The North-South Shootout

Concord Motorsport Park was the site of the 3rd Annual North-SouthShootout in November. This is an annual Modified race that pits driversfrom the North--the heart of Modified racing--against drivers from theSouth.

I had watched Modifieds while growing up around racing, and I even racedon the same card with them on many nights. My first experience withModifieds was as a young boy living in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina,when my father and I never missed a race at North Wilkesboro Speedway,and Modifieds were sometimes a part of a fall race package.

These cars were the most intimidating pieces of machinery I had everseen when I was a kid. They simply looked menacing. Even before theyfired up, they had a way of growling at you. Just one glance would leaveyou asking the obvious question: What would happen if two of the carsgot together and touched wheels? Somehow they always finished the raceleaving the crowd amazed at what it had just witnessed.

I was exposed to Modifieds in the North many years later in my ownracing travels. There are no major differences between the cars,although the sport is geared toward stock cars with fenders in theSouth. Modified racing in the North is the subject of legend andfolklore. On any given night, you can catch a race at such Connecticuttracks as Thompson International Speedway and the Waterford Speedbowl. Ihave raced a Legends Car at the Speedbowl and witnessed the actionfirsthand. On the particular night that I was there, the Modifieds madeit four wide in the first turn, and somehow came out the other side!After their feature, some of the local Modified drivers hopped intoLegends Cars to race with us. It was one of the wildest things I haveever been a part of.

I also ran a Legends Car on the same card as the open-wheel monsters atFriendship Motor Speedway in Elkin, North Carolina, just north ofCharlotte. The Southern guys also put on one heck of a show.

The Battle

The title North-South Shootout conjures interesting thoughts about whatto expect from the event at Concord Motorsport Park. I will tell youright away that the Northern contingency has been the majority of thefield in the first two annual events. As I arrived at the track and mademy way to the back gate, I drove through the massive field of RVs thathad assembled. There were flags flying on almost all of the RVs. Let'sjust say that it was not difficult to determine who was pulling forwhom.

In the previous two events, the North had won the war. This year thelocal crowd was ready for the South to rise again, though. After makingmy way into the pit area, I was informed that the Yankees had claimedthe pole and seemed to have a firm grasp on the top qualifying spots.Concord Motorsport Park is a very unique track that, according tospotters, has five turns due to the dogleg in the backstretch.

The North-South Shootout was supported by the SK Modifieds, the VintageModifieds, and even the Thunder Roadsters of 600 Racing. The SKModifieds had not been on the card in the previous two years. They arepractically the same car as the feature series, but with lesshorsepower. A lot of the drivers who later ran the feature alsoprocured a ride for the earlier event. This gave them more track timeand hopefully some insight into the track conditions for later thatnight.

The SKs did not disappoint. They were intense from the word go. The racewas caution-filled but gave the crowd plenty to cheer for as the fieldwas very close (oftentimes three and four wide). Ted Christopher, aWhelen Modified star, was also in the SK feature but retired early dueto mechanical issues. Eventually, car No. 52 (driven by Woody Pitkat)prevailed as the winner in the inaugural SK event. Hailing fromConnecticut, Pitkat gave the first race of the night to the North.

In the main event, Northern driver Donny Lia (in the No. 18 car) set thepace with a lap of 15.605 seconds at 115.348 mph. Just as in the earlierfeature, these guys were intense from the start. It was not nearly ascaution-filled, but the racing was equally as tough. Late in the race,North Carolina driver Brian Loftin gave the Southern contingencysomething to cheer about as he worked his way through traffic, sparkinghope that the South was rising. In the end, it was New Jersey nativeJohn Blewett III in car No. 76 who took home the commemorative shotgunand all the glory. This makes the second shotgun for Blewett in thethree-year history of the event. Brain Loftin brought the No. 23 carhome Third and was the first Southern car in the finishing order. Well,the North took home the glory again. The race was awesome, and the themejust adds to all the fun. This event has been added to my list of greatmust-see races.