Smackie the Frog

I know what you’re gonna say. There is no such thing. Well, I used to think like you, but I’m not so sure anymore. That’s because Saturday night Dad, Charley, and I went and saw dirt track racing.

Maybe some of you don’t know what dirt track racing is. Well, it is where cars of various forms, from little dodge neons, up to big modified stock cars capable of going 150, race around a small (3/8ths of a mile) dirt track. The format is basically heats (qualifying), semi-finals, finals. We were there for about 4 hours, but we left before it was over.

It is impossible to describe the experience here. First off, it was the loudest thing that I have ever experienced. Dad says that drag races are louder, but this was pretty loud. And this was constant too. Then there was the dirt that got thrown up onto you. By the end of the night I could feel the dirt on my teeth. The best part, though, was the crowd. There were definitely some confederate flags on some clothes, and lots of beer being consumed.

The racing itself was pretty exciting, with the heats being the best part. It was really amazing how fast some of these cars went. They didn’t turn like regular cars, either. They did powerslides through the curves and blasted their way out. Amazing stuff. The finals were actually quite a let down. The cars didn’t go as fast, and every 2 laps or so there would be a yellow flag because some nimrod got his car turned around or crashed into someone else. One guy even got his car up on top of another guy’s car.

I probably haven’t described this in a manner that befits the event, but I think that is because it is such a hard thing to do. I really think that you just have to go experience it, which I think is what all of you should do. GO! Dirt Track Racin’ Good Time