A Night at the East Lincoln Motor Speedway: Faith, Family, and Pride

Kendall Williams

Senior Honors Thesis Department of American Studies The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2020

Approved: ______Bernie Herman, Thesis Advisor

Elizabeth Engelhardt, Second Reader

Neal Caren, Third Reader

Introduction: “Boogity, boogity, boogity, let’s go racing, boys!”1

“My son Dillon, he does the prayer, we stand up for the national anthem, I mean it’s a good sport and everybody seems to be on the same page as far as our views, as far as our country, you know. Religion, I wouldn’t know, I would think most of them there was Christians because they don’t complain about Dillon saying the prayer or whatever, and if they did, we wouldn’t care because that’s the way we feel.”2

Tim Sigmon, the former owner of East Lincoln Motor Speedway (ELMS), captures the essence of life at the track—he speaks to patriotism and Christianity, two of the main values that permeate ELMS culture and make the track socially meaningful. The track is a space for like-minded people—who mostly self-identify as white, Protestant, working class, patriotic, conservative Southerners—to come together and express the values that they share.

Throughout this thesis, I utilize qualitative, ethnographic data to explore these values to understand how ELMS’s status as an outlet for expressions of faith, family values, and pride can help us understand a very particular Southern identity (see Figure 1). I argue that the track promotes community and bonding between like-minded individuals by allowing them to express meaningful values in a time when such values are often not welcomed by the general public. I also explore how track life promotes polarization by creating an echo chamber where alternative viewpoints are not available. I begin with a brief synopsis of the three values I have chosen as the focus of this thesis before providing some background information and a chapter overview.

1 “Darrell Waltrip Boogity Boogity Boogity Compilation.” YouTube. eaton011, May 13, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8by2zu8PgQ. 2 Sigmon, Tim. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. September 11, 2019.

2

Figure 1. This photo represents the values of faith, family, and pride. Faith is demonstrated in the cross tattoo, family can be seen in the various generations present, and pride is visible in the racing flags and the American flag. Photo courtesy of Lee Kington, former track photographer and current overseer of the Kids Club.

ELMS provides a seemingly unconventional space for people to practice their faith—a nondenominational, Protestant, Fundamentalist, Evangelical form of Christianity that is associated with the Southern Bible Belt. As the American South is globalized, the connections between religion and place are becoming less clear. Because so many of the track community members share a similar faith, they are able to grow alongside one another. Driver Chris Smith informed me that he is “pretty sure everyone else has the same agreement that God’s God and that’s who [they] worship.”3 Members of the community become closer to each other as they

3 Smith, Chris. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 3, 2020.

3 “witness” and become closer to Jesus. The track facilitates this Christian practice by having a track chaplain pray over every race; the drivers and fans partake by standing, bowing their heads, and remaining reverently quiet.

Second, ELMS promotes the transmission of family values from older to younger community members through the practice of several generations working together on cars in order to reach a common goal, and by encouraging children at the track to watch their parents and grandparents race. Families spend time together, and during this time, elders pass on knowledge, beliefs, and values to the youth. This secular form of witnessing allows values to become family values, as they are no longer held by just the individual, but by the family. ELMS community members place value on raising kids to be Christian, hard-working, tough, self- sufficient, and proud. One of the most prominent family values demonstrated is a strong work ethic. The racing community is comprised of hard-working people. Unlike top NASCAR drivers, drivers at ELMS do not have professional pit crews. Instead, they rely on friends and family members. They all labor together to ready their cars each week, work that is demanding both physically and mentally.

Third, racing fans demonstrate pride in many realms of their lives. They exhibit pride for their country and outwardly celebrate their patriotism. This thesis discusses pride in the context of country, region, sport, community, and values. Members of the ELMS community are proud to be American, and they are just as proud to be Southern. They embrace the term “redneck” and the traits it represents. Racing is part of a particular Southern experience. ELMS fans, drivers, and employees take great pride in the sport that they love, as well as their track. Lastly,

4 they recognize that the values that they share contribute to the ELMS environment, and they are proud to hold these values.

Together, pride, family, and faith come together to show that local dirt track racing, at

ELMS specifically, allows for the expression of a particular set of Southern values.

These three prominent values resonate amongst many members of the ELMS community.

Analyzing the celebration of these three values demonstrates the social value of racing through communities formed around racing at local tracks as well as larger venues utilized in big events like the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. These values are analyzed through the lens of racing, with the focus being on ELMS.

ELMS is a 1/3 of a mile dirt track located in Stanley, Lincoln County, North Carolina.4

Stanley is in the Piedmont region, about thirty minutes northwest of Charlotte. While the people who spend time at ELMS tend to be very similar to one another demographically and ideologically, their relationships are not entirely harmonious. Drivers and fans often argue over racing-related issues (rules, calls, etc.). In this racing community, people are brought together over shared views and experiences, while simultaneously being driven apart from one another over racing matters. The majority of the time, ELMS attendees continue coming in spite of disagreements. There are connections keeping them at the track beyond the opportunity to race, even where there are other tracks to which they could go. Jessica Beaver, for example,

4 “East Lincoln Speedway Videos.” Dirt Track Racing Videos. Dirt Track Racing Videos. Accessed April 29, 2020. http://www.dirttrackracingvideos.com/south/dirt-tracks-in-north-carolina/east-lincoln- speedway/#sthash.FZC7CYss.dpbs.

5 drives forty-five minutes each way, each week to be a part of the ELMS community.5 A sense of community is what keeps these people coming back week after week.

Providing for the expression of values around faith, family, and pride, the track allows for a place where folks feel they are understood and where they belong. Driver Lindsey Dyer reflected, “we’re there to be a family. We’re there to be with our friends.”6 A newcomer to the track would be able to judge from the sayings emblazoned on fans’ shirts, that everyone stands for the Star-Spangled Banner, and that no one is openly opposed to having the track chaplain pray before every race, and determine that the fans of ELMS constitute a like-minded community.

As our political climate becomes more and more polarized, other aspects of society follow suit.7 The media has an incentive to exaggerate, slant, and distort news, as it attracts an audience and, by extension, market share.8 The result is that the general public becomes more polarized from being exposed to distorted truth claims—polarization and the media feed off of each other in a self-reinforcing cycle. Polarization is dangerous for any society because it drives people apart, ultimately resulting in a lack of understanding, increased violence, and the dismantling of communities.9 As communities are dismantled, they become more needed. In other words, as more outside sources threaten the well-being of the track, the more useful it becomes in allowing people to surround themselves with like-minded individuals.

5 Beaver, Jessica. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 3, 2020. 6 Dyer, Lindsey. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020. 7 Jilani, Zaid, and Jeremy Adam Smith. “What Is the True Cost of Polarization in America?” Greater Good Magazine. The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, March 4, 2019. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_is_the_true_cost_of_polarization_in_america. 8 “How Politically Polarized Media Is Driving Our Alternative Realities.” PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, April 20, 2017. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/politically-polarized-media-driving-alternative-realities. 9 Jilani, Zaid, and Jeremy Adam Smith.

6 My thesis presents the story of ELMS and its people through the voices of the people I engage. My analysis is intended to provide the reader with an explanation as to the interpretation and importance of the information that I gather while conducting ethnographic research. I quote members of the East Lincoln Motor Speedway community, and I highlight their stories to encourage understanding.

Readers will gain an understanding of the importance of race tracks as social infrastructure in a corner of the American South, as well as grassroots insights into the political polarization of our nation. My thesis offers a unique opportunity for people to hear voices firsthand, rather than through a news source. My thesis serves as a case study that allows readers to learn about how race tracks provide social infrastructure through a season of weekly races.

My thesis springs in part from self-discovery. I did not become aware of my identity as a

Southerner until I left home for boarding school at age fifteen. Only once I was removed from my community did I realize that it was special and that it provided me with experiences that not every individual gets to experience. Once I realized that I was a Southerner, I began to fully embrace this new label. In college, I began taking Southern studies courses in the American

Studies department. For one of my classes, I attended ELMS for a dirt track race on a Saturday night in mid-March. That night I fell in love with the excitement, sense of community, and the values that the track fosters. At the end of the night, I had a thick layer of dust on my skin and a newfound appreciation for dirt track racing. In setting out to conduct research at the track, I decided I wanted to incorporate perspectives and methodologies from political science and

Southern studies around the question of how media representation shapes stereotypes and

7 fuels polarization. I ask and answer the following: what can racing communities tell us about the role social infrastructure plays in cultivating the expression of values?

In order to carry out my inquiry, I conducted ethnographic research, attending a number of races and taking notes on what I observed. I also conducted interviews with the former owner of the track, drivers, fans, and track chaplain. The interviews yielded insider perspectives from people who are involved with the track in various ways. From the outset, I wanted the

ELMS community to tell their story in their words. I supplement my interviews with secondary sources on the history of NASCAR, racing more generally, and sociological studies on racing.

Using these methods and sources, I showcase the most important values that are commonly held by members of the ELMS community. The observation that values of faith, family, and pride are central to the racing community is not unique to my thesis. In fact, the racing community has served as a much sought-after voting bloc by political candidates from the national to the local level because these values are so clearly perceived.10 Mary Douglas

Vavrus’s “The Politics of NASCAR Dads: Branded Media Paternity” explains that the men of

NASCAR are mainly white, patriotic, working class, Southern, Republican, Christian dads.11

Vavrus argues that racing impacts politics, and the media and politicians have helped bring about the political power wielded by racing fans by politicizing the sport.12 Politicians’ and news anchors’ tendency to point out these demographic characteristics of fans leads to the attraction of other people who tailor those descriptions to fit the racing community.

