Late Model Stock Car Division driver John Moore says when it comes to racing the 2020 season has been difficult because he has not been able to race at South Boston Speedway this season and had only a couple of opportunities to race at a track near his home due to restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You wait for summertime to get here to go swimming,” Moore remarked, “and you wait until March and spring to come so you can go racing. It’s like looking at a lake and can’t jump in it.”
Moore, a North Carolina resident, was at South Boston Speedway testing his car during an open practice session held at the .4-mile oval in late July. His plan was to race at South Boston Speedway this season, but restrictions mandated by the Commonwealth of Virginia to combat the spread of COVID-19 have not allowed the speedway to host any racing events thus far in 2020.
“We need to be running here all the time,” Moore remarked of South Boston Speedway during a break in his testing.
“I really like it. The track is smooth. It’s a nice facility, and the track just suits me.”
While “America’s Hometown Track” has not held any racing events thus far this season, the track is open for testing. The track is open for testing Monday through Thursday each week from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Teams and drivers wishing to test are asked to contact the speedway office at least a day ahead to schedule testing.
“We welcome teams that wish to use the track for testing,” said South Boston Speedway General Manager Cathy Rice.
“We continue to be open for testing as we have been all year. A number of teams and drivers have come here throughout the spring and summer to test including a few teams that compete in the ARCA Menards Series. We look forward to hosting any teams wanting to schedule a test date.”
Moore’s early racing background centered around dirt-track racing. He raced on dirt for three years, winning approximately 16 races through that span.
“I went to get dirt experience because I wanted this,” Moore said of racing Late Model Stock Cars on asphalt. I was a crew member on Chuck Lawson’s team, and I wanted to race. That’s the reason I wanted to help Chuck.”
Moore competed in a couple of Limited Sportsman Division races at “America’s Hometown Track” in a recent season.
“I ran two Limited races here at South Boston and ran well,” noted Moore.
“I finished seventh in both of them. The first one that I finished seventh in was my first-ever Limited asphalt race. I had never raced an asphalt race before that.”
The open practice in late July was the second time Moore had tested at South Boston Speedway, and he was pleased with how things went.
“I don’t have an extreme number of laps under my belt here, but I have had good success in the few races that I have run here,” Moore said.
“We were super-fast right off the trailer (at his first test session) and we were real excited about racing and the (June 27) race got canceled. We’re just here trying some stuff and seeing if we can turn some good times and get comfortable with the car.”
The time Moore spent testing at South Boston Speedway will pay off when he and his fellow competitors are able to return to action at the .4-mile oval. Moore is looking forward to the time that can happen.
“We will definitely run here when they open the doors back up,” Moore noted.
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