Momentum in Manassas
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Momentum in Manassas

At Old Dominion Speedway the thrill is in the chase.

It’s race night at Old Dominion Speedway and the first event is underway – a detail made obvious by the passing screams of Speedway Sportsman cars encircling pit row. With less than 30 laps left in the race, the Late Model series is on deck. In the pit, Keith Carpenter stands at the front of his bright-yellow Late Model stock car, the top half of his orange jumpsuit unzipped, hanging from his waist. Just a few minutes before race-time and everything is a “go” – well, almost. A member of his crew spots a crack in the engine welding – not large enough to be problematic today, but something for later concern. Carpenter, who hails from Falls Church, isn’t worried. Tonight looks like a great night for racing, he says: the air is good, the temperature not too hot. And for a racecar’s interior, which can rise to 130 degrees and the tires to 240 degrees during an event, moderate temperatures are a blessing, especially when competing in short track racing, where “paint swapping” is common and temperaments run high.

“The majority of us are doing this on a budget,” said Carpenter, who drives car 44. “We have to buy a new set of tires every week. A lot of it is out of our own pocket, but at this level it’s all about the thrill of doing it and the love of driving.”

BARELY AUDIBLE OVER the thundering race in progress, the announcer begins his repetitive cue for Carpenter and competitors to line up their cars in the staging area.

“In the pit area, Late Models. Late Models get ready to roll!”

On the opposite side of pit row, Dave Carter is finishing up a quick smoke before the action begins. Wearing a slim, black jumpsuit, aviator sunglasses and a short, scruffy beard, Carter isn’t too worried about the potential danger of the sport. As a veteran of 20 years, he’s seen it all before. He drives car 54.

“I’ve torn up a lot of racecars out here – but I’ve never been ‘hurt, hurt’ just sore,” said the Fairfax Station resident. “I’ve seen guys go over the wall or through the wall. We all come here every week and know each other. When you put your helmet on you’re here to race and you make split decisions.”

The announcer chimes in again for drivers to get ready. Suddenly, action on the track peaks as two Speedway Sportsman cars collide, sending one into a 180-degree spin. The crowd is on edge but the drivers in pit row are unfazed. The yellow caution light switches on and the Late Model cars finally begin lining up, a faint smoke drifting over the area with the inescapable, pungent odor of burnt rubber in the air.

If riding shotgun in the pace car during qualifying rounds is any gauge for the real thing, then Carter is right: racing in this Late Model event is a series of split decisions strung together for 75 laps. Averaging only 60 mph in the pace car with Ricky Gore at the wheel, who’s been doing this for 22 years, the sharp left turns approach at a blinding rate – the centrifugal force is enough to induce whiplash. But with the pace car safely in pit row, drivers like Carpenter and Carter are hitting the same angles at 80 mph, after shooting up to 120 on the straightaway. They average 16 seconds per lap, or roughly 3 laps per minute on this 3/8-of-a-mile track.

“We are definitely drifting sideways and you can see the car turn,” said Carpenter about the series of left-hand turns. “It’s a leap of faith – these cars pull almost 2 G’s.”

DESPITE THE EXCITEMENT many of the drivers are concerned that fan turnout at Old Dominion Speedway has decreased significantly in recent years while increasing pressure to redevelop the land mounts.

“The sad part is that it’s one of the oldest operating tracks in the country,” said Dale Carpenter, pit-crew member for car 44. “It’s got a lot of history behind it and it’s going to be gone.”

Such racing greats as Richard Petty, Ned Jarrett and Denny Hamlin have raced at this track.

“This is entry level for the serious racing,” said Carter. “This is where guys come from. You’ll get a guy who is just naturally talented and wins a championship or two and move on.”

For Dickey Gore, whose family built the track in 1952 and owned it until its sale to Steve Britt in 2003, he continues to enjoy his time at the track as race director. Sitting on a concrete embankment in pit row, conversing with a number of race officials and coordinators over a walkie-talkie, he can’t help but notice the change over the years.

“It’s changed drastically – everything from cost to different people coming in and out and the cars have gotten a lot better,” said the former Clifton resident, who now resides in a house on the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Despite the recent decline in fans, Old Dominion Speedway is still picking up newcomers like Dustin Gregg of Nokesville, who remembers getting hooked the first time he saw a live race.

“Watching it on TV I don’t like, but there’s something about watching it live that everyone can enjoy,” he said. “I never grew up a car guy, my dad wasn’t into cars, but when they hit the green flag and came out of the straightaway, I can’t tell you how much my body shook. It was just insane.”

IT’S ALSO LOUD, very loud – especially with the Late Model stock cars, the most powerful cars to race at this track.

And as Carpenter, Carter and the other nine drivers in the Late Model event finally line up on the track last Saturday night, revving their engines, they demonstrate just how audible their machines can get.

Doing his part to fuel the crowd, the announcer joins in the excitement of the moment.

“If you’ve got a hat take it off and put your hands in the air, it’s time to get crazy.”

And off they went, four laps at a suspenseful pace behind the pace car before they’re finally let loose to devour the track, and possibly each other.

One lap into the race, a collision blows smoke into the air back at the starting line. The pack of drivers smash their brakes, the two locals, Carpenter and Carter, narrowly escape the chaos. As the cars continue around the track, the affected stock car rolls into pit row, part of the front siding ripped from the body, flapping in the wind. The announcer speaks rhetorically to the crowd of fans.

“Will they fasten it on or just rip it off – we’ll find out.”

Seventy-four laps later, the cars roll in, the local drivers finishing towards the back of the pack, but still in one piece.

After a few more races, including both Grand stock and Mini stock cars, the evening’s event comes to a close, but not before the fans have a chance to explore the pit, meeting drivers while taking turns sitting in racecars and getting autographs from local favorites.

This, according to Carpenter, is what racing is really about.

“One thing we get a bad rap for is that we’re all drunks and rednecks – well, we may be rednecks,” he joked. “But it’s all about the kids – it’s very family oriented. If your kid walks up to a driver he’ll sign anything. It’s about being good and promoting the sport in a good way.”