10 Vavrus, Mary Douglas. “The Politics of NASCAR Dads: Branded Media Paternity.” Critical Studies in Media Communication 24, no. 3 (August 15, 2007): 245–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/07393180701520942. 11 Ibid. 12 Ibid.

8 It is also important to remember that dirt track and NASCAR racing is rooted in the

South.13 Racing got its start during Prohibition when bootleggers altered their cars to make them faster in order to outrun and elude law enforcement.14 From there, “all these rednecks decided ‘hey, you got a fast car and I got a fast car, let’s go race them a little bit’” ELMS announcer Blake Harris explained.15 Organized racing subsequently developed in informal ways across the United States that ultimately led to the rise of NASCAR. The first NASCAR race was held in Daytona, Florida, and a moonshine transporter named Red Byron won.16 NASCAR’s

Southern roots help demonstrate a clear connection between the South and racing, as NASCAR has come to be the biggest stock car racing organization worldwide.

From racing’s humble beginnings to the present day, a strong relationship between the sport and the state of North Carolina has been established. In Auto Racing in Charlotte and the

Carolina Piedmont, Marc Singer and Ryan Sumner detail the presence of racing in the Charlotte area—from its origins there, onward. It only took four years from the first car being registered in Charlotte (1904) to have an organized road race (1908).17 Today, North Carolina’s relationship to racing is simplified down to the Charlotte Motor Speedway, which hosted four races in the 2019 racing season.18 However, there are also several NASCAR drivers that hail from North Carolina, including the Earnhardts, the Pettys, Austin and Ty Dillon, and Richard

13 “NASCAR Rooted in Prohibition Bootlegging - Prohibition: An Interactive History.” Prohibition. The Mob Museum. Accessed November 11, 2019. http://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/prohibition- potpourri/nascar-and-prohibition/. 14 Ibid. 15 Harris, Blake. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020. 16 “NASCAR Rooted in Prohibition Bootlegging - Prohibition: An Interactive History.” 17 Singer, Marc P., and Ryan L. Sumner. Auto Racing in Charlotte and the Carolina Piedmont. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2003. 18 “2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Schedule.” Official Site Of NASCAR. NASCAR. Accessed November 11, 2019. https://www.nascar.com/monster-energy-nascar-cup-series/2019/schedule/.

9 Childress.19 Furthermore, the state has a rich and longstanding connection with forms of racing outside NASCAR, those of which include dirt track racing.

It is difficult to find a comprehensive history of dirt track racing in the state because tracks are individually managed, unlike NASCAR where all of the tracks are institutionally connected and organizational histories are available. Still, I discovered that Raleigh, North

Carolina, hosted the last NASCAR dirt track race in 1970, a last vestige of NASCAR’s dirt track origins.20 While North Carolina is no longer home to NASCAR dirt tracks, it still retains several local dirt tracks throughout the state that host events for various models of stock cars. Local dirt tracks provide an opportunity where social dynamics are expressed within more intimate community settings than the grand spectacles of NASCAR racing.

Tracks are becoming more and more relevant as places that foster bonding, as opposed to bridging, socialization in a time of deeply rooted social and political polarization. This observation of mine juxtaposes the decline in fan appeal that NASCAR is currently experiencing.21 Some hypothesize that NASCAR’s decline is owed to its shift away from its

Southern roots.22 If this is the actual reason, then I do not foresee any danger for dirt tracks’ livelihood in the years to come. Dirt tracks exude Southern qualities and values. The members

19 “Driver Listing (North Carolina):” Racing. NASCAR. Accessed November 11, 2019. https://www.racing- reference.info/driverlist?st=NC. 20 “Fairgrounds Hosted Last NASCAR Race on Dirt Track.” NC DNCR. NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Accessed November 11, 2019. https://www.ncdcr.gov/blog/2014/09/30/fairgrounds-hosted-last- nascar-race-on-dirt-track. 21 Mather, Victor. “NASCAR Races Into an Uncertain Future.” The New York Times. The New York Times, February 15, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/15/sports/autoracing/daytona-500-nascar.html. 22 Willis, Ken. “The State of NASCAR: 'We Probably Lost Our Way'.” Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Daytona Beach News-Journal Online, February 17, 2019. https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20190217/state-of- nascar-we-probably-lost-our-way; Pierce, Daniel S. Real NASCAR White Lightning, Red Clay, and Big Bill France. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2013; Shackleford, Ben A. “Masculinity, Hierarchy, and the Auto Racing Fraternity: The Pit Stop as a Celebration of Social Roles.” Men and Masculinities 2, no. 2 (October 1999): 180–96. doi:10.1177/1097184X99002002004.

10 of the ELMS community largely hail from the same area in the South, so it makes sense that in terms of certain demographics, like race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, political affiliation, etc., the crowd is not diverse. For the most part, ELMS drivers, employees, and fans are white,

American, protestants with conservative views.

However, racing’s Southern identity is not universally accepted. In “Carolina Thunder: A

Geography of Southern Stock Car Racing,” Richard Pillsbury argues that racing is not inherently

Southern. After documenting locations of speedways across the nation, Pillsbury explains that the idea that racing is a Southern sport is largely an imagined Southern ideal.23 Even though the location of speedways may not be exclusively in the South, if fans and outsiders view it as a

Southern sport, then that is what is important. At the end of the day, one could argue that anything that seems Southern is not actually Southern, like country music—one could claim that it is more so a genre of rural areas than Southern areas. Thus, perception is what makes it

Southern, not formal data and statistics. The way that the racing community views itself and the world is worth studying because it has something to say about values, perception, and politics.

There is limited existing research on the social importance of the stock car racing community, and even less that focuses on dirt track racing specifically. In “Intimate Collisions:

Identity, Community, and Place in the Kansas Dirt-Track Auto Racing Sphere,” Steve Marston argues that dirt tracks bring people together, both at and beyond the track, and that they serve as an outlet for gender roles and masculinity to be expressed. He claims that dirt tracks have

23 Pillsbury, Richard. “Carolina Thunder: A Geography of Southern Stock Car Racing.” Journal of Geography 73, no. 1 (2007): 39–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221347408980823.

11 far-reaching social implications for the local community, bringing together those who are directly involved in the track, as well as those who are not.24 This is the case at ELMS. My study looks to Marston’s work as an example of utilizing ethnographic research on a local dirt track.

Using Marston’s analytical framework, I apply my own key actors into the dialogue.

The former owner of the track, Tim Sigmon, shared an intimate knowledge of how the track operates as well as the interactions of the fans and drivers. Mr. Sigmon answered my questions, connected me with his son, who is a driver and the track chaplain, and offered additional opportunities—for example, a seat on the deck adjoined to the announcer’s tower and ride around the track. He also spoke to his racing experience as a driver for almost forty years prior to, and during, his tenure as owner. Several drivers and fans supported my research greatly by helping me understand the social dynamics of the track. Tim’s son, Dillon Sigmon, was the key player in framing the chapter on faith.

While my findings, from observation and interviews, align with most of the existing literature, there is a key exception. Richard Pillsbury argues that racing is not Southern.25 I believe, however, that there is more to be said about the far-reaching impact of dirt tracks on how Southern-inflected values of faith, family, and pride are upheld in an unequivocally

Southern community. I explore how these values operate through the case study of ELMS and show how dirt tracks are socially and politically important. In addition, I demonstrate their centrality to the expression of one register of Southern experience.

24 Marston, Steve Booth. "Intimate Collisions: Identity, Community, and Place in the Kansas Dirt-Track Auto Racing Sphere." University of Kansas(2016). http://libproxy.lib.unc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1799687442?accountid=14244. 25 Pillsbury, Richard. “Carolina Thunder: A Geography of Southern Stock Car Racing.” Journal of Geography 73, no. 1 (2007): 39–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221347408980823.

12 My thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter one introduces the topic and frames the thesis. This introduction explains my interest in the subject matter, offers my hypotheses, and contains a literature review. The literature review includes a brief overview of the history of racing—NASCAR, dirt tracks, local asphalt tracks, and drag strips—as a way of situating the topic and providing the reader with context. Racing has a long history, so I keep it brief by focusing on the aspects that are relevant to the rest of my paper. Thus, anything having to do with the Southern nature of the sport, dirt tracks specifically, or the communities of fans are prioritized over other information. It is necessary to outline a framework of racing within which to situate ELMS and understand its current state and its future.

Chapter two focuses on faith. This chapter begins with an in-depth description of a worship service held at ELMS. My goal is to make the reader feel like they themselves attended the service. This chapter relies on information gathered from speaking with track chaplain

Dillon Sigmon. After discussing his message, I describe the blessing of the race, which Dillon administers at every event, before discussing how religion is referenced throughout the night. I conclude this chapter with an analysis of the importance of faith to the members of the ELMS community members.

Chapter three centers on family. By growing up at the track, young children learn everything they need to go on to become the adults that keep ELMS going. Track photographer

Lucia Corvino’s nineteen-month-old daughter has been learning from a very young age, as she has been going to the track since she was six weeks old. Lucia said “it keeps her calm. When she’s fussy, even if I’m at home, I’ll play racecars on my phone, or my boyfriend will play

13 racecars on his phone, and she’s quiet.”26 The fact that stock car racing is perceived within the

ELMS community as a politically conservative sport goes hand in hand with the fact that it is family-friendly.

In this chapter, I start by defining family values from an ELMS community perspective. I explain how these values are expressed at the track, providing anecdotes from interviews as well as observations made at the races. For this chapter, the key interviews were with members of the ELMS community who have family members that represent the multiple generations involved and active at the track. I conclude this chapter by discussing why family values are important to the continuation of ELMS, arguing that racing sustains itself in large part because it is a family sport.

