Putting on a show for fans is one of the most important parts of the job for Michael Diaz, the owner of Southern National Motorsports Park. Last season, the $50,000 winner’s share of the track’s Thanksgiving Classic was the largest in late model stock racing history. The event was sponsored by Solid Rock Carriers, whose owner Kirk Ipock considers Southern National his home track.
Ipock and Diaz had long talked about doing a show with a monster payout, with the track known for putting on races with large purses.
“I feel the bigger shows are captivating for the audience and the drivers,” Diaz said.
Over the years, Diaz’s track has hosted many major late model events, including the first CARS Tour race. This year it will be the site of the CARS Tour season opener, while the 22nd edition of the prestigious Thanksgiving Classic will cap the year with new incentives for competitors.
“I always try to do things out of the box,” Diaz said.
He considers last year’s Racetrack Revival at North Wilkesboro “surreal,” and counts it as one of the reasons for increased interest and participation in late model stock racing. However, he still wants to see more cars being built. After all, his track relies on interest throughout the year.
He also hopes the CARS Tour’s new ownership group can provide a boost not only to the series, but to the tracks and their weekly programs as well, all of which are a necessity to ensure the sustained success of short-track racing.
“Hopefully, them owning the tour can kind of bridge a gap for us owners to be able to have a little bit more correspondence with those larger corporate sponsors,” he said. “It wouldn’t take much in partnership money or sponsorship dollars to really make most of the late model stock tracks thrive on a weekly basis.”
Diaz has seen motorsports from a variety of angles, with his son, Mason, an accomplished late model stock racer, who has also competed in the NASCAR Xfinity, Craftsman Truck and ARCA Menards Series. Still, Michael Diaz is as committed to the grassroots level as ever.
“I love short-track racing,” he said. “That’s why Southern National does the races it does. Just because I love it so much.”
For Dubensky, the on-track product and off-track passion both play a role in late model stock car racing’s standing in the motorsports industry.
“I feel like since the CARS Tour is such a family, we kind of created a fan base where you will fit in anywhere with us,” she said. “There is a driver’s personality that is out there for somebody. We have so many different ones and we do not put them in a box, we do not try to shape them into something that they’re not. We let them be who they are.”
This story appeared in the Feb. 15, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
