Sunshine State

World of Outlaws // DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway was the Highlight of my Florida Racing Season

As we wrap the Florida racing season and motorsport heads west, I have to say my favorite race weekend was World of Outlaws at the DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals at Volusia Speedway. Despite having spent weekends and summers less than 10 miles away, it was my first dirt race. My dad, who grew up there, wanted to get as far away from Deland as possible. His racing aspirations were Nurburgring and LeMans. To him, the speedway was the Florida version of Friday Night Lights, grandstands packed with high school buddies who didn’t have similar escape plans, so we never went.

It wasn’t until 2024, at the Indy 500, that sprint racing even entered the conversation for me, or rather, Kyle Larson entered the conversation. Kyle was racing The Double, the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 on the same day, and that’s all anyone could talk about. I didn’t even know who Kyle Larson was. I hadn’t watched a NASCAR race since high school. About a week later, I caught a series called Dirt and there he was again. I began to understand. Everyone was talking about Kyle because he could seemingly drive anything, and well. I was fascinated by dirt racing, and became a little obsessed with it, and Kyle TBH. I signed up for Flo Racing and started following USAC, High Limit, and World of Outlaws. I started to learn the players and understand the strategy. I went to Volusia to see Kyle race, but snow in North Carolina postponed the Clash at Bowman Gray and Kyle couldn’t make it.

My disappointment lasted about 5 minutes, until I walked into a whole new world of racing. It was the most fun experience I’ve ever had at a racetrack. It was loud, it was dirty, and everyone was having a good time. The people were awesome. I had questions, and instead of gatekeeping or judging my lack of experience, they were eager to share. What to look for, where to get good photos, who to talk to, where to sit -it was first day of school, but all the kids were cool (with the exception of my IG friend Ryan, who advised me to stand at turn 1 during hotlaps - that was a set up.) The only word that properly conveys it is welcoming. I felt welcomed.

This was a very grassroots event. Drivers were unloading their own haulers and setting up their own cars. Family members were manning the merchandise trailers. Food vendors were classic old-school hawkers selling fried bologna sandwiches and walking tacos. Beer was $5. It felt a little like a traveling circus family. You could tell all of these people were close and happy doing what they loved.

We had been graciously granted media access by DIRTcar, and were able to get into the infield during racing. That was – unhinged. I caught myself just giggling out loud at the privileged perspective of being 10 feet away from a field of 410s hustling by at 120+MPH. At that proximity, you can feel it; it’s an all-consuming sensory overload. I just kept turning around in circles with a huge smile watching it all unfold. Core memory unlocked.

For something I’d lived so close to for so long, I was disappointed that I had been missing out on this experience. I think of my life between LA, Miami, and NY, and wonder if I am looking for exactly the opposite of what my dad wanted. He wanted to venture out to see the world, and I wanted to go back to something that felt more like home. Now that I have been to the Sunshine Nationals, it’s not something I’ll miss again.