Chapter four discusses pride in the context of grassroots patriotism. The ELMS community celebrates country via respect for the flag, national anthem, troops, and current president. In this chapter, I provide clear examples of the different ways in which a specific representation of pride of country, region, racing, community, and self is expressed at ELMS.

My examples are drawn from interviews and observation.

Chapter five, the conclusion, offers a synthesis about how and why ELMS is an important part of the local community’s social infrastructure. I conclude that ELMS bridges longstanding values and social practices and dynamic, constantly changing situations. In this way, the members of this community represent themselves as an epitome of being American,

Christian, and Southern. It is precisely that fan base that keeps the sport alive. Not just any

26 Corvino, Lucia. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020.

14 viewer will suffice in a setting and practice so clearly linked to the expression, cultivation, and preservation of identity.

Faith

Faith is closely intertwined with stock car racing of all levels. At NASCAR races, the blessing of the race that is broadcast to the audience is not delivered by a track chaplain, but rather, by some guest that NASCAR leaders bring in for the event. In the past, the guest has often been a reverend from a local community, but Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty has also had the chance to lead.27 Perhaps the most famous NASCAR driver to date, Dale Earnhardt, Sr., displayed Bible verses on the dash of his racecar.28 For smaller-scale racing, there exists an organization called “Racers for Christ” that teaches people how to be chaplains at their local track(s).29 Of all religions, Christianity is the most prominent because organized auto-racing is rooted in the American South, a region where Christianity dominates.30 Once this relationship between Christianity and racing was established, it has constantly been reinforced because

Christians are attracted to the sport, and racing fans are further exposed to Christianity. Racing

27 Mcgee, David. “Prayer Is Big Part of Sport: NASCAR Is Only pro Sport to Televise Weekly Prayer.” HeraldCourier.com. HeraldCourier.com, March 15, 2014. https://www.heraldcourier.com/news/local/prayer-is- big-part-of-sport-nascar-is-only-pro/article_793872b8-acaa-11e3-b9b2-0017a43b2370.html; Long, Dustin. “Texas Motor Speedway President on Prayer: ‘Everyone Has a Right to Free Speech.’” NASCAR Talk | NBC Sports. NBC Universal, April 11, 2016. https://nascar.nbcsports.com/tag/phil-robertson/. 28 Hua, Vanessa. “Before Starting Engines, Drivers Pray / NASCAR Racers Face Danger with Ministries' Support.” SFGate. San Francisco Chronicle, June 27, 2005. https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Before-starting-engines- drivers-pray-NASCAR-2659348.php#item-85307-tbla-3. 29 “Dirt Track Ministries.” Team RFC. Racers For Christ. Accessed November 21, 2019. https://teamrfc.org/dirt- track-ministries/. 30 Klein, Christopher. “How Prohibition Gave Birth to NASCAR.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, August 29, 2018. https://www.history.com/news/how-prohibition-gave-birth-to-nascar; “Adults in the South - Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics.” Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. Pew Research Center, May 11, 2015. https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/region/south/.

15 fans become stronger in their faith, and Christians are brought to tracks. This relationship is apparent at ELMS, as Dillon brings the Word to fans and drivers, and newcomers who are

Christians are more likely to experience a sense of belonging than are those of other, or no, religions. ELMS serves as a microcosm of this larger relationship between racing and faith.

“I’m not sure, but there might be dirt track in heaven,” track chaplain Dillon Sigmon preached to the attendees of ELMS’s church service on October 6, 2019.31 It was the third day of ELMS’s biggest racing event of the season—Fall Brawl. The track’s leadership offered to let fans and drivers camp out in the parking lot overnight, and they decided to provide a church service to give Dillon a chance to preach and also to give fans an opportunity to hear the

Gospel. After all, it was the only Sunday of the season that drivers and fans would be at the track. The service was scheduled for 12:30 p.m. I arrived around noon, paid the twenty-dollar admission fee, and headed left to the seating near turn four of the track where I set up my fold- out chair on the concrete grandstands. Some spectators had already made themselves comfortable. A few more situated themselves as the worship band performed a few opening songs. In total, there were around forty-five people at the track.

The makeshift stage for the band was an open trailer attached to the back of a black

Jeep Cherokee (see Figure 2), parked between the bottom level of the grandstands and the chain-link fence that separates the fans from the track itself. On the trailer, the worship band— three women and two men—took up their stations among the four microphones, two keyboards, two speakers, bass, and drum kit. One keyboard stood on a proper stand, while the other rested ad hoc atop four stacked car tires. The band members were dressed casually, with

31 Sigmon, Dillon. “Worship Service.” East Lincoln Motor Speedway, Stanley, NC, October 6, 2019.

16 the men wearing blue jeans and T-shirts. One of the women sported a Dillon Sigmon racing

shirt.

Figure 2. The worship band plays Christian music from a trailer attached to a Jeep Cherokee.

The setting, the stage, and the attire worn by the worship leaders combined to create a

comfortable, familiar, and welcoming environment for the congregation of racing fans. This

track service provided an alternative to the inconvenience of formal church services through a

synthesis of worship and racing. This event made it possible for racing fans to just show up to

the track a little earlier than they otherwise would have. Attendees wore the same clothes that

they would wear to a race. Ignoring the Sunday ritual of formal dress demonstrated that ELMS

17 community members understood that God accepted them for who they are. There was no need to dress in fancy and expensive clothes to experience His love.

A strong relationship between religion and racing exists because of the need for Divine intervention to protect drivers from the extreme risks that the sport poses.32 The relationship is also strong because the other values that ELMS community members share, such as pride and family values, are rooted in Christianity. ELMS leadership utilizes this relationship to break down the barrier between God and everyday life that can be seen in traditional churches. They effectively show that God should not be confined within the walls of churches, and that God loves this group for what they are, in this moment for their love of motor sports. They do not need to be fancy, rich, or elegant to impress Him.

Playing drums, bass, and keyboard, the band performed contemporary worship songs instead of hymns. For example, they sang Zach Williams’s “Rescue Story” (2019) that expresses that Jesus is the reason that the singer was rescued.33 They also performed “Nobody” (2018), a

Christian song that conveys the message that the singer is not anyone special, but fortunately,

Jesus loves everyone. The speaker in the song explains how, since he has come to know Jesus and His love, he wants to share the good news with all who will listen.34 These praise songs were notable for their pop-influences and contemporary feel. They enabled the band to demonstrate how Christianity can be hip and relevant to the younger generations, as well as how God can be invoked through popular culture and present in everyday life.

32 Clarke, Liz. “NASCAR Races at God's Speed.” The Washington Post. WP Company, April 22, 2001. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/04/22/nascar-races-at-gods-speed/e075cc47-4b36-4d9a- bdcb-aa3c7a511ae6/. 33 Williams, Zach. “Rescue Story.” Essential Records, 2019, Accessed November 21, 2019. 34 Casting Crowns and Matthew West. “Nobody.” Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd, 2018, Accessed November 21, 2019.

18 After the band finished, Dillon Sigmon took center stage. He donned a fresh, black, button down shirt with jeans and Crocs. As he began, SUVs circled around the track in the background to set the track, packing the dirt surface so that the racers would not spin out or get mired. Dillon spoke about death and the afterlife. He quickly shifted the focus from the grim inevitably of death to the rewards of Heaven. He explained the misconceptions about Heaven, providing a biblical reference to kickstart his sermon. Dillon read 1 Corinthians 2:9, “but it is written Eye have not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those that love Him.”35 From the start of his service, it was evident that Dillon was drawing directly from the Bible. He proclaimed that the Bible is the only reliable source on all things related to Heaven. To avoid fake news, Dillon preached, he gathered his information from the most primary of all texts, God’s word in the Bible.

Discussing common misconceptions about Heaven to his dirt track congregation, Dillon pointed out that as great as church is, Heaven is not just an ongoing church service. In fact, he suggested that his listeners may even have more dirt track racing to look forward to in the afterlife. He reminded the congregation that, although the primary reason that everyone was gathered that day was for racing, they were connected by faith as well. The track service showed that God can be brought into the conversation anywhere—just as Jesus and his disciples preached in the secular settings of their day.36 Preaching from a flatbed trailer at a dirt track, Dillon’s technique particularly resembles that of biblical figure John the Baptist. John

35 “BibleGateway.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV - - Bible Gateway. Bible Gateway. Accessed November 21, 2019. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+2:9&version=KJV; Sigmon, Dillon. “Worship Service.” East Lincoln Motor Speedway, Stanley, NC, October 6, 2019. 36 “Mark 16:20.” Bible Hub. Bible Hub. Accessed April 16, 2020. https://biblehub.com/mark/16-20.htm.

19 preached in the wilderness, telling people about the promising Messiah.37 Dillon, too, spoke at a nonconventional sanctuary, informing listeners of the promises of the afterlife for those who come to know Christ. Through this practice, Dillon reaches people who may not find faith otherwise.

Dillon explained that his dirt-track flock will find comfort from their friends and family, and they will know them, in Heaven. He offered that many people believe that their memories and experiences will be wiped away and that they will exist in a state of bliss. Not so, Dillon said that this is a misunderstanding. Biblical personae like David and John will also be present. The flock will rejoice with “those that died in Christ,” meaning those that accepted and continued to believe in Jesus Christ up until their last breath.38 This point speaks to the importance of family and community to those present. To them, it is important that in Heaven they are able to recognize those that they know in this world because they care so deeply for them. It is equally significant that they could find God’s Word and affirm their faith at East Lincoln Motor

Speedway.

