Qualla: Southern National Motorsports Park

Southern National Motorsports Park: Introduction

Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit U.S. Air Force photo by Larry McTighe, Public domain. In October 2011, a North Carolina short track came up for auction. It had operated essentially in name only for two years — a single PASS South race in 2009 was the last serious event held on the property. Michael Diaz placed a winning bid of $650,000. Within a year the track had a new name, a new schedule, and a future. Southern National Motorsports Park, in Lucama, North Carolina, has since become one of the most prominent short tracks in the Carolinas, paying out $50,000 to the winner of its Thanksgiving Classic in 2022 — at the time, the richest Late Model Stock race in history. Christopher Bell has won here. So have Todd Gilliland, Bubba Pollard, Josh Berry, and the kind of drivers who eventually find their way to NASCAR's top series.

Image: U.S. Air Force photo by Larry McTighe | Public domain

Southern National Motorsports Park: Before It Was Lucama's

Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit TMRV1234 at English Wikipedia, Public domain. The track opened in 1993 as Southern National Speedway, set in the flat farmland of Wilson County south of Lucama. NASCAR's Southeast Series ran four races here between 1996 and 2002. The NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour came seven times between 2006 and 2014. The CARS X-1R P...

Image: TMRV1234 at English Wikipedia | Public domain

Southern National Motorsports Park: The Auction

Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit U.S. Air Force photo by Larry McTighe, Public domain. By 2009, the track was essentially dormant. The PASS South Super Late Model Series held one points race on September 26 of that year. A USARacing Pro Cup event scheduled for August was canceled and moved to Langley Speedway in Virginia. The doors stayed mostly closed for two more...

Image: U.S. Air Force photo by Larry McTighe | Public domain

Southern National Motorsports Park: The Future-NASCAR Pipeline

Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit U.S. Air Force photo by Larry McTighe, Public domain. Between 2015 and the present, the CARS Super Late Model Tour ran six races at Southern National. Six different winners, including Christopher Bell, Quin Houff, Raphaël Lessard, and Bubba Pollard — three of whom would compete at NASCAR's top level. The CARS Late Model Stock Tour a...

Image: U.S. Air Force photo by Larry McTighe | Public domain

Southern National Motorsports Park: Fifty Thousand for the Win

Sat, 30 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit U.S. Air Force photo by Larry McTighe, Public domain. The Thanksgiving Classic became Southern National's signature event. In 2022, the purse hit $50,000 to win — the richest payout in Late Model Stock history at the time. For a class of cars typically raced for purses measured in thousands, that figure represented something between...

Image: U.S. Air Force photo by Larry McTighe | Public domain