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Preview: Top 10 Must See Races of 2010
Here are the Top 10 Must See Races for the 2010 Season ... Obviously we can't list all the great races that are going to take place this season, but here are some races that the "RACE22.com Crew" wouldn't miss for anything! ...
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#10 - Bobby Isaac Memorial
In 2009, new Hickory Motor Speedway promoter, Kevin Piercy made few mistakes, but one of them was moving the Bobby Isaac Memorial from Labor Day to another date. This year, Piercy has returned the race to it's traditional Labor Day, Monday date and this race will return to it's prominence among the biggest of the big Late Model Stock Car races. The Bobby Isaac Memorial race has a long history of exciting and memorable races through the years and with the race being moved back to Monday hopefully it will draw the big names from around the region to contend with the always tough group of local racers as well.
#9 - UARA @ Kingsport
After sitting dormant for seven years, Kingsport Speedway in Kingsport, TN roared back to life last fall with a UARA-STARS Series race. In 2010, the UARA will open the track for two races and that means race fans from around the region will have the chance to watch what will likely be two of the best races during the season. Last fall, Brandon McReynolds held off a feuding duo, Jamey Caudill and Matt McCall for the victory in an easily exciting race. This year the series will take it's group of drivers there early and late in the season opening the door for even more of today's LMSC drivers to turn laps around the tough little concrete bullring.
#8 - Firecracker 150 @ TCMS
Tri-County Motor Speedway could easily have more races on this list as the old worn out track features some of the best side by side racing for positions throughout the field. The Firecracker 150 is always an exciting mid-season race on the 4/10 mile track and last year it featured even more excitement and was eventually won by Newport Speedway regular, Kevin Leicht. This year the race will take place on Friday, July 2nd and will feature Tri-County's best against some of the best LMSC drivers around the region making it one of the best LMSC races that anyone will have a chance to see this season.
#7 - Rusty Harpe Memorial
The Rusty Harpe Memorial has to be among the best Late Model Stock Car races each year. The race named in honor of former LMSC driver, Rusty Harpe, who was tragically killed in January of 2007. In the first two years of the annual race, two of Harpe's friends took home the victory with Travis Swaim(2007) and BJ Mackey(2008) and in 2009, Alex Yontz took home the win. This year the race promises to be just as good as it has in past years and the competition promises to be just as strong with drivers from all over coming to compete in this Wednesday night(July 7th) classic.
The Independence Day weekend, SoBo 200 or the October 'big race', the SoBo 300 can easily be ranked among the top ten and technically with combining these two races at #6, it makes this a Top 11 races, but who cares this is our list. The SoBo 200 until recent years was 'the' mid-season race, but with several others coming about, it's not the marquee event it once was, however it's still one of the best. The SoBo 300 has always been among the top three season ending races right there with Martinsville and Myrtle Beach and with last years event being one of the best ever, big things can be expected this season.
#6 - SoBo 300 or SoBo 200
#5 - DH Short Track Showdown
In past years, this race couldn't be included in this list, simply because they weren't competing with Late Model Stock Cars. This year, Denny Hamlin will bring Late Model Stock Cars back to the Richmond area track for the first time in over seven years and will bring in not only some big Cup series names, but also the best of the best in Late Model Stock Car racing. The top five points finishers from 2009 from many of the short tracks running LMSC and the UARA have been invited and they'll go head to head with Cup series drivers such as Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Joey Logano and many more still to be announced. Who wouldn't want to see this race?
#4 - UARA @ Rockingham
Last year before the UARA-STARS Series took Late Model Stock Cars to the one-mile Rockingham Speedway, people thought it was crazy and that someone would get killed and blah, blah, blah ... turn the page to April 18, 2009 and the race went off without a hitch and with young bucks Corey Lajoie and Paddy Rodenbeck putting on a clinic on how to race side by side, bang off one another and still keep after it. It was probably the greatest 29-lap race in the history of Rockingham(maybe the best race of any length) and the UARA-STARS Series will be back to do it not once, but twice this year. So buckle up for one, no two of the best races we'll see in LMSC this year.
Sometimes the bigger the track, the less intense and exciting the race, but long before Rockingham, the Myrtle Beach Speedway gave big tracks a good name. Almost any race can be exciting on the only weekly LMSC track over a half mile, but when November rolls around Myrtle Beach Speedway takes on a life of it's own. The Myrtle Beach 400 usually comes down to a couple of guys who've best saved their tires on the gritty old track and even in recent years it's been a last lap pass for the victory keeping fans on the edge of their seats! This years race promises to be no different as over 60 of the best LMSC drivers will once again converge on the track just off of South Carolina's Grand Strand.
#3 - Myrtle Beach 400
The Dwight Huffman Memorial was created to honor the memory of former Hickory Motor Speedway promoter and former team owner, Dwight Huffman. Certainly in the events two years, this race has put itself on the map and now stands as "the" mid-season special drawing the best cars, drivers and teams as well as incredible crowds. Andy Loden and Matt McCall have etched their names into the record books as the first two winners and this year's could be up for grabs. Hopefully, this years will create as much excitement as last years when McCall drove from last to first to win $14,400.
#2 - Dwight Huffman Memorial
That title probably threw you off, didn't it ... well right now we don't know what the name of the race is going to be after Bailey's was forced out by the government. No matter what the name, the Bailey's 300, the Taco Bell 300 or whatever it is this year, this race at Martinsville Speedway is always the biggest and best race annually. From fierce late race battles to young guns battling hard on a green, white ,checkered finish like we saw this year with Jake Crum, Brandon McReynolds and Brennan Poole, the Martinsville Fall LMSC 'big race' is always the best!
#1 - Martinsville LMSC 300
Looking for more Must-See Late Model Stock Car races? Here's a few more you might want to check out that didn't make the list ...
*Hampton Heat 200 at Langley Speedway
*UARA-STARS @ Dillon Motor Speedway
*Fall Brawl @ Hickory Motor Speedway
*Mid-Atlantic Championship @ Caraway Speedway
*Memorial Day Special @ Shenandoah Speedway
*Pretty Much any race at Motor Mile Speedway(they don't have a big race or they would have easily made the above list)
*UARA @ Greenville Pickens Speedway
Looking for races outside of LMSC in this region??? How about these ...
*PASS South @ Wake County Speedway
*Any race that takes place @ North Wilkesboro Speedway
*North/South ShootOut @ Concord Speedway
*NASCAR Whelen Modifieds/Camping World East Double Header @ Martinsville Speedway
*PASS Mason-Dixon Meltdown @ Newport Speedway
*Limiteds at Martinsville(No indication has been given that this race will return for 2010)
There's plenty of other great races around the region, but those are the one's we're looking forward to covering