Dillon cited 2 Corinthians 5:1, “for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”39 Dillon later compared it to the feeling one gets when he has been on vacation for a while and he gets excited to return to his own bed and shower; he yearns for that “I’m finally home” feeling, despite how much fun he had on his adventure.40 Similarly, Heaven provides

37 “Matthew 3:1.” Bible Hub. Bible Hub. Accessed April 13, 2020. https://biblehub.com/matthew/3-1.htm. 38 Sigmon, Dillon. “Worship Service.” East Lincoln Motor Speedway, Stanley, NC, October 6, 2019. 39 “BibleGateway.” 2 Corinthians 5:1 KJV - - Bible Gateway. Bible Gateway. Accessed November 21, 2019. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5:1&version=KJV; Sigmon, Dillon. “Worship Service.” 40 Sigmon, Dillon. “Worship Service.”

20 that homey feeling that Dillon’s listeners long to experience. Dillon recited Revelation 21:4, which says that “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things that passed away.”41 He elaborated, saying that resurrected bodies will be improved versions of the corporeal bodies inhabited in this life. Everything will be better in Heaven. In fact, Dillon promises, things will be so great that they exceed even the wildest imagination.

Dillon turned to a popular culture text. Young country singer Kane Brown sings

“Heaven” (2016), a song that contains the lyrics

“Everybody's talking about Heaven like they just can't wait to go Saying how it's gonna be so good, so beautiful Lying next to you, in this bed with you, I ain't convinced 'Cause, I don't know how, I don't know how Heaven, Heaven Could be better than this.”42

He observed that the song is fundamentally flawed because nothing on Earth can even slightly compare to what awaits believers in Heaven. About this time, I realized that the teenage girl sitting next to me was eating a Slim Jim and people in the audience were talking to one another as the SUVs continued to circle the track. I was reminded that we were not in a church, but at the track—a sanctuary nonetheless.

ELMS is a sanctuary to the congregants knowledgeable in evangelical references to preaching in the wilderness. The expression of evangelical Christian values needs no church of bricks and mortar. A flatbed truck at the ELMS dirt track serves as a place where people can

41 “BibleGateway.” Revelation 21:4 KJV - - Bible Gateway. Bible Gateway. Accessed November 21, 2019. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+21:4&version=KJV; Sigmon, Dillon. “Worship Service.” East Lincoln Motor Speedway, Stanley, NC, October 6, 2019. 42 Brown, Kane. “Heaven.” Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management, 2016, Accessed November 21, 2019.

21 form and strengthen their relationship with the Lord. These people lean on the Lord in their daily lives and look forward to the afterlife. Dillon connects with the crowd through this understanding that the afterlife will be so much better than the life they are currently living. His message resonates with those who have dealt with struggles and hardships.43 With the crowd largely consisting of blue-collar workers who embrace an array of conservative ideologies, he addresses himself in particular to those that have undergone their fair share of personal battles. A Heaven that promises perfection holds deep appeal.

Dillon returned to the theme that accepting Jesus is necessary for admission to Heaven.

All of those who accepted and believed in Jesus Christ ascend to Heaven to celebrate in a banquet-style fashion. Believers are rewarded for the good acts that they did.44 Matthew 12:36 inspires his claim, “and I tell you, that we must all give an account for every idle word that we speak. Our treasures will be determined by the good or bad things that we do in this life.”45

Non-believers go to a separate judgment prior to the inevitable journey to a Hell filled with eternal heat and suffering. Through this explanation, Dillon made it quite obvious which of the two outcomes people should be striving towards.

Dillon lead the sermon knowing it would be the only one for the 2019 racing season. He chose a topic that was worthwhile and in need of being addressed. Thinking back on his selection of sermon, Dillion explained “if someone believes that there is a Heaven and Hell, and believes what the Bible says about it, shouldn’t it be their top priority to helping lost souls?

43 Thompson, Karl. “The Relationship between Religion and Social Class.” ReviseSociology. WordPress, October 3, 2018. https://revisesociology.com/2018/10/03/the-relationship-between-religion-and-social-class/. 44 Sigmon, Dillon. “Worship Service.” East Lincoln Motor Speedway, Stanley, NC, October 6, 2019. 45 “BibleGateway.” Matthew 12:36 KJV - - Bible Gateway. Bible Gateway. Accessed November 21, 2019. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12:36&version=KJV; Sigmon, Dillon. “Worship Service.”

22 Nothing else is more important.”46 Dillon aimed to guide people to God’s glory by clearing up misconceptions about Heaven and Hell to make Heaven seem as great, and Hell as terrible, as they truly are. In doing this, Dillon touched on many topics that resonate well with the ELMS community. Not knowing each other in Heaven is a scary and depressing thought because the congregants do not live in such a way. These people are part of close-knit community that is

“one giant family.”47 Finding out that this is a misconceived notion was relieving for people.

Dillon also mentioned that dirt track racing may exist in Heaven. What could be more appealing to a crowd gathered to watch dirt track racing? Once he had effectively sold the crowd on the concept of getting to Heaven, he proceeded to explain the appropriate course of action to get there—accepting Jesus Christ.

Dillon concluded his sermon by demonstrating its credibility. First, his claims came from the Bible. Second, he has seen what Christ has done for him, so he knows that everything is true. By mentioning his personal relationship with the Lord, Dillon made the distance between

ELMS and Heaven seem much shorter. He demonstrated that Christ is not some abstract topic, but rather, that personal relationships with Christ can be formed. Dillon ended on a very exciting and encouraging message—anyone can make it to Heaven if he follows the simple steps. After discussing such important and seemingly far-removed topics, I yet again needed to be reminded that I was at the dirt track. It was almost like Dillon knew this, for he said “here we are at a dirt track sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”48 The band then played MercyMe’s “I Can

46 Sigmon, Dillon. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 12, 2020. 47 Dyer, Lindsey. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020. 48 Sigmon, Dillon. “Worship Service.” East Lincoln Motor Speedway, Stanley, NC, October 6, 2019.

23 Only Imagine” (1999) to close out the service.49 This song was a strategic choice, as its message directly related to Dillon’s sermon. The song speaks to the idea that on Earth, the best we can do is imagine what Heaven is like because we have no way of totally grasping just how good it is.

Evangelical Christianity is not inherently Southern, but Dillon’s moment at ELMS is.

Utilizing a trailer for a stage demonstrates the Southern skill of “making do” or “redneck ingenuity,” as some say. Dillon’s close reading of the Bible is also rooted in the Southern tradition of Fundamentalism. While ELMS is nondenominational, heavily relying on the Bible for guidance and reading things as they are written are Fundamentalist traits that are common in the Southern Baptist Convention. The most commonly practiced denomination of Christianity in the South is Southern Baptist.50

After the sermon, Dillon shifted gears to prepare for his next task. Not only is Dillon the track chaplain and the liaison between the Depot Church and ELMS, he is also a driver. His roles at ELMS have earned him the moniker “The Fastest Preacher in the South.”51 He drives the number 746 car. The number seven is biblically significant for a number of reasons, including the number of days that it took God to create the world, and the connection between the Earth’s four corners and the three points of the Holy Trinity.52 Prior to becoming religious, Dillon’s

49 MercyMe. “I Can Only Imagine.” Essential Records, 1999, Accessed November 21, 2019. 50 Weber, Peter. “These Maps Show the Most Common Religions, Christian and Non-Christian, in Your State.” The Week - All you need to know about everything that matters. The Week, June 24, 2014. https://theweek.com/speedreads/451154/maps-show-most-common-religions-christian-nonchristian-state. 51 “Inaugural Sweetheart Shootout Enduro Pre-Entry #12.” Facebook. East Lincoln Motor Speedway, February 6, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/EastLincolnMotorSpeedway/photos/a.779389702078115/3307180662632327/?type= 3&theater. 52 Pukas, Anna. “The Magnificient 7: The Meaning and History behind the World's Favourite Number.” Express.co.uk. Express.co.uk, April 10, 2014. https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/469565/The-magnificient-7-The- meaning-and-history-behind-the-world-s-favourite-number.

24 number was forty-six. He incorporates this in his current number to remind himself that he is small in comparison to God.53 Based on the number of people in the crowd that sport his T- shirt, he has a large following. His last name identifies him as former owner, Tim Sigmon’s, son.

The duties of his track chaplain role include leading worship at the Fall Brawl church service, and leading prayer at the beginning of each race night.

Prior to the official races, Dillon leads the crowd in prayer. For the prayer, all audience members remain standing following the National Anthem sung by one of the female singers in the worship band. The crowd remains silent. Everyone closes their eyes and bows their head.

The sound quality is distorted by Dillon’s microphone and speakers that broadcast the message across the grandstands and the pit. For their “Sunday best,” fans wear T-shirts expressing pride in Southern heritage, supporting their favorite drivers, or advertising local organizations and businesses (fire departments, lawn care services, etc.). Shorts are popular on the hotter days of the summer racing season; jeans are the fashion when the air is colder. Men sport baseball- style hats emblazoned with words and images that echo T-shirt sentiments and allegiances. The track as a place of worship is dusty, simple, loud, and casual. The message Dillon delivers is typically brief, simple, and direct. In his prayer, Dillon, speaking to the dangers of the race, beseeches God and Christ for guidance and safety.

The races begin. Throughout the main events—in which heats are organized by the various models of stock cars that the track hosts—God, Jesus, and Christianity are frequently referenced. Dillon’s car features an advertisement for the Depot Church, as well as several Bible verses. His car bears the following, “1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor

53 Sigmon, Dillon. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. March 4, 2020.

25 ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”54 This choice of Bible verse echoes the sermon’s message. Dillon’s fans wear his shirt that has this verse on the back. His car also quotes 2 Timothy 1:7 on it, “for God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”55 This verse speaks to the dangerous nature of the sport, and the need for Divine intervention to ensure safety.

