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Sprint Cup
DILLNER: Florida Speedweeks
February Speedweeks in Florida evokes many memories for me and I’m not referring solely to the World Center of Racing...
Bob Dillner is a reporter for SPEED. (Photo: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR)
February Speedweeks in Florida evokes many memories for me and I’m not referring solely to the World Center of Racing.
I grew up in the Northeast where we were always buried in snow throughout the winter months, so traveling to sunny Florida with my parents for Speedweeks was always a welcome change of pace. From the moment we opened our Christmas presents, we couldn’t wait to get down to Daytona to see the new cars, glitz and glamour of the entire spectacle. And when I became a NASCAR reporter, it still took my breath away to drive through the tunnel at Daytona International Speedway, see the palm trees, the grandstands and the mammoth race track. To this day, I still get goose bumps.
But you can find me indulging my biggest passion this week after the NASCAR garages close and I’m “off the clock.” I head over to the short tracks to see the stars of tomorrow put on a show at New Smyrna Speedway and Volusia Speedway Park.
So many drivers have raced a Modified at New Smyrna during Speedweeks and gone on to climb the racing ladder. I remember seeing one of my Modified heroes (and I hate to admit this), Jimmy Spencer, the Modified kingpin, compete against nine-time NASCAR Modified champion Richie Evans and Charlie Jarzombek, along with former Cup Series winner Greg Sacks. Other NASCAR guys who have had their turn at New Smyrna include Steve Park, Geoff Bodine and Brett Bodine.
Speedweeks at New Smyrna features nine consecutive nights of racing everything from Super Late Models to Modifieds, sprint cars, street stocks, trucks and other divisions. Fans and competitors converge on the asphalt track from all corners of the United States and as far as Canada, some with expensive motor homes, some with open trailers and others with small, enclosed trailers. They literally eat, sleep and breathe racing for nine nights. Most get only the minimum amount of sleep required because they party all night and come back to the track at 7 a.m. to work on their car to prepare for the next night.
One of my favorite New Smyrna stories was when Jarzombek, one of my childhood heroes, blew a motor. He and his brother Ricky pulled the engine out, drove it to the hotel room, put it in bathtub, tore it apart and rebuilt it before the next night’s event. That’s true racers for you.
True racers also have come to expect a fight or two during the week. One of the great rivalry stories at New Smyrna involves Ted Christopher, a former NASCAR Modified tour champion, and another driver. Teddy operates by the “three-tap rule” - he taps you once to let you know he’s there; if he taps you again, you better pick a lane; and if he taps you a third time, you’re going around. He tapped the other competitor three times and the guy went into the wall on the third tap. Needless to say, the recipient and his crew were pretty ticked, so when they saw Teddy going into the port-a-john after the race, they seized their priceless opportunity and tipped it over with him inside. That’s just a taste of the antics that transpire during Speedweeks. I’ve seen everything from guys beating each other up to a driver throwing a heavy Modified tire at the cockpit of another race car. The event certainly draws out the passion and fire in everyone.
Volusia Speedway Park is a completely different but also very similar world – one with the same craze and energy but staged on dirt. What’s unique about Volusia is you’ll see Dirt Late Models, dirt sprint cars, the big block dirt Modifieds from the Northeast and similar divisions, and you’ll find drivers like Tony Stewart there every night with his buddies Danny Lasoski, Donny Schatz and Steve Kinser.
These drivers, despite how successful they are at their respective levels, recognize the importance of short tracks to the future of racing as a whole. These Florida events are integral not only to the health of short-track racing but also to its growth because so many people from the business side of racing convene there, make contacts and scout the future talent.
It’s a meet-and-greet for drivers and those in the racing industry, but it’s a tradition for so many fans, one that they look forward to for the next 11 months. If you’re passionate about racing, it all begins at Florida Speedweeks – not only on the high banks of Daytona but also on the short tracks like Volusia and New Smyrna. And it all begins this week.
I grew up in the Northeast where we were always buried in snow throughout the winter months, so traveling to sunny Florida with my parents for Speedweeks was always a welcome change of pace. From the moment we opened our Christmas presents, we couldn’t wait to get down to Daytona to see the new cars, glitz and glamour of the entire spectacle. And when I became a NASCAR reporter, it still took my breath away to drive through the tunnel at Daytona International Speedway, see the palm trees, the grandstands and the mammoth race track. To this day, I still get goose bumps.
But you can find me indulging my biggest passion this week after the NASCAR garages close and I’m “off the clock.” I head over to the short tracks to see the stars of tomorrow put on a show at New Smyrna Speedway and Volusia Speedway Park.
So many drivers have raced a Modified at New Smyrna during Speedweeks and gone on to climb the racing ladder. I remember seeing one of my Modified heroes (and I hate to admit this), Jimmy Spencer, the Modified kingpin, compete against nine-time NASCAR Modified champion Richie Evans and Charlie Jarzombek, along with former Cup Series winner Greg Sacks. Other NASCAR guys who have had their turn at New Smyrna include Steve Park, Geoff Bodine and Brett Bodine.
Speedweeks at New Smyrna features nine consecutive nights of racing everything from Super Late Models to Modifieds, sprint cars, street stocks, trucks and other divisions. Fans and competitors converge on the asphalt track from all corners of the United States and as far as Canada, some with expensive motor homes, some with open trailers and others with small, enclosed trailers. They literally eat, sleep and breathe racing for nine nights. Most get only the minimum amount of sleep required because they party all night and come back to the track at 7 a.m. to work on their car to prepare for the next night.
One of my favorite New Smyrna stories was when Jarzombek, one of my childhood heroes, blew a motor. He and his brother Ricky pulled the engine out, drove it to the hotel room, put it in bathtub, tore it apart and rebuilt it before the next night’s event. That’s true racers for you.
True racers also have come to expect a fight or two during the week. One of the great rivalry stories at New Smyrna involves Ted Christopher, a former NASCAR Modified tour champion, and another driver. Teddy operates by the “three-tap rule” - he taps you once to let you know he’s there; if he taps you again, you better pick a lane; and if he taps you a third time, you’re going around. He tapped the other competitor three times and the guy went into the wall on the third tap. Needless to say, the recipient and his crew were pretty ticked, so when they saw Teddy going into the port-a-john after the race, they seized their priceless opportunity and tipped it over with him inside. That’s just a taste of the antics that transpire during Speedweeks. I’ve seen everything from guys beating each other up to a driver throwing a heavy Modified tire at the cockpit of another race car. The event certainly draws out the passion and fire in everyone.
Volusia Speedway Park is a completely different but also very similar world – one with the same craze and energy but staged on dirt. What’s unique about Volusia is you’ll see Dirt Late Models, dirt sprint cars, the big block dirt Modifieds from the Northeast and similar divisions, and you’ll find drivers like Tony Stewart there every night with his buddies Danny Lasoski, Donny Schatz and Steve Kinser.
These drivers, despite how successful they are at their respective levels, recognize the importance of short tracks to the future of racing as a whole. These Florida events are integral not only to the health of short-track racing but also to its growth because so many people from the business side of racing convene there, make contacts and scout the future talent.
It’s a meet-and-greet for drivers and those in the racing industry, but it’s a tradition for so many fans, one that they look forward to for the next 11 months. If you’re passionate about racing, it all begins at Florida Speedweeks – not only on the high banks of Daytona but also on the short tracks like Volusia and New Smyrna. And it all begins this week.
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