There’s been a lot of talk over time on this message board about how great non winged dirt sprint car racing is. There was even one member that stated a type of car that was not a non-winged dirt sprint car was “not a real sprint car.”

Well, I have a confession to make. I’m not just a non-winged dirt sprint car fan.

Now before you all start burning me in effigy, please note the word “just.”

Truth is, I love non-winged dirt, but my confession is that I love all types of racing.

I recently went to my 132nd different race track (Colorado National Speedway, just north of Denver). And I recently raced at my 77th different race track (also Colorado National Speedway). I have raced sprint cars winged and non-winged, dirt and pavement. All my races that I have driven in except one have been in sprint cars.

On my long drive home from Colorado, I got to thinking about all of this. I decided to share my favorite top 10 races that weren’t non-winged dirt sprint cars. But I just couldn’t settle on just 10. So here is my top dozen:

12. NASCAR Cup Series- Charlotte Motor Speedway- 2005: I know I lost some of you right here. I’m always surprised by the number of NASCAR haters out there. While I’m just a casual NASCAR observer, I have some friends that make their living working on race teams down there. While visiting a customer down there, they presented me with tickets to the races that weekend. That’s when I realized that TV does not do racing justice. This is especially true with short track racing, but it’s also true at the bigger tracks. I was amazed at how hard those guys enter the corners there. Maybe it takes a driver to appreciate it, but physically, it just doesn’t look possible that they can enter a corner that hard. I was sitting up high, so you could really see it.

11. NHRA- Raceway Park, Indianapolis- Various years: A friend of mine got me started going down there for the races over Labor Day, although we missed it this year. Believe it or not, we don’t go for the top fuel cars. We actually go on Thursday when the street cars are there. It’s like a mobile car show! Watching those old (and new) muscle cars blast down the quarter mile is fantastic. I’ve seen everything from a Pinto to a Hemi Cuda go down the strip there. The pits are open and you can just wander around and look at the cars close up. I think it cost us $5 to get in. One of the best bargains in racing.

10. DIRT Modifieds- Syracuse, NY- 2016: Unfortunately, I’ll never be able to see this again. Some local political hocus pocus made this track disappear. But I’m glad I went when I did. My only regret was that I didn’t start going 10 or 20 years ago. The fact that the Silver Crown cars were there also didn’t hurt.

9. Pennsylvania Speedweek- Williams Grove- 2008: Williams Grove is an iconic track. Add to that, the speed of the winged cars made this an easy choice for my top 12. Because of the tight corners, the winged cars really pitch it through the corners and I think even the naysayers that say winged cars don’t pass would be impressed by all the passing as the fast cars start towards the back.

8. The Classic- Oswego, NY-2007: Another iconic racetrack. And there’s just something about the rumble of a big block super modified that thrills me. The cars are unique and the racings great. Need I say more?

7. King of Wings/ Auto Value Super Sprints- Kalamazoo Speedway-2017: I will admit this pick is a bit self-serving. I run with this group and was in this race. But it’s rare that I get to watch a Winged Pavement race as if I’m there, I’m usually driving or at least wrenching on our team car. But an early DNF in the 40 lap feature put me up in the stands for the duration. Kalamazoo is a very fast 3/8 mile track. The all-time track record there is 9.465 seconds! The winged sprint record is 10.114 seconds. During the feature, there was constant two and three wide racing. I still swear I saw four wide at one point. Watching runner up Jason Blonde smoking the right rear tire as he was sliding the car around chasing the leader was mesmerizing. For the person on this site that said pavement racing is non- existent, I’m glad you didn’t tell the packed grandstand.

6. Silver Crown- Williams Grove- 2017: I love Silver Crown cars. My dream is to drive one someday. And this race was one of the best Silver Crown races I’ve ever seen. Seeing Damion Gardner jump out to a large early lead and Kody Swanson stalk him and hunt him down was breathtaking. I really enjoyed watching the strategy develop. I felt this race really displayed why Kody is the modern day Silver Crown master.