The speedway enjoys a two-way relationship with local churches. On one hand, the track promotes churches, like the Depot Church, by hosting a driver who advertises for them.

Not only is Dillon a walking advertisement for the Depot Church, but the speedway has also held a fundraising event for that church.56 Alexis Baptist Church has been an ELMS sponsor in the past.57 In doing so, they receive public acknowledgement that helps them and benefits the track.

The ELMS community also places a high value on honoring the passing of friends, racers, and fans. At one race, during the intermission between the main events, the drivers lined up their cars on the track and drove slowly around the track as a way of honoring Eli Davis, a thirty- five-year-old ELMS driver who lost his battle with cancer.58 Eli was a beloved member of the

ELMS community who loved racing and giving back to his community. He used to collect toys

54 “BibleGateway.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 KJV - - Bible Gateway. Bible Gateway. Accessed November 21, 2019. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+2:9&version=KJV. 55 “BibleGateway.” 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV - - Bible Gateway. Bible Gateway. Accessed November 21, 2019. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+1:7&version=KJV. 56 Facebook. Depot Church, June 2, 2019. https://www.facebook.com/316461615119206/posts/big-thanks-to- dillon-sigmon-and-east-lincoln-motor-speedway-for-hosting-us-today/2114011478697535/. 57 Facebook. East Lincoln Motor Speedway, June 5, 2014. https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=east lincoln motor speedway alexis baptist&epa=SEARCH_BOX. 58 “Obituary for Dustin Eli Davis.” Hartsell Funeral Home. Hartsell Funeral Home, June 24, 2019. https://www.hartsellfuneralhomes.com/notices/Dustin-Davis.

26 for hospitalized children. To honor him, ELMS encouraged people to bring donations this night for his daughter to deliver to the children.59 Dozens of balloons were also released in his honor.

Respect and honor for the dead are important in many religions, and releasing the balloons upward showed that the ELMS community understood this deceased person to have gone on to

Heaven.

Faith is expressed in drivers’ victory lane speeches, where the winner of each race parks their car briefly and delivers a quick testimonial of thanks. Typically, drivers acknowledge their sponsors, significant other, friends, family, pit crew (which is often composed of friends and family), and the good Lord. Thanking God for such a victory demonstrates the meaningfulness of the success to the drivers, as well as the drivers’ understanding that they are not the only one that should be celebrated for the achievement. The expression of faith in a Christian God permeates every aspect of life at ELMS.

Although the soundtrack played at the track invokes Christian faith, more often than not, the track’s organizers rely on local, country radio stations to fill the time between races.

Still, songs of faith and praise populate the ELMS playlist. ELMS attendees hear songs such as

Matt Stell’s “Prayed For You” (2018), which contains the lyrics, “I ain’t the church pew regular, twice on Sunday, quote you the scripture kind. I’m far from a preacher, but I’m a believer.”60

Even though this song was not selected by the ELMS employee controlling the audio system, it reflects the relationship between the track attendees and a larger faith community. Music is a thread that binds track life to a larger community of faith. Music serves as an escape and a

59 “July 13th, 2019 Eli Davis Memorial.” Accessed July 13, 2019. eastlincolnracing.com. 60 Stell, Matt. “Prayed For You.” Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Words & Music A Div Of Big Deal Music LLC, Amplified Administration, 2018, Accessed November 21, 2019.

27 reminder. It helps people forget about their stress and worry and reminds them to live and reflect in the moment. Christian music is the speedway’s soundtrack that reinforces a commitment and connection to God.

Christian identity within the ELMS community allows for the celebration of other shared values. Faith is powerful in the sense that it defines followers’ worldview, how they position themselves in society, and their understanding of purpose. Faith connects to a deep sense of pride in being American, an expression of patriotism largely informed by evangelical

Christianity. ELMS community members celebrate the men and women who fight for their country and the ideals that it represents for them. Faith also informs ELMS community member’s idea of what the nuclear family should look like and how it should function.

Patriotism and family values at ELMS are addressed in the next two chapters.

Family Values

Family values are defined as “values held to be traditionally learned or reinforced within a family, such as those of high moral standards and discipline.”61 Family values are deeply intertwined with notions of the South, for example there exist Southern stereotypes around children who are brought up to be well-mannered, respectful, and hard-working. Because faith is passed down through the generations, it is a family value. In this way, faith and family values are very closely related. As discussed in the previous chapter, faith plays a large role at ELMS.

Family values do as well. And, the two are deeply interconnected.

61 “Family Values: Meaning of Family Values by Lexico.” Lexico Dictionaries | English. Lexico Dictionaries. Accessed March 23, 2020. https://www.lexico.com/definition/family_values.

28 Families are ever-present at ELMS and family values are on display. The values transmitted at ELMS do not necessarily align with the typical understandings of what family values are. Instead, the values of work ethic, toughness, self-sufficiency, and pride take center- stage. By teaching children these skills, the adults of ELMS ensure that they are able to hold their own in the “real world.” Occasionally, verbal and even physical fights break out at the track over the outcomes of races. While this may go against typical notions of family-oriented environments, it offers a particular type of preparation for children who will eventually become adults. Driver, and father of two young children, Buddy Olds explained

“that’s a part of anything in this world. People are going to clash, people are going to not get along, it’s how people overcome it. You watch out there and you go out there week to week, you can see people that get into arguments with each other about what happened on the track, and bicker, and fight, and cuss you know, and you have the cops walk over and grab onto them. But usually, a couple weeks later, they’re over there talking with each other, having a good time, helping each other out.”62

These lessons are self-sustaining because the track appeals to all generations. Take the

Sigmon family for example. Tim, former track owner and driver, along with his parents, and his children are present at ELMS functions. Tim explained, “we have second and third and fourth generation kids and people racing [here], you know, their grandpas raced there years ago.”63

Coming to ELMS is a family tradition for some. Age demographics range from infant to senior citizen. Youngsters, teenagers, young adults, middle-aged adults, and elders attend the races.

The youngest are notable in their numbers, ranging from teenagers to babies in diapers.

Part of the reason that there are so many kids present is that ELMS management actively works to include children in the functioning of the track. There is an ELMS Kids Club

62 Olds, Buddy. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 9, 2020. 63 Sigmon, Tim. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. September 11, 2019.

29 that offers young racing fans candy, T-shirts, public recognition, and special opportunities, for example a ride in the pace car, delivering trophies to race winners, and being photographed with winning drivers.64 The Kids Club has over two hundred members and they are consumers as well as spectators. Driver Tieler Dodge sells shirts to his fans. All youth sizes are given away for free, and the adult sizes are priced to ensure that the earnings cover the expenses.65 At a fall

2019 race, ELMS hosted a Power Wheels race for children in between the actual races. Children got into their electric, toy vehicles, and raced down the straightaway of the track as their parents gathered around the track and the fans cheered. The winner of the race won a new bicycle. The upcoming season will be the inaugural season for the track mascot, which is a bull because the track is a bull ring, or 1/3 of a mile. Because the speedway caters to children, families attend races in full force.

Having a track that is family-centered helps ensure its future. The track announcer,

Blake Harris, explained that “we’re not going to have racing much longer if we don’t get the kids involved.”66 Furthermore, its family-centered nature pushes the adults to fight harder for it because they refuse to let something bad happen to the track that their kids have come to know and love. In fact, Tim purchased the track from Bob Delia for this exact reason. Tim’s kids grew up going to the track, so he did not want them to lose a place so near and dear to their hearts. By purchasing the track, and holding on to it until another well-meaning buyer came along, Tim saved ELMS from being converted into storage units or housing.67

64 “Kids Club.” Facebook. Terry Fisher, March 11, 2019. https://www.facebook.com/search/posts/?q=kids club trophies east lincoln&epa=SEARCH_BOX. 65 Dodge, Tieler. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. March 17, 2020. 66 Harris, Blake. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020. 67 Bernard, Michelle T. “New East Lincoln Speedway Owners Keeping Traditions Alive.” Lincoln Times-News. Lincoln Times News, March 23, 2018. https://www.lincolntimesnews.com/news/new-east-lincoln-speedway-owners-

30 Tim serves as an example of the connection between faith and family because the family unit is biblical and he prioritized his family while making this major life decision.

According to the Bible, not only is the family the basic unit and foundation by which all of society is built upon, as detailed in Genesis 2:20-25 and 4:1, but parents are also assigned the task of teaching their kids in Galatians 4:1-2 and Deuteronomy 6:6-9.68 For one to value his family and actively work to ensure that his kids are educated on skills and values is to act in accordance with the Christian message. In this way, faith and family values are inseparable. This connection is clear at ELMS.

The adults maintain the track not only for entertainment, but also because the ELMS community provides a space where children see faith and togetherness in action. Infants and toddlers look to their parents as teachers of social cues and lessons. As these children get older, they turn to peers and role models for examples on appropriate behavior. Track drivers and fans are adults who children can look up to and admire. When the young members of the ELMS community see Dillon Sigmon leading the crowd in prayer, or a driver and the track leadership team members get into an argument over a call, they learn what is and what is not appropriate in given situations. The adults of ELMS are value-signaling to the youthful members in the crowd. The children heed these signals (see Figure 3).

keeping-traditions-alive/article_7ef7628a-2eb1-11e8-91ea-471c2ba76c08.html; Sigmon, Tim. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. September 11, 2019. 68 “God's Design for the Family.” eng.auburn. Accessed April 16, 2020. https://www.eng.auburn.edu/~sjreeves/cm/family.html.

