DIALED IN: From Class Racing to Bracket Racing, Kinston Drag Strip Offers a Variety
Kinston Drag Strip owner Bobby Smith continues to enjoy what is among the longest tenured careers as track owner/operator in the Southeast after purchasing his hometown dragstrip in 1977. And while his ownership of the facility stretches more than four decades, his involvement dates back even further, having first visited the track in 1960 shortly after it opened.
[Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared in DI #189, the Women of Power Issue, in July/August of 2024.]
Before long, Smith got a job working at the track and learned the entire process of dragstrip operations early on. “This track was started by four men, and by 1977, one had died and the other three were starting to age out, so they gave me the opportunity to buy the track, so I did. At the time I never imagined that 48 years later I’d still be here operating the track!” he laughs.
Track owner Bobby Smith (right) with track official Danny Waters Jr.
Smith is present pretty much every time the gates are open, and he’s witnessed a lot of changes to the sport he loves. Economic booms and busts have come and went, and this vintage track in eastern North Carolina has proven durable through it all.
Among the most celebrated events is Winterfest, which dates back to 1987, and as the name suggests, it happens in the dead of winter, or at least that’s the goal. The event is scheduled on the second weekend in January, but if the weather doesn’t cooperate, the event is usually carried over from week to week until conditions are favorable. Over the last 37 years of Winterfest, the early January weekend has proven so unpredictable, it has brought everything from 70-degree weather to snowfall.
Test-and-tune sessions are held on Thursday nights after the weather warms up, switching to Sunday afternoon when it’s cooler. No less than 12 List and RYWO events are scheduled for 2024 from April through September, with a goal of completing twice-monthly events over the course of a six-month span, held exclusively on Thursday nights.
Kinston has a number of featured events still to come in 2024, including the Mid-Summer Shootout, slated for July 20, followed by Nitrous Wars on August 17. The Roger Rhodes Memorial is among the most beloved bracket events on the schedule, and it’s scheduled for September 21. Other late-season special events include the Small Tire Shootout on September 28, followed by the KDS King Event on October 12.
The Carolina Class Racers Association visited Kinston in early May, and in addition to their regular action-packed program, they brought out a newly-launched attraction called Carolina Classic Modified Production. This newly featured class is held in conjunction with CCRA events in 2024, and it resembles the old-school Modified Production from the 1970s and 1980s. These high-winding, stick-shift vehicles run off the NHRA index for Super Stock and Modified, and race heads-up with no breakout, in a true weight-to-cubic-inch format of yesteryear.
Tabitha Draughon and Leigh Anne Flynt, who jointly manage the CCRA, were instrumental in getting this series off the ground, and they have six events slated for 2024. Reportedly, the new series is starting to gain traction, and with Liberty Gears recently named series sponsor, new cars are being built just for the occasion.
“These cars are still legal to run in NHRA competition, but this new format gives another opportunity to race these cars heads-up,” says Robbie Draughon, who competes in the series. Kinston Drag Strip has a long history of involvement with this style of racing, and works to preserve the history of class racing.
Bracket racers also have plenty of opportunities to hone their skills at Kinston this year, with a full schedule of dial-in events on the calendar. Things usually get kicked off in mid-March and run all the way to early December, with a total of 12 bracket events scheduled in 2024.
Through it all, Bobby Smith counts the friendships he’s made along the way as his most favorite element of dragstrip ownership. “I’ve met a lot of fine people who’ve come through the gate over the years,” he concludes.
This story was originally published on September 5, 2024.
The post DIALED IN: From Class Racing to Bracket Racing, Kinston Drag Strip Offers a Variety first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
