Southside Speedway

This is hand’s down some of the best family fun in Richmond.
Southside Speedway is a local racetrack that has short-​track races on Friday nights, and it’s awesome. They do all different classes– late models, modifieds, grand stock, u-​car, street stock, and even a kids race of go-​karts.
For anyone who likes Nascar but can’t afford the races, or is looking for some great people-​watching, this is the place to go.
The stands are pretty comfortable, definitely there are always tons of seats even when it’s super crowded, and they have a kids section (where you can’t drink).
So yes, in the rest of the stands you can drink. In fact, you can bring coolers (I think it can’t be larger than 18 inches) or you can buy food and beverage there (prices are reasonable– snow cones are $ 2, they also have pizza and hot dogs and peanuts, etc.).
But seriously, you can bring your own backpack full of snacks, so the ultimate thing to do is make some hot dogs, pop them in the buns hot and roll them in some foil, and then pack them away– an hour later they are still piping hot, and perfect as you watch the races with some mustard and relish.
Bathrooms are porta-​potty style, but not awful.
It usually goes from 7pm-​10pm, and usually at least one race is full of action. Because it’s local drivers, they really turn up the heat, and I’ve seen some races jam-​packed with action as some of the best drivers vy for first position.
And yeah, there are usually one or two crashes, and sometimes if you are really lucky a car catches on fire.
Folks come from all over Richmond and the suburbs to go to Southside, so you never know who you are going to see. There are lots of teenagers from the neighborhood, young families, and old crusty die-​hard race fans… it’s awesome. Count the mullets, count the overalls, or just count the cars… it’s all good.
Best advice– go early, or go late… either way you avoid the traffic to get in… parking is tight, and don’t park on the road on the side of the track– the cops tow pretty vigorously on race nights… so if you go late, be prepared to walk a bit through the parking lot.
Oh, and it’s cheap: Adults: $ 10
Seniors (60+) & Military: $ 8
Ages 6 – 11: $ 5
Ages 5 & under: FREE