31

Figure 3. A small child, Chandler, plays with his Hot Wheels in the dirt. Chandler has created a dirt track of his own—the cars are gathered around an oval on which a few cars race each other. This shows that the young ELMS race-goers are into their surroundings and that they are impacted by the track and the people at the track.

The values that are passed on include faith, work ethic, toughness, self-sufficiency, and pride. Work ethic is incredibly valued by members of the ELMS community. While there are significant payouts at some of the races (exceeding $1,000), not even the best drivers are able to make a living from racing at ELMS. Drivers (or the adult drivers at least) hold full-time day jobs. Unlike professional NASCAR drivers, ELMS drivers are not able to focus all of their time and energy on racing. The jobs that ELMS drivers hold are as varied as the paint jobs on their

32 cars (see Figure 4). Several are mechanics. One works for the Internal Revenue Service; another is a realtor. Many of the jobs are high-intensity, manual labor jobs. Drivers come home after a day of work, only to spend their free time preparing their cars for the next race. Children observe the work that goes into racing. Tim Sigmon remembers his first time attending a dirt track race. He was only seven years old. Prior to witnessing the race, his family members worked together daily to prepare his uncle’s racecar.69 Not only was he exposed to the mechanics behind racecars, but also the sweat, frustration, and dedication that they require.

The sport fosters family bonding, bringing generations together to work on cars and cheer on their drivers.

Figure 4. The colors and designs on the cars vary. Photo courtesy of Lee Kington, former track photographer and current overseer of the Kids Club.

69 Sigmon, Tim. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. September 11, 2019.

33 Dirt track racing requires mental and physical toughness. While not traditionally viewed as “family values,” these traits are transmitted from the adults to the youth, and they allow parents to rest assured that their children will one day be able to survive without them. As pointed out by Casey Olds, an ELMS fan and the wife of driver Buddy Olds, dirt track racing requires more strategizing than asphalt racing. She explained that “the track changes constantly, you know, dirt’s always shifting. There could be a rut in one end that wasn’t there two laps ago.”70 In order to successfully race on dirt, a driver must be prepared to think quickly and adapt. Racing is dangerous and drivers must have some level of courage just to be willing to get behind the wheel. I watched a racecar catch on fire, and another flip entirely, causing paramedics to rush onto the track. Physical strength is a necessity. Wearing fire suits and helmets in cars that do not have air conditioning on hot summer nights is not for the weak.

While ELMS is family-oriented, there is a good bit of “trash-talking” that is exchanged between drivers and fans. As such, there is always the potential that the talk escalates into physical fights. Teaching kids to be tough ensures a particular kind of self-sufficiency. At the track, parents allow their kids to run around and play in the dirt as they please, so long as they are respectful to others.

This exposure to other children socializes the youthful members of the ELMS community. For children of all ages, there is an abundance of other children their age, slightly younger, and older. They learn how to interact with peers, how to hold their own with children who are older and bigger, and how to treat people who are younger and smaller with kindness.

In thinking back to the days of his childhood spent at dirt tracks, announcer Blake Harris

70 Olds, Casey. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. March 19, 2020.

34 pointed out that the track offers “you friendships and how to interact with other people,” and that “the track is packed every week. You’re going to have to start making friends.”71 Being able to effectively communicate and interact with others is a huge step to becoming self-sufficient.

Some ELMS children learn to drive at the young age of nine, which is the minimum age for the next generation series. Allowing kids to drive fully-functional cars early on is a way of preparing them for adult life. Track photographer Lucia Corvino recognizes that the track will teach her nineteen-month-old mechanical skills. “Growing up, it’ll teach her how to work on a car herself so she don’t have to rely on someone else to do it, or pay someone to do what she can learn how to do herself.”72 Driving and working on cars are important skills that families teach their children to ensure that they will go on to be successful when they lead families of their own one day.

Even as the values of hard work, toughness, and self-sufficiency are perpetuated at

ELMS, a fundamental understanding of and allegiance to family aspect is paramount. Spending time with family members is itself a family value because it translates to making time for the ones that mean the most. The track promotes this value in several ways. Billie Mae and Glenn

Cooke, a married couple, used to run the ticket booth. The Dodge boys, Tieler and John, are cousins that regularly race at the track. Under Tim’s leadership, the track was family owned and operated. Tim owned the track, his daughter Jessica promoted the track, and his son Dillon led the prayers. By having so many families involved in the production, families are drawn to the grandstands to witness the weekly events.

71 Harris, Blake. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020. 72 Corvino, Lucia. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020.

35 While family values are certainly prevalent at ELMS, there are occurrences that would make any visitors question how family-oriented the track really is. There is the occasional shirt emblazoned with mature messages, spectators openly consume alcohol, heated verbal disagreements regularly break out. These things do not necessarily take away from the family values promoted by the track, as family values are not exactly correlated with wholesomeness.

For some families, they may be related. However, at ELMS, parents expose their children to life’s realities rather than sheltering them from difficult situations. The fights even offer an opportunity for drivers to show the children how to work through differences. No parent wants to raise kids that are unable to survive and manage on their own one day. ELMS community members act on this and actively work to ensure that their kids will not be unprepared when they strike out on their own as young adults. This common understanding on how kids should be brought up allows the ELMS community to bond.

Racing at ELMS appeals to people who value faith, hard work, toughness, and self- sufficiency. These things bring the ELMS community together. In promoting these values, Tieler

Dodge explained that he “feels like dirt track racing really brings out the best in most people and most communities.”73 The passing of values from one generation to the next is important to the perpetuation of ELMS and the success of dirt track racing in this corner of the American

South. Former owner Tim Sigmon captured this idea, “if you don’t have the kids interested now, then racing is going to die later.”74 Family values make the ELMS community more cohesive by bringing people together within and beyond families over shared beliefs and traits. Family

73 Dodge, Tieler. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. March 17, 2020. 74 Sigmon, Tim. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. September 11, 2019.

36 values are an important component of this particular Southern experience. Love of region and racing connect to family and faith, ensuring that children today are brought up the same way that their parents were. The underlying goal is the cultivation of a worldview that links generations. The track serves that goal just as the goal serves the track.

Pride

People who frequent the East Lincoln Motor Speedway feel a deep sense of pride towards many things, and this pride manifests in many ways. Pride relates to faith and family values discussed in the previous chapters. ELMS community members are proud of faith and family. They are equally proud of region and country. Dirt track racing at ELMS provides a place to demonstrate that pride.

ELMS community members are patriotic.75 In the words of former owner Tim Sigmon,

“most of the racers and the fans that come there are I guess you would say they are pro-USA, you know, that’s the only way I can say it. They stand up for the national anthem, they believe in what they believe.”76 The people at the track demonstrate love for their country, their president, and the military and all those who work in public safety.

Everyone stands for the national anthem. Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the U.S.A.” (2009) plays during intermission.77 Drivers display their support for President Trump on their cars (see

Figure 5). Numerous drivers use banners or decals to display their support for Trump on their

75 “Patriotism: Definition of Patriotism by Lexico.” Lexico Dictionaries | English. Lexico Dictionaries. Accessed March 24, 2020. https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/patriotism. 76 Sigmon, Tim. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. September 11, 2019. 77 Cyrus, Miley. “Party in The U.S.A.” Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., 2009, Accessed April 30, 2020.

37 cars. The announcer asks the crowd to applaud law enforcement and the military for their hard work and sacrifice. The people in the stands oblige.

At ELMS, people tend to agree on the major displays of patriotism: standing for the national anthem, supporting President Trump, appreciating the troops, and being proud of their country and the values it represents—including faith and family. This common understanding allows patriotism to be a unifying force. It allows the community to become more close-knit. It also brings families closer. Patriotism is a family affair at ELMS. This value is instilled in even the youngest generations at the track. Samantha White, driver and mother of two children, explained that

“whenever they do the national anthem, 99% of everyone out there stands up, you know, they’re staring at the flag, we always have someone that’s singing our national anthem. I mean I have kids, and my kids are always out there, and they’re very, when that time comes, like the national anthem and everything, they’re just standing there.”78

These children know to stand still and be silent because the adults at the track offer guidance to the youth as to how they should act during the various parts of a racing night.

78 White, Samantha. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 3, 2020.

38

Figure 5. A driver climbs through the window of his car that displays a large “Re-Elect Donald Trump” banner on the back. Photo courtesy of Lee Kington, former track photographer and current overseer of the Kids Club.

The ELMS understanding of patriotism is viewed as virtuous in it’s unwavering support for a particular iteration of what it is to be American—and Southern. In the words of driver

Buddy Olds, “I absolutely love patriotism. I’m an American flag waving man myself.”79 Buddy understands that to be patriotic is to be proud of his country. Patriotism is connected to the

Bible and Christianity. John 15:13 reads “greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”80 This verse demonstrates the connection between faith and support for military, and by extension, country.

79 Olds, Buddy. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 9, 2020. 80 “King James Bible Online.” BIBLE VERSES ABOUT PATRIOTISM. King James Bible Online, September 20, 2015. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Patriotism/.

39 While discussing patriotism at ELMS, Buddy mentioned that “it definitely shows the redneck side of America.”81 Merriam-Webster defines redneck as “a white member of the

Southern rural laboring class.”82 While this term may be used by outsiders in a derogatory fashion, the ELMS community embraces it. Chris Smith, a driver who was born in New York but raised in North Carolina, described himself as a “yankee redneck.”83 Driver Lindsey Dyer reflected that the track appeals to “the Lincoln County rednecks.”84 Taking this term and owning it demonstrates this community’s pride in being from the South. The ELMS community perceives region to be very important, and it is something in which many of them take great pride.

