South Boston Speedway
Short track near South Boston, Virginia, owned by Pocono's Mattioli family.
South Boston Speedway, known to fans as SoBo, is a short track just outside South Boston, Virginia, about 60 miles east of Martinsville. Owned by Mattco, Inc., the Mattioli family trust that also owns Pocono Raceway, it is run by general manager Brandon Brown. NASCAR’s three national series have all raced here, but the Cup Series hasn’t since 1971, the Busch Series last appeared in 2000, and the Craftsman Truck Series competed from 2001 to 2003. The SRX Series came in 2022. As a NASCAR-sanctioned track, drivers can earn points in the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. About 12 events each year feature local divisions like Late Model Stock Cars, Budweiser Limited Sportsman, Southside Disposal Pure Stock, and VSP Heat Hornets. All races stream live on FloRacing.
Quick Facts
- Location
- 1188 James D. Hagood Hwy.; South Boston, Virginia 24592
- Capacity
- 7,600
- Owner
- Mattco Inc. (Pocono Raceway)
- Opened
- 10 August 1957
- Layout
- Oval (1957–present)
- Surface
- Asphalt
- Length (km)
- 0.644
- Length (mi)
- 0.400
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- David Blankenship of Moseley, Virginia has the most track championships with seven Late Model Stock Car Division titles.
- Peyton Sellers tied Blankenship's record of seven Late Model Stock Car Division championships in 2024.
- The track record for the NASCAR Whelen Modified is 13.849 seconds (103.979 MPH), set by Tommy Catalano.
Notable drivers
Many Cup Series drivers have competed at South Boston Speedway, including Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte, Geoff Bodine, Bobby Allison, Tony Stewart, Ken Schrader, and Benny Parsons. Parsons earned his first career Grand National win at South Boston Speedway when the track hosted its last Grand National race in 1971. Richard Petty won five races at South Boston Speedway between 1963 and 1970. Waltrip was a winner at South Boston Speedway while competing in NASCAR Late Model Sportsman races.
Bodine cut his teeth in racing full bodied stock cars when he moved south off of the NASCAR Modified circuit in 1981 to drive for Emanuel Zervakis of Richmond; he won nine of 11 NASCAR Late Model Sportsman events and went on to win the South Boston Speedway title that season. In the early 1970s when the NASCAR Grand American Series was popular, drivers such as Tiny Lund, Pete Hamilton, Jim Paschal, Frank Sessoms, and T. C. Hunt competed on the South Boston Speedway oval.
Ray Hendrick, a driver who competed at South Boston Speedway, recorded numerous wins at the track during his career, many of them while driving the winged No. 11 Modified coupe fielded by Jack Tant and Clayton Mitchell; he won five track championships at South Boston Speedway, four of them in the NASCAR Modified division and one in the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman division. South Boston natives Jeff Burton and Ward Burton spent their early careers in the NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Division there; they are the only brothers to win the South Boston Speedway Most Popular Driver Award.
Stacy Compton, South Boston Speedway's 1994 champion, went on to a successful career, competing in the Cup Series, Busch, and Craftsman Truck Series. Hermie Sadler and Elliott Sadler of Emporia, Virginia competed in Late Models at South Boston Speedway, with Elliott winning the track championship as a 20-year-old rising star. Denny Hamlin also raced and won multiple times in the Late Model Stock Car Division.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is South Boston Speedway?
South Boston Speedway is located in 1188 James D. Hagood Hwy.; South Boston, Virginia 24592.
When did South Boston Speedway open?
South Boston Speedway opened on 10 August 1957.
What is the capacity of South Boston Speedway?
South Boston Speedway has a capacity of 7,600.
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