SOUTH BOSTON, Va. (Feb. 22, 2022) -- Drifting, one of the fastest-growing disciplines in motorsports, will be featured when South Boston Speedway hosts its first spectator event of the 2022 season, SoBo Drifts, on Saturday, March 5.
On-track action will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will continue into the late afternoon.
“This is not a competition, but it is an organized event,” said South Boston, Virginia native Matt Young, a participant who is assisting speedway officials in staging the track’s first-ever drifting event.
“I’m very excited about this event. It’s great having a hometown track like South Boston Speedway being involved and hosting an event like this. There are a lot of people that live in this area that are into drifting. It will be an exciting event for everyone to watch.”
South Boston Speedway General Manager Chase Brashears is also excited about the event.
“We are thrilled to host this new open drifting event,” said Brashears. “This is one of the new events we are hosting this season. We are celebrating the speedway’s 65th anniversary this season and are doing it in a big way with some first-time events and special events. SoBo Drifts will be a unique event that will be fun for the entire family to watch.”
A handful of participant spaces remain for the event. Those participant spaces are being sold via the Pit Pay mobile pit pass app and any remaining spaces will be sold on the day of the event.
Drifting is one of the fastest-growing forms of motorsports. Its popularity took a big jump following the release of the movie “The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift” in 2006. That movie involved car culture and street racing in its background and featured numerous exciting drifting sequences.
For those unfamiliar with the sport of drifting, the driver intentionally oversteers a car’s rear wheels forcing them to lose traction, while maintaining control of the vehicle with the car’s front wheels.
Drivers will snake and slide their way through a course set up in the speedway’s infield area. In addition to tackling the infield course, some of the more experienced participants will tackle drifting on the oval track before the day’s action concludes.
Young says there is a lot of interest in drifting in this region.
“People see the cars going sideways,” he pointed out. “They hear the sound. They see and smell the tire smoke. Everything about it is appealing to somebody that is really into cars.”
South Boston Speedway is hosting SoBo Drifts “open-house style” with admission being $10 for adults and children ages 12 and under being admitted free when accompanied by a paid adult.
Tickets will be sold only at the gate on the day of the event. Food will be available during the event.
Spectators wishing to do so may view the event from the speedway’s trackside tailgating areas and the lawn chair area in turns three and four. Individuals are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs as the majority of the grandstand areas will be closed.
The event-day schedule has spectator gates opening at 9:45 a.m. with the first drifting session scheduled from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Following a break from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., a second drifting session will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. A drifting session on the oval track will be held from 4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m., after which the day’s event will close.
The latest news and updates from South Boston Speedway are available on the speedway’s website, southbostonspeedway.com, and through the track’s social media channels. Information may also be obtained by phoning the speedway at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.
PHOTO INFO -- Courtesy of Joe Chandler/South Boston Speedway
Photo 1
Smoke boils from the rear tires of the car driven by Matt Young as Young drifts his way through a course in the infield at South Boston Speedway. Young and other drifting participants will be in action when South Boston Speedway hosts its first-ever drifting event, SoBo Drifts, on Saturday, March 5.
Photo 2
Matt Young (left), DyQuan Harris (second from the left) and others watch drifting participants navigate a course in the infield at South Boston Speedway. Young, Harris and other drifting participants designed the course that will be used for SoBo Drifts on Saturday, March 5 at South Boston Speedway.