Aside from country and region, ELMS community members also collectively feel a sense of pride in the sport that they come to partake in—racing. It is quite obvious that racing is a tough sport and that it presents numerous dangers and challenges. It requires strategy, mechanical knowledge, and talent. Announcer Blake Harris argues against a common misconception. He says “everyone thinks you’re hopping into like your Toyota Corolla and going around a track in circles. It’s a lot more than that. It takes practice like every other sport, and it takes talent.”85 Overall, the sport that the ELMS community loves is a tough one. Drivers have a lot to of reasons to be proud, as they undergo safety risks every week to entertain the fans, they leave their all on the track by exerting full effort when going against other drivers, and they put in a lot of work to prepare their cars for the season and for each individual race. Fans

81 Olds, Buddy. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 9, 2020. 82 “Redneck.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Accessed April 13, 2020. https://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/redneck. 83 Smith, Chris. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 3, 2020. 84 Dyer, Lindsey. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020. 85 Harris, Blake. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020.

40 are proud of their favorite drivers because they appreciate the type of person that the driver is, and they recognize the risks and sacrifices that the drivers take. Track employees are proud of the contributions that they make to the great sport of local dirt track racing. Altogether, drivers, fans, and employees have their own reasons for loving and being proud of the sport and their role in it. Collectively, they are proud to identify with such a close-knit community.

Some statistics demonstrate that NASCAR is on the decline. The number of people that watch it on television, the number of fans present at the races, and the amount of money that individual sponsors contribute are all decreasing.86 In search of a larger market, NASCAR expanded to areas such as Las Vegas and Fontana, California.87 This takes away from the

Southern nature of the sport that so many were attracted to in the first place. This ill-informed move alienated some of NASCAR’s most loyal fans. Because NASCAR is on the rocks, those who are still part of the declining racing community are generally very passionate about the sport.

People recognize that NASCAR is not what it once was, and that if they do not commit to their local track, then it is at risk for lost revenue, and an eventual, overall decline as well.

Thus, members of the ELMS community have a lot of pride in not only the sport, but their track in particular. Blake Harris happily offered that “if you like close-quarters racing, beating and banging, an occasional fight where a drunk redneck tries to beat up another one, that’s East Lincoln for you right there. Hard-nosed, bumper-to-bumper, quarter-panel-to-

86 Sigalos, MacKenzie. “Here's What Went Wrong with NASCAR.” CNBC. CNBC, July 7, 2018. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/28/nascar-america-formula-one.html. 87 Ibid.

41 quarter-panel racing, that’s about what you get at East Lincoln. You also have a fun time.”88

Blake’s love for the sport and the track shine in his brief sales pitch.

The “occasional fights” occur because people are so invested in the races that their passion and pride sometimes get the best of them. Driver Buddy Olds reflected, “everybody’s going to argue. It’s a very passionate sport.”89 While pride has the power to make people engage in brawls with others, at the end of the day, people realize that ELMS is a family, so they usually make up with one another.

Most of the drivers and fans at ELMS have been in attendance in the past; their loyalty and commitment to the ELMS family brings them back week after week. When Tim Sigmon sold the track, there was a lot of discussion as to whether or not he chose the appropriate person to take the reins. With the new owner, Tony Paladino, now in charge, drivers and fans often take to Facebook to express any concerns with management. In their posts and comments, you can feel the passion that they have for keeping ELMS around for present and future generations.

They are proud of the track and what it represents, and they want to ensure that no major changes for the worse are made.

A positive change made two years ago contributed to the pride that members of the

ELMS community feel toward their track. Track leadership and female drivers are proud to have the powder puff division, which gives women a chance to race competitively. Driver Lindsey

Dyer explained,

“I do think that the men have the bigger egos and saying ‘oh this is a man’s sport, women aren’t welcome in it,’ but in our class, we have more respect for each other than I can guarantee you any man out there, because any man that hits a man and then

88 Harris, Blake. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020. 89 Olds, Buddy. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 9, 2020.

42 threatens to beat him up or something like that, we’re not going to do that. We might get mad, we might cuss, but we’re going to shake your hand and hug you at the end of the night.”90

While men express their pride and passion via fighting, women show it through respect for one another. The powder puff division has been around for longer than two years, but only then was it legitimized. Prior to that, it was a source of comedy in which male drivers’ wives would

“putt around.”91 Female drivers stand in solidarity with one another because they collectively understand the struggle of being taken seriously in a male-dominated sport. The powder puff class gives them an opportunity to engage in the sport to the fullest extent. The female drivers of the track take this seriously and they are proud of the class and themselves.

Lastly, people at the track are proud of themselves for representing certain values. Dirt track racing is associated with negative stereotypes. Outsiders find it to be a redneck sport, one that appeals to those who are backward, ignorant, and uneducated. A Wall Street Journalist described his night at a dirt track as “sweet camouflaged redneck pageantry.”92 Because of this, people who subscribe to these beliefs and this lifestyle cling more tightly to what they believe, as they are put on the defensive constantly. Likewise, they have reclaimed the term “redneck” by choosing to use it to describe themselves rather than giving outsiders the satisfaction of using it offensively.

ELMS community members stick to their faith and family values because of the pride they feel for what they believe. Of the many family values demonstrated at the track, hard

90 Dyer, Lindsey. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020. 91 Sigmon, Tim. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. September 11, 2019. 92 Neil, Dan. “The Beauty of Dirt-Track Racing.” The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, April 10, 2015. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-beauty-of-dirt-track-racing-1428682670.

43 work is the one of which members of the community are most proud. Drivers take pride in the work that they put in on their cars and the effort that they exert in races. Fans work hard to provide for themselves and their children. The median household income of Stanley, North

Carolina (the town in which ELMS is located) is $50,048 and the poverty rate is 10.4%.93 For a lot of families, the typical twelve-dollar admission fee can present its challenges. Fans work hard throughout the week to ensure that they earn the money needed to have a good time at the races on Saturday nights. Lastly, the track leadership puts in an excessive amount of work prior to each season and each individual race. Dirt has to be brought to the track, sponsors, drivers, and fans have to be secured, the bathrooms need to be clean, the concession stand needs to be stocked and equipped to feed fans, the announcer needs to prepare, and so the list goes. Hard work is a common theme at ELMS, and everyone there has every reason to take pride in their labor, and the fruits of their labor.

Family values in general are a source of pride for the ELMS community. Lucia Corvino, track photographer and mother of a nineteen-month old, happily described the many facets of

ELMS that combine to make for a family-oriented atmosphere. From a track mascot to prayer and the national anthem, Lucia concluded that “it’s all family-oriented.”94 Numerous drivers, employees, and fans were quick to point out that there is a big focus on children at the track.

One of Blake Harris’s favorite parts of the announcing job is “just getting the crowd, getting the crowd and seeing the looks on their faces, especially the kids.”95 The adults at ELMS actively

93 “Stanley, NC.” Data USA. Accessed March 25, 2020. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/stanley-nc/. 94 Corvino, Lucia. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020. 95 Harris, Blake. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 4, 2020.

44 work to ensure that the track is a welcoming and fun environment for children, and they take great pride in these efforts.

Overall, the ELMS community is proud—of their country, their region, their sport, their track, and their way of life, particularly their hard work. Pride helps ensure that the things they care about continue and are around for the younger and future generations. Their appreciation for and dedication to dirt track racing contributes to its longevity. Their commitment to the values that they embody results in the passing of those values from one age group to the next.

In the words of driver Buddy Olds, “patriotism’s a part of the racing community and that ain’t going to change anytime soon.”96 Not only patriotism, but the values of faith, family, and pride will continue to hold strong in the years, and even decades, to come.

Conclusion: The Duality of ELMS

Generally speaking, differences amongst members of the ELMS community are minimal.

Fans, drivers, and employees have similar views on faith, family, and country. The most intense and widespread disagreements at the track result from racing calls and outcomes. This is ironic because the primary reason that everyone is gathered—racing—is also the main source of conflict. In the past, people have been banned from the track for getting into disputes with track leadership. The competitiveness on the track operates within the social unity in that holds the track community together. In a moment of renewal when track leadership changed, the bans were lifted and everyone was welcome to the track. Old ELMS community members who had taken hiatuses returned to the track as Tony Paladino, the new owner, took the reins.

96 Olds, Buddy. Interview by Kendall Williams. Personal Interview. April 9, 2020.

45 Aside from hosting entertaining, nail-biting, dirt-slinging races, ELMS serves as a space for like-minded people to congregate. Consequently, ELMS fosters bonding while also indirectly preventing bridging. Week after week, the ELMS community convenes not only to partake in racing, the explicit reason that everyone is gathered, but also to be in the presence of so many others who have similar beliefs, values, and ideologies. These individuals bond with one another at the track around shared values and beliefs. Still, the absence of dissenting opinions is its own kind of presence. It is almost as if some of the actions taken by the ELMS community are in response to a population that is absent from the track. For example, some of the shirts worn by fans aggressively advocate for toughness. A shirt that read “if the mud ain’t flyin’, you ain’t tryin’,” as well as one that implied that welding is not for the weak respond to perceived attacks on macho masculinity from outside the ELMS community. This response can also be seen in Figure 5, as the car on the right has a spray-painted bullet on its rear. By encouraging other drivers to hit him, this driver demonstrates his willingness to undergo the peril the sport presents. Figure 6 provides an example of the potential dangers associated with driving racecars.

46

Figure 6. Racecars regularly come in contact with one another, presenting the potential for injury. Photo courtesy of Lee Kington, former track photographer and current overseer of the Kids Club.

