In less than two months, show organizers put together the Outside Groove Racing Show Presented by the U.S. Motorsports Association. Despite the limited time to prepare, just about everyone agreed that the show delivered a hit in its inaugural edition.
The Jacob Building at Chilhowee Park in Knoxville, Tennessee, hosted the event. It brought all forms of motorsports from Eastern Tennessee under one roof. As attendees walked in, they immediately saw the diversity of the sport.
The brightly colored dirt late model of Barry Goodman in the Mountain View Raceway booth and the camo-wrapped, LS-powered, BMW drift car of Connor O’Sully were at the right. On the left, the Classic dirt-oval car of Shaun Sise in the Outside Groove booth and the Corvette of road racer Tracy Gaudu represented RacingJunk.com. In the middle of the show, the historic 1970 Chevrolet Camaro of hall-of-fame drag racer Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins. Just beyond the entrance, Tenny Rally Consulting had a Subaru rally car.
However, the show was far from being only a car show.
Attendees interacted with exhibitors offering giveaways, such that of RacingJunk.com and the Vision Wheel Topless Outlaw Dirt Racing Series presented by Discount Tire. Fullmoon Graphics demonstrated how to wrap a dirt late model. Racers took advantage of the opportunity to upgrade their safety equipment in the Velocita USA booth. They also found great deals in the swap meet section.
Several parts manufacturers and retailers, as well as service providers, were on hand. Among them included American Racer, Brucebilt, eBay Motors, Hyperco, MyRacePass, Quicksilver, Warrior Race Cars, West Haven Speed Equipment, and XS Power.
Old-timers and those with a nostalgic heart enjoyed the Atomic Speedway and East Tennessee Racing History exhibit. It featured the ride once raced by Cleve Jones and the Tootle Estes tribute car of Joshua Sneed. Legends, such as Herman Goddard, Duayne Hommel, Billy Palmer, and Joey Standridge, John Stout, Jimmy “Pup” Thomas, were in attendance.
Tracks and series were well represented. Four major crate racing oval-track series exhibited — the American All-Star Series, Crate Racin’ USA, FASTRAK, and the Red Clay Series. Tracks included 411 Motor Speedway, Knoxville Dragway, Mountain View Raceway, Tazewell Speedway, and Willard Speedway. Other series included The Outlaw Society and the Ultimate Super Late Model Series. Three new ventures also educated the racing community about their endeavors — the Cumberland Open Wheel Racing Series, Friends of Flatrock Motorsports Park, and the Southern Winged Warrior Sprint Car Series.
Lastly, the show welcomed two non-profits. Front-wheel-driver racer Scott Velez seeks a kidney, and the National Kidney Foundation helped his efforts to find one. First Lutheran School of Knoxville sold general admission tickets. A portion of the sales went to assisting deserving students in need of financial aid.
With their first show in the books, the Outside Groove Racing Show Presented by the U.S. Motorsports Association looks forward to building on a solid foundation for 2023.
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
