries.
But as NASCAR transitioned into the modern era with Spec cars and road course racing, the short tracks were sidelined. It’s true short tracks have a tough time retaining their dates on the NASCAR schedule. Richmond Raceway lost a date for 2025. This was inevitable with the international race in Mexico and Street Race in Chicago confirming their spots. But, amidst this uncertainty, one of the prominent short ovals is on the path of revival, not because of NASCAR but the Chesterfield locals and former drivers who wanted to see Southside Speedway breathe a new life.
The Toughest Track of the South gets a new lifeline
The story of Southside speedway is intertwined with the careers of many successful NASCAR drivers. The 0.33 mile circuit established in 1959 is practically the home track for NASCAR driver and team-owner, Denny Hamlin. This was the track where he learned his craft starting in the Mini stock division and then going on to claim track records and number of wins. His talents were spotted by JGR and he became a development driver, this is how he got his big break thanks to short-track racing at Southside.
But in recent years the track has seen some rough days, especially when the COVID pandemic hit back in 2019. The track was closed for racing and there was no clarity on whether or not Southside will survive this tough phase. We’ve all seen what happened with AutoClub Speedway. The 41-acre of land was purchased by the county in June 2021 with the plans to turn the racetrack into a restaurant or commercial hub. While Hamlin had expressed interest in getting the track up and running, an investor group (CRI) led by Lin O’Neil and Jeff Oakley have committed to restoring the auto racing to the area.
The Board of Supervisors, the Chesterfield Economic Development Authority has finalized a 20-year ground least-to-purchase agreement for the Southside Speedway. “As one of the many people who grew up on Friday nights at Southside Speedway, the track holds a special place in my heart. Yesterday Jeff and I were rivals and today we are business partners who want to see our hometown racetrack thrive for years to come.” O’Neil said.
Given how closely Denny Hamlin had been associated with the racetrack many assumed that he might have a hand in this revival process. But that was not the case. When Matt Weaver asked about his role in Southside Speedway’s rebirth, he said, “I’m not, no. I just had some talks with it, but I kind of just left it up to the state in the county to, you know, let me know what their next steps [are]. You know how they would like me involved in the next steps, and I haven’t heard back,”
https://t.co/zZuVBOdDPD pic.twitter.com/JsivB90jCZ
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) March 11, 2025
While there is no definitive timeline confirmed by the CRI, the planned upgrades include track resurfacing, improvements to the grandstands and rehabilitation made to existing structure within the first year. As far as affiliation goes, the track is reported to be sanctioned by NASCAR and O’Neil stated that this process could stretch until 2026-27. With another iconic springing back to life, there’s always the possibility of attracting Dale Jr.’s CARS Tour.
Although it’s tough to see NASCAR return to the Southside Speedway, there’s a possibility of Denny Hamlin organising a massive event like the one he did back in 2007.
What happened at the South Side Speedway in 2007?
Denny Hamlin didn’t forget the racetrack after making it to the NASCAR Cup Series. It was his racing on short tracks like Southside and Langley Speedway that landed him at Joe Gibbs Racing. During the 2007 season, Hamlin made a trip to his home track on Thursday night and it brought out the best attendance the venue had seen in years.
The following year, he even brought his teammate Kyle Busch to the racetrack to compete in the special 175-lap Late Model event that would benefit the newly founded Denny Hamlin Foundation. Rowdy Busch won the race, whereas Hamlin was caught up in a crash involving Billy Morris. This event put Southside Speedway on the map and everyone started talking about it. The race was the talking point all throughout the weekend on Speed and FOX at the Richmond Raceway.
Now that the racetrack is going to get a facelift Hamlin might be tempted to try his hand on a racetrack that helped him learn the craft in his learning days. Even better would be the sight of seeing Dale Jr. and Hamlin compete in a CARS Tour race and that might break the attendance record at the racetrack.
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