NASCAR takes Easter Weekend off, visit your local short track!

As NASCAR and the professional racing scene takes the Easter weekend off, the rest of the racing world is still active - if you know where to find it.
We’re talking about checking-out your local short tracks. Whether NASCAR-sanctioned or not, some of the best racing, week-in and week-out, takes place at an independent short track.
Beyond value for your hard-earned cash, you’ll also find the future stars of tomorrow growing in your very own back yard.
Rick Crawford won five races in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series but it all started at Mobile International Speedway in Irvington, Ala. The former late model track champion successfully made the jump from Gulf Coast late models to the major leagues and never looked back.
That is, until 2010, when he returned home and purchased the track, determined to make it a top short track destination in the Southeast. Since then, he’s lured the ARCA Racing Series, sanctioned a super truck series, and welcomed some of the top late model drivers in the country to his high-banked half-mile oval.
That list includes Chase Elliott, Dave Blaney, Mike Garvey, Bubba Pollard and DJ VanderLey. And that’s just a hint of the offering found every week at Mobile International Speedway.

The track is also positioning itself to host the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as early as next season.
Similar success stories are shared by short tracks across the country, including Pensacola’s Five Flags Speedway. Five Flags is the home of the annual Snowball Derby but also hosts one of the most competitive weekly divisions in the entire Southeast.

Williams Grove Speedway, in Mechanicsburg, PA, calls itself the home of American Sprint Car Racing. Since 1939, it’s hosted the World of Outlaws, URC Sprints and the ARDC Midget cars. It’s a top destination for short track dirt racing and will host 410 Sprint Cars during the so-called ‘off-weekend.’

Port Royal Speedway, in Port Royal, will host the same Sprint Cars later this weekend as well as a competitive slate of late models and weekly racing rosters.

So look up your local short track and pay them a visit this weekend. The racing is sure to be fierce and you may have the opportunity to see a future Sprint Cup Series champion - so bring your family and check it out!