July 15, 2023

Mobile International Speedway held it’s first race under new management on Saturday, July 15th. The track’s reopening was a huge undertaking, with Eddie Shoemaker and crew having a lot of drivers and fans alike attend the festivities at the storied race track.

The day featured races in the Pro Late Model, Pure Stock, Sportsman, Pro Truck, Legacy Stock, and Crown Stock divisions. The night opened up with the Pro Late Models hitting the track for the first feature event.

Notable names in the PLM feature included Snowball Derby champion Augie Grill, as well as hometown hero Dustin Smith. Grill and Smith would have a great side-by-side battle throughout the race, and it would ultimately be Grill who took the win in the Elliott Massey owned machine. Massey himself would round out the podium.

“Elliott has had a car from me for about 10 months now. He’s trying to help support the track, so he called me about a week and a half ago. I like driving race cars, so a free ride, I’ll take every time.”

When asked about the return to Mobile, Grill was optimistic about the future despite some understandable hiccups throughout the day. “All in all, the pits are full, great crowd in the stands, so I think it’s a success. With the scoreboard not working, it’s harder for fans to keep up with where a race is at, but hopefully they’ll get some of that fixed in the next couple of races. I look forward to being able to come back.”

Moving on from the Pro Late Models, the Pure Stock division was next. Jimmy Hollingsworth would take home the victory after some great late-race action with Robert Loper and Robert Barber. Loper would finish 2nd in his brand new machine, and Barber would round out the podium in 3rd.

For the next feature with the Sportsman division, BJ Leytham would cross the line first. Maddox Langham would score the runner-up spot while Chad Robinson would get 3rd place.

The Pro Trucks, another prominent division at Mobile and other local tracks, were up next for their feature event. Veteran racer Okie Mason would score the victory, with Steven Davis in 2nd and Dustin Smith, fresh off of a 50-lapper PLM race, finishing 3rd.

The Legacy Stocks would also see some exciting late-race action, with Cole Peavy taking the checkered flag over Van Rayburn and Jay Jay Day.

The final race of the night was the Crown Stock feature, which saw several incidents and thrilling on-track battles. Florida racer Kris Rummel would win the race, holding off Dave Nolan and Tyler Young to do so.

The first night back at Mobile International Speedway was a great success, and the fans certainly enjoyed it. There were several instances where the roar of the crowd was louder than the roar of the engines. While MIS might have some work to do, it is still a great venue, and is sure to have much more success in the future.

LRR wants to thank Eddie Shoemaker and the whole crew at MIS for being so accomodating and helpful throughout the whole process. LRR will be back next week, as we travel to 5 Flags Speedway for the Pepperjack Kennels Twin 100’s on Friday, July 21st and Saturday, July 22nd.