Forget Daytona, it's SpeedMONTH at New Smyrna and Barberville | Short-track schedules
Speedweeks at Daytona?
Weeks? Depends on how you look at it these days.
Beginning with this week's Rolex 24 testing, IMSA’s annual sports-car gathering does cover back-to-back long weekends, though NASCAR’s February visit has been shortened to just five days.
But escape the gravitational pull of the big, famous speedway, venture a little south or west, and you’ll indeed find weeks of racing on the upcoming calendar.
In Barberville, you’ll actually find a speed month!
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The local short-track scene has long piggybacked on the world-renowned Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. Many race fans — and some racers — add the short-track action to their yearly Daytona itinerary, with a pair of half-mile ovals offering both asphalt and dirt-track action.
At New Smyrna Speedway, the rescheduled Red Eye 50/50, postponed two weeks ago due to bad weather, will run Feb. 3 and crank to life a busy February. The traditional World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing starts its nine-night run Feb. 9 and will feature 13 different classes of cars, including the season opener for NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour.
At Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, there’s basically a month of racing on a dirt track billed as “the world’s fastest half-mile.” It begins this week with the DirtCar Sunshine Nationals and concludes with 13 straight nights of racing next month.
Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville
Jan. 17: DirtCar Sunshine Nationals practice.
Jan. 18-20: DirtCar Nationals
Jan. 25-27: Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout.
Feb. 5-17: Federated Auto Parts DirtCar Nationals.
More information: VolusiaSpeedwayPark.com
New Smyrna Speedway
Jan. 20: Weekly racing program
Feb. 3: Red Eye 50/50
Feb. 8: World Series practice night.
Feb. 9-17: World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing.
More information: NewSmyrnaSpeedway.org
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona famous, New Smyrna and Barberville busier | Short-track slate
