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By Joe Chandler

South Boston Speedway

South Boston Speedway and the Halifax County-South Boston Public Library System are partnering to create a new reading initiative, Race to Read.

The Race to Read campaign is a comprehensive reading program for children, teens and adults that includes a reading contest for all ages during the month of February. The individual in each category that reads and logs the most books between February 1 and February 28 will win prizes including tickets to South Boston Speedway’s season-opening race on Saturday, March 18, pace car rides on event day, and a certificate from South Boston Speedway and the Halifax County-South Boston Public Library System.

In addition, “Speedway Storytime” will be held each month March through October at the South Boston Public Library. “Speedway Storytime” will feature books about cars and racing being read to young children, with racing-related coloring sheets provided to all children at the end of the program.

Along with those program components, a South Boston Speedway Collection consisting of books and DVDs related to racing, competitors, tracks, and race cars will be housed at the South Boston Public Library. All items in the collection will feature a South Boston Speedway logo for easy recognition.

A special program, “Saturday with the Speedway” will be held Saturday, March 11 at 1 p.m. at the South Boston Public Library. Highlighting the event are a question-and-answer session with a guest speaker from South Boston Speedway, an up-close look at the South Boston Speedway pace car and refreshments provided by the South Boston Public Library.

“The speedway is ecstatic about partnering with the Halifax County-South Boston Public Library System to bring this fun campaign to life and provide new, exciting ways for the community to experience the local libraries and speedway,” said South Boston Speedway Senior Director, Marketing & Administration Carly Brashears. “This campaign between the libraries and speedway truly aligns with the family values that are important and dear in our work at the speedway. We look forward to a wonderful partnership encouraging reading in the community.”

Halifax County-South Boston Public Library System Director Jay Stephens is excited about the library system’s new partnership with South Boston Speedway.

“We are very excited to be partnering with South Boston Speedway to promote racing and reading in Halifax County,” Stephens remarked.

“Both the speedway and the library have long histories as integral parts of the community and we are all looking forward to this joint venture. Our partnership will give racing fans an opportunity to learn more about the library, and it will give readers some exciting new programs that will perk their interest in racing. We are especially excited about the Race to Read contest that will be held in February, with entrants having the opportunity to compete to win tickets to the season opening race at the speedway.

“Racing is a sport that can be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere, much the same as reading,” Stephens added. “It makes perfect sense for South Boston Speedway and the Halifax County-South Boston Public Library System to work together to promote both racing and reading.”

South Boston Speedway’s first spectator event of the 2023 season will be the SoBo Drifts Powered by Barlow’s Tire on Saturday, March 4. Drifting is set to begin at 11 a.m.

The track will host its annual pre-season test day on the following weekend, Saturday, March 11.

South Boston Speedway’s first NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series racing event, the Danville Toyota presents the 2023 Season Opener, is set for Saturday afternoon, March 18, featuring twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stocks, twin 30-lap races for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division and a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division.