Life inside of one of these rigs has only just begun for Dirt Late Model teams
Dirt Late Model racers just completed a run of races in which there were 13 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events, six World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series shows, and an additional three DIRTcar Nationals contests scheduled over the course of 31 days that took place at five different race tracks in two separate states. And while it certainly was a grueling stretch, the fact of the matter is that the real grind of the racing season is only now about to begin.
Yes, there has been a lot of racing to take place over the past month. Consider, however, that there wasn’t nearly as much travel involved as there will be during the heart of the schedule. Team haulers could have been parked in the same spot for as much as a week at a time during Georgia-Florida SpeedWeeks while there will rarely be such opportunities once the remainder of the season gets underway.
After leaving Volusia Speedway Park on Saturday night, teams will travel to their shops for the purpose of refurbishing tired equipment and maybe even resting tired drivers and crew members. But that break from the track won’t last long. The WoO Late Models schedule calls for teams to be back in action at Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, Tennessee on March 3rd and 4th for a two-night affair then, two weekends later, another two-night event at Boyd’s Speedway in Ringgold, Georgia will be on the docket for the WoO regulars.
Following the Boyd’s weekend, there will be numerous races in April, May and beyond for that series.
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series resumes its activity on March 17th and 18th with races planned for Atomic Speedway in Alma, Ohio and Brownstown(IN) Speedway. Once April arrives, just like their national touring series counterparts, it will be life inside the hauler week after week on the way to the next pit gate for the stars of this circuit.
For those who follow either of these tours, it’s not just the series races that will call for hitting the road. A number of special events, regional series races, FloRacing Night in America offerings and XR Super Series shows will draw them to a race track somewhere down the road.
For some, working in racing may seem like a dream sort of lifestyle. No doubt, many who actually do it think that way or else they would find some occupation that calls for less travel, less noise, less extremes in temperatures, and less dirt and dust. Considering that this may very well be exactly what drivers and crew members want to be doing, it is still a grind that can be very difficult and demanding at times.
And while there was a lot of racing over the past month, the travel was not nearly as much of a factor as it’s about to be. The real Dirt Late Model racing season has only just begun.
Please consider also reading:
Turn 2 Blog: Are there too many SpeedWeeks races? & Who deserved more attention?
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