September 6, 2024

Maddux Mullinax has held a few different, prominent titles. The racer and hockey player has been an avid ambassador for the sports scene in Birmingham, Alabama.

In particular, short track racing.

Mullinax comes from a family of short track royalty, with his grandfather Jerry Goodwin being a local dirt hero, and his step-grandfather Charles “Red” Farmer being a prominent member of the famed Alabama Gang, as well as being a NASCAR Hall of Famer.

Goodwin and Farmer were both pioneers of the short track world, bringing integral building blocks for mainstream American auto racing to Birmingham during their respective careers.

But look around the city of Birmingham, and you’ll see that those pillars of auto racing are fading away faster and faster.

What Still Remains in Birmingham?

“Birmingham is a racing city. It always has been a racing city,” said Mullinax on Episode 12 of Liberty Racing Review’s “Hot Laps of Liberty” livestream.

“You had Hueytown. Hueytown was at one point the hub of southern racing. You had BIR (Birmingham International Raceway) for years. You have Talladega right up the road. You’ve got Barber Motorsports Park right there.”

Hueytown, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, was the home of the previously mentioned Alabama Gang. Hueytown has produced countless racers over the years. Farmer, the Allisons, Neil Bonnett, and others have all made their way to mainstream racing fame.

Grand American Race Cars, a notable race car manufacturer in the southeast, is based in Dolomite, Alabama and is owned by late model legend Augie Grill.

Birmingham International Raceway was the flagship short track in the Magic City for several years, before ultimately being torn down under the crooked “leadership” of former Birmingham Mayor, Larry Langford. Said “leadership” eventually landing Langford in prison.

What’s Outside of Birmingham?

While yes, there is Talladega Superspeedway up the road and Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama, the simple truth is that neither venue is relevant to short track racing.

“For late models, asphalt or dirt, there is a hole right here,” stated Mullinax.

“Buckshot Speedway tried. One, it’s too far away, and two, it’s too small. Sayre Speedway is kinda like Buckshot. It’s a little bit of a lower level.”

The two speedways Mullinax referred to, Buckshot and Sayre, both lie well outside of the city limits of Birmingham, with Buckshot Speedway in Clanton, Alabama and Sayre Speedway in, well, Sayre.

If these two speedways aren’t necessarily the answer, according to Mullinax, for restoring premier short track racing in Birmingham, then what is the next best thing?

There’s Montgomery Motor Speedway over an hour away from the Magic City, a track that has been host to NASCAR, ASA, and other famous short track entities.

Even Talladega isn’t just home to the superspeedway, there’s also Talladega Short Track, the very place where Mullinax and his family have been mainstays for years.

Talladega Short Track is an extremely notable example, with Mullinax telling Liberty Racing Review, “Just last year, TST broke the dirt track record for most attended dirt car race for World of Outlaws.”

“It’s the best of the best. They’re having an argument about Kyle Larson and Max Verstappen? Where’s the argument that includes some of the short track guys? We have professionals that are masters of their craft, and we’re not getting any talk on it on social media.”

NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson and Formula One world champion Max Verstappen, often described as the two very best racers on the planet, have often found themselves the subject of massive online debate over which is the better driver.

As Mullinax stated, there is a plethora of short track racers that if given the platform, could be in that same conversation. These racers pass through Birmingham and race at the city’s surrounding tracks.

So why do they not get talked about?

Lack of Coverage from Local Media

Go to your web browser of choice and search for Birmingham sports. You will see an endless stream of content from UFL football, UAB collegiate sports, Minor League Baseball, and more.

It’s unfortunate, but you’ll have to do some digging to find any outlet talking about racing besides the two NASCAR weekends at Talladega Superspeedway. Maybe the occasional post about the NTT Indycar Series at Barber will pop up as well.

It really feels like all these sports accounts based in Birmingham or surrounding areas should surely capitalize on drawing in attention from the racing crowd, right? Especially if it is host to some of the country’s best talent as Mullinax stated.

The biggest example, “BirminghamSports” on X/Twitter and Instagram, does post about the aforementioned NASCAR and Indycar weekends, but you’ll be looking few and far between for a short track post.

“The BirminghamSports guy, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to reach out to him,” said Mullinax. “I’ve got multiple DM’s sitting, emails sent, but these different accounts, none of them cover racing, and there’s some damn good racing here.”

How the Future Looks for Short Track Racing in Birmingham

“I feel as if we are a sport that is fighting for our lives. Racing is a paradox. At the same time, we are at the highest heights we’ve ever been and at the most dangerous depths.”

Mullinax put it as bluntly and truthfully as one possibly could. Short track racing, not just in Birmingham but nationwide, faces incredible challenge.

Tracks seem to close down monthly and crowd sizes are declining, yet at the same time, we see more money and investment being put into the sport than ever before.

The Snowball Derby in Pensacola, Florida, the biggest pavement short track race of the year, has recently obtained a huge purse increase. Streaming platforms allow fans nationwide to witness racing at nearly any short track of their choosing.

It’s a paradox, and as such, there’s no certainty as to the path the sport has before it.

So go to your local short track, share that post of the cool looking race car on social media, follow local tracks and drivers.

Simply put, we cannot have more short track history taken away from us. Don’t let the history of decline in Birmingham be repeated in your community.

Cover photo: Reid Scott/Liberty Racing Review