At Large

Short is about to tangle with about 20 other drivers in the 20-lap “U-CAR” division race—a low-budget, four-cylinder racing class that stands for “You (U) Can Also Race.” When the green flag is dropped, Short stomps on the gas pedal and pushes her little car’s 120-horsepower engine to its limits, roaring around the hard-clay track at speeds of more than 80 mph. Almost immediately, the cars are banging into each other—trading paint, in racing parlance—while dust flies and dirt collects on driver helmets through open windows. And, as usual, within moments there is a wreck—in this case, one that delays the action for almost an hour while the carnage is cleared. When the race (one of six of the night) finally resumes, Short can manage no better than a sixth-place finish. It’s disappointing, but she doesn’t drive for money. Nobody does at Wythe Raceway, where the U-CAR winner earns $50. “I just love racing,” says Short. “It’s an adrenaline rush. It’s definitely not for the money. It’s a need for excitement. And, by Sunday, I’m already counting the days until next week.”

Well-financed NASCAR teams and flashy races in Richmond, Bristol, Charlotte and elsewhere grab the headlines, but, at its heart, stock car racing is a grassroots sport. Nearly all of NASCAR’s star drivers got their racing start at little dirt tracks like Wythe Raceway. Drivers with money, connections and big-time talent quickly move on to bigger teams and bigger tracks. Those who don’t, keep racing as amateurs on the clay and dirt tracks like this one—not for money but because they have a passion for cars and racing, and a fiercely competitive spirit. “It’s seeing what you can do,” says Duke Bare, 37, a mechanic and prize-winning driver at Wythe Raceway who dates Short and routinely fixes her cars. “It’s a test…whether you’re better than everyone else.” Bare explains that while some competitors invest thousands in their vehicles, ambitious to win, many other drivers are simply happy to get out on the track. “Not everybody plans on winning when they go to the racetrack,” he says. “People are content with just having a race car and going racing. They just want to do it. The winning part hasn’t even dawned on ‘em yet.”