5. Indy 500- 1978, 1979, 1980, 2017: As you can tell, I hadn’t been to this race in quite some time. But after this year, it won’t happen again. Even though you can’t see all of the track, the big screens really help that out. One of those races where you get the feeling you are watching history being made.

4. Brad Doty Classic- Attica Speedway- 2016, 2017: While this race was good when it was at Lima, it got better at Attica. There were 58 sprint cars on the grounds. The C main would have been a great feature at most tracks. And you guys that think winged cars don’t pass, well, Sheldon Haudenschild flattened a tire fighting for the lead and had to go to the back. He came back and finished 12th. Kyle Larson spun on the same lap and came back to finish 10th. But those weren’t even close to the big movers. Brad Sweet started 25th and finished 5th! Long ride home on a work day, but well worth it.

3. Hoosier 100- Indy Fairgrounds- Every Year: I won’t consider my life complete until I wheel a car around the Indy mile. I’m not exactly sure what I would do to race a Silver Crown car there, but it would be almost anything. When this gets rained out, I’m always devastated. Another one of those races I wish I would have started going to 20 or 30 years ago. Maybe even 40, but somebody would have had to drive me there.

2. Chili Bowl- Tulsa, OK- 2005 to present: I had to dig through my t-shirt collection to figure out what year I started going. There’s never been a year when I didn’t leave there saying “Wow!” This is one of the true events in short track racing. You never know who might show up, both in the stands and in the pits. I have always had the feeling that to the drivers and car owners, the Golden Driller trophy means more than any paycheck. I really think you could cut the purse in half and still get 250 cars.

1. Little 500- Anderson, IN- 1976 to present: Anybody who knows me knew what #1 would be. I first went as a teenager in 1976 when my father crewed for Billy Jo Havens in the race. I have had the honor of driving in this race four times. I would buy a ticket to this race to just watch the first lap. 33 cars starting three abreast on a ¼ mile track is a sight. If you’ve never been, you don’t know what you’ve been missing.

I know many of you will disagree with several if not all of my picks. In fact, a friend of mine and I have a little side bet on what one particular member will say. But they’re my picks.

As my driving career is winding down, my career as a fan is ramping up. I’ve been lucky enough to have a job that enables me to travel a bit that sometimes includes going to the races. And that job also enables me to have a racecar. I’ve set a goal for myself to go to one new track every year. I’ve got a million stories of my times both driving and spectating. And none of those stories start with, “I was sitting on the couch…”

So I’ll leave you with this; put down the keyboard, get off the couch and go to the races. Any races. Go with an open mind. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else. Or give your first choice another chance.

Even after visiting 132 different race tracks, I still have a bucket list of places I want to go. But that’s a different thread for a different day.

Tom Paterson

Thanks for this post. I love all forms of racing. I own half of a bracket race 92 Camaro so I'm really on board with that first day of nationals. And I love silver crowns as well. Great list. I hope one day I can say I've been to as many tracks as you. That's outstanding!

I've been to many of Tom's list and a bunch of other places too. Think my racetrack total is 165 or so without looking. Been basically to every track on my bucket list except maybe a couple, Ventura and Western Springs.


For many years my favorite race was the Oxford 250. It's pavement late models, but years ago it was a very big race that used to be in Stock Car Racing magazine every year. It paid a LOT of money to win, and then to make things more interesting Bob Bahre (promoter back then) sold laps for lap money to the tune of $100 per lap, and $1250.00 for leading at half way. It was 250 green flag laps. Caution laps were scored , but not counted. Lap money changed strategy, and there never was a dull moment. No provisionals back then either.

I think all that is now behind me. I've been to exactly 1 race this year, and this weekend is the World Figure 8 race, one of the " I have to go to races" for me each year for the last 10 years, and I don't have any interest in going. Little Belleville has a doubleheader midget weekend in a few weeks (I love that place) a nd the interest level for that hasn't budged off the zero mark either.

Interestingly enough I still read about racing every day despite the lost interest. I do feel like a traitor at times wearing racing shirts (huge collection ) .......

That's a great list Tom!