A huge crowd was on hand at Tazewell for the Spring Nationals series.
The thought behind the sport of dirt late model racing is a track needs to host a national event to draw a huge crowd. This past weekend showed that is not always the case.
Easter weekend saw both the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the World of Outlaws Case Construction Late Model Series off. Most drivers in both series took the weekend off while others decided to race in regional events in their neck of the woods.
Holiday weekends are hit and miss with attendance. That still does not deter some promoters from staging events when the two national series are off the same weekend.
Schaeffer’s Spring Nationals held a doubleheader at I-75 Raceway and Tazewell Speedway. Attendance for super late model races at I-75 has historically not been good. With names like Jimmy Owens, Brandon Overton, Hudson O’Neal, and Dale McDowell saying they would be racing there, the fans responded. The grandstand seating was nearly full, tier parking was packed, and there were a lot of people in the pits. It had to be one of the best attended super late model races at the track since it first opened as a 5/8-mile track.
Tazewell Speedway typically draws good crowds for all their super late model events. Interest seemed high for the Lil Bill Corum Memorial race with the previously mentioned drivers planning to race along with Scott Bloomquist.
Fans packed the place in anticipation of seeing those drivers, and others, taking on the high banks of Tazewell Speedway. Concession lines were long but moved at a good pace. Fans young and old were there to see what would take place next at Tazewell.
What was the key to both races having really good crowds? The Spring Nationals and both tracks did well promoting these events on social media. A lot of tracks and series do this, and it does not always translate into good attendance. Maybe it was the fact these were the first super late model races of the season. Or maybe because it was the first super late model racing in the area since late last summer. Or maybe fans in the area know their chances of seeing these types of races will be less this year than in previous years. Or maybe it was all of the above. Either way, it was good to see the fans respond to both races.
