“We treat people like family when they come here,” Buff said. “The racers talk about that a lot, how good we treat them. I don’t think there’s any effort to it. All my racers are friendly and help each other out. I feel we have the best drivers and fans in the world. We have just a good atmosphere through and through.”
Shadyside operated as an outlaw track for many years, but joined the IHRA in 2023. It turned out to be an awesome fit and even added to the family atmosphere when the team competed in the IHRA Division 9 (Raiders) Summit Team Finals.
The move also provided a significant boost to the bracket racing programs.
“Our car counts are up and our people are excited to have an IHRA option with us,” Buff said. “We fed a bunch of people and everyone got to hang out at the (IHRA Summit) Team Finals. It was great to see the camaraderie down there. You saw guys who were in competition throughout the season support each other, go to bat for each other and help each other out. We saw some great friendships over that weekend.”
Aus Danner reached the final at the IHRA Division 9 Summit Team FInals in Junior Dragster. Other Shadyside racers — Adam Buchanan (Box), Darrell Powell (No Box) and Hunter Buchanan (Junior Dragster) — qualified for the IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Finals presented by Strange Engineering through the track’s points program.
Shadyside Dragway is in the racing hotbed of the Carolinas with the 73-acre property just an hour from Charlotte. The 1/8-mile drag strip, which is an impressive 51-feet wide, has 2,000 feet of shutdown with concrete barrier walls and an Accutime timing system. The property has primitive camping, while a full-service campground is literally two miles away.
The next big project is an expansion of parking for the big rigs, which will make some land already cleared off more usable. Plans are to add around 40-50 more spots.
There’s a full schedule in 2024 which includes this sampling of spring events — IHRA Summit SuperSeries points races, Hogs Gone Wild with the thunderous Harleys roaring down the strip, the Carolina Nitrous Nationals and the Southeast Gassers. The first major event takes place Feb. 17-18 with Footbrake Showdown Madness which features $3,000-to-win guaranteed purses both days. A rain date is set for Feb. 24-25 for this No Box event.
Click here for more exciting news with the Shadyside Dragway Facebook page where you can check out all the great events coming up.
To become an IHRA member and be eligible to compete for an IHRA Summit SuperSeries World Championship, click here for the IHRA membership page or call membership coordinator Heather at 85-JOIN-IHRA.