ELMS is much more than a race track. It serves as a worship space, a roundtable for political discussion and expression, and home for family traditions and values to be transmitted from one generation to the next. The track itself is an ordinary thing in the sense that race tracks are elements in a common landscape—but it nurtures extraordinary moments. ELMS on one level is a venue for racing, spectating, and socializing. On another it is a community space that keeps people coming back every week for communion with like-minded folk. That deeper function seldom surfaces as self-awareness. Even the members of the ELMS community agree that ELMS is merely a place to watch races and have fun, they do not necessarily realize that it allows the community to sustain values. The exception to this general rule is track chaplain

Dillon Sigmon. Dillon views ELMS as a raceway, as it should be, but he recognizes that it offers the opportunity to connect people with Jesus. Other regulars recognize that the track teaches

47 kids how to be independent, tough, and to put family first. Even so, they would not tell you that this is why they come to ELMS.

How self-awareness works opens up the possibility of thinking about other communities that do not think about themselves and the importance of the memberships they possess.

Personally, I did not realize my own identity as a Southerner until I let home for boarding school in another part of the state of North Carolina. Being separated from the only thing I had ever known allowed me to realize that some of the things I ate, some of my pronunciations, and my values are not shared with all Americans. This personal anecdote helped me realize that this is likely the case for many people; they do not think about themselves, their culture, and the communities to which they belong until they are separated. Moreover, most people do not find their own communities to be “worth studying.” They are so accustomed to the functioning of the group that they have a hard time believing that the places they make and inhabit are of interest. ELMS community members are proud of several aspects of their identity, yet they have a hard time believing that anyone would be interested in learning about their culture and way of life.

Of all the social work that the speedway accomplishes, the demonstration of values around faith, family, and pride is of primary importance that transforms the track from an ordinary thing into an extraordinary Southern place. The dirt oval is an actor that is itself part of the living, dynamic community that inhabits it. ELMS is dynamic. Track leadership constantly works to make positive changes even as the occasional brawl breaks out on social media or at trackside. Over the decades, the racing tradition has held strong. The dirt track has never been converted to asphalt. The family values that were so popular in the past are still alive and well.

48 Jesus still holds His place in this space. The fans are vocally and visibly proud of the United

States that they believe in. The same family names are still present, several generations later.

Southern identity is important to ELMS. ELMS promotes a particular set of Southern values around faith, love for family, and pride in country, region, sport, track, and self. While this community celebrates and appreciates region just as much as country, the extent to which dirt track racing is Southern is not agreed upon by all the members of the ELMS community. I have learned that those who are—or are friends with ELMS community members who are—not from the South, point to the existence of tracks outside of the region. However, when thinking about the culture created by the ELMS community, many agree that dirt track racing has

Southern elements. I conclude that the sport is different things to different people. For those who self-identify as Southern, membership with the dirt track racing community contributes to their Southern identity. For those who are not necessarily Southern, the sport offers entertainment and still the transmission of important values. As the South becomes globalized, the Southern nature of dirt track auto racing becomes less apparent—but ELMS pushes back.

Appendix

In working on this project, I first reached out to Tim Sigmon, who was the owner of the track at the time. Tim was very enthusiastic about this, and he provided so much support. I am eternally grateful for all he has contributed to this endeavor. Not only did Tim have a long conversation with me on the phone, allow me to sit beside him asking questions at a race, and drive me around the track, but he also gave me names of other people I should engage, including his son

Dillon. Beyond Tim and Dillon, I found other interviewees through the “Official East Lincoln

49 Racing Undeleted” Facebook page. This lead brought me to Tieler Dodge, Casey Olds, Chris

Smith, Samantha White, Jessica Beaver, Lindsey Dyer, Blake Harris, Lucia Corvino, and Buddy

Olds. Below, I have included the transcriptions of my interviews with each of these people, as well as those of the sermon preached by Dillon, and a brief conversation I had with Dillon over text message. Lee Kington, former track photographer and current overseer of the Kids Club, was also a huge help. He contributed some of the pictures I used. The other pictures I took with my iPhone. In reading through these transcriptions, I hope you will notice two things in particular. First, the people of the ELMS community are connected in various ways (marriage, kinships, friendships, etc.). Second, the eleven people I spoke with represent a wide array of backgrounds and experiences. Collectively, these folks helped me represent the ELMS community and its values and perceptions in this thesis.

Interview with Tim Sigmon 9/11/2019 TS: Hello KW: Hey, is this Mr. Sigmon? TS: This is Tim, yes. KW: Hey, this is Kendall, I was just calling to do the interview we discussed. TS: Oh okay, hey Kendall, how you doing? KW: I’m doing great, how about yourself? TS: I’m good. So you doing this for some kind of college essay or what is it? KW: Yes sir, I go to UNC. I’m a senior, so I’m doing like my senior honors thesis. I’m from Denver, that’s how I got into all this but TS: Oh okay KW: Well, I’m not really from Denver. I moved from Belmont. My mom’s from Denver. TS: But you come to the races every week, right? KW: Not every week, I’ve been to probably about four. TS: You should be coming every week. KW: I know, it’s hard, living this far away, but I was there this past weekend. TS: Oh okay, alright good KW: But first I just want to, whenever I see you in person, whenever I’m at the next race, I’ll need you to sign this permission slip basically giving me permission to record our conversation now.

50 TS: Oh, that’s fine. KW: Okay, and it’ll be deposited in the UNC library system for scholars to use in the future, is that okay? TS: Okay, that’ll be good. KW: Alright, well I just want to start off asking you a little bit about yourself, how you got interested in racing and everything? TS: Well, it really wasn’t an interest, my mom and dad took us to the race in 19- probably, 74 to asphalt races, which was Metrolina and Hickory every week. It was a natural thing to us. When race season started, that’s where we was at, every Friday, Saturday night. But that was asphalt racing. It didn’t have anything to do with dirt back then, that’s the only thing we knew was asphalt racing. When we went to the track we went and it was like Dale Earnhardt and Tommy Houston and all the greats in NASCAR raced every Friday and Saturday night at Metrolina and Hickory. I got to see it all back when I was a kid, so that’s how we got started—Mom, Dad taking me to the races years ago. KW: Okay, so I was at your last race, so I know that you were a driver. How did you get started driving? TS: Well, actually in 1974-75, somewhere around there, my uncle decided to build a racecar. And I was a kid, I was little, seven-eight years old maybe. While they were building this car, I was in their face every day. And basically, they told me, “Tim, get the hell out of the way or I’m going to beat your ass,” basically. I mean really, that’s what it was because I was in their face all the time wanting to watch them. When they told me, I asked them, was they going to Metrolina or was they going to race at Hickory. And they said, “we’re not, we’re racing Concord, on dirt.” Well, that just shattered me basically because I had been to these two asphalt races my whole life, right, the asphalt tracks and what is Concord and what is dirt? I didn’t even know what it was, so I stayed with them right there while they built that car, and when they went to Concord Speedway, which was the old Concord Speedway on Highway 73, it was like that night, it was like something turned a switch on in my head because I seen the cars coming around sliding sideways it was great. I’m telling you, it was just absolutely great, so I was hooked on dirt racing from then on. Actually, I didn’t start racing til I was thirteen years old. My uncle raced, and then when I was ten years old, my sister died. When my sister died, we was all just tore up out the frame, so my dad bought, since my uncle was racing dirt, my dad went out and bought a racecar, a dirt car, truck, or trailer car, race-ready, and then my brother started racing at fourteen. So I was ten years old, and then three years later, I started racing his back-up car. When we built him a new one, I started racing the other one and it’s been almost forty years. KW: Wow, that’s impressive! TS: I stayed with it, everybody else quit, retired. I stayed with it, I did it almost forty years, I won 138 races and at thirteen different race tracks, in probably ten or twelve points championships so KW: That’s incredible TS: Yeah, I’ve had a good racing. It’s been a lot of fun. KW: Yes sir, I read that article, I saw an article online about you how you purchased the track because it was going to be sold to like a developer and you didn’t want to see that happen? Is that right?

51 TS: Well, Bob owned it, Bob Delia owned the track, and he was fed up with it, he had had it four years, he was fed up with it and he decided he was going either make a storage warehouse out of it like these little storage buildings where people rent, or he was going to put small houses on it. And I just couldn’t see that happening, so I did whatever I could do and get enough down payment and we made it work and I paid him off and I took up the payments with Ray Evernham and we been here almost two years now. It’s still doing pretty good. KW: Well thank you for doing that. I know from just the few I’ve been to the fans love it, so thank you. TS: It’s very good, it’s rewarding, it’s trying at times because racers do fuss a lot, but I expect it because I’ve been a racer my whole life you know, so I kind of knew what we was going through. But my plan is to give this thing over to my daughter completely, be her track and my son, he don’t really want to be owner of it, but he wants to be a part of it, but to get this over to her and really, to be honest, I’ve done it for forty years so I just need to take care of my mom and my dad, they’re in their eighties now, and then it’s time for me to step back and let the younger generation do their thing, but I feel like I’ve done what I needed to do to keep the track, and then, to keep it moving forward. KW: Yes sir. So I just kind of wanted to ask you a few questions so how would you, to someone who doesn’t know anything about racing, how would you describe the points system, how it runs, you know, what hot laps versus like the heat races, just how it works, just a general overview? TS: Yeah, well I’ve done this my whole life so it’s like a no-brainer to me because I’ve done it so long. But, most of the time tracks don’t run a efficient track, they mess around, and mess around, and mess around, and it’s one-two o’clock in the morning before they get done. We, when I bought this track, my goal was to make sure we got started on time, and it was efficient, it was like bam, bam, bam, and it’s over, because people don’t want to sit there six or eight hours. Their attention span is about four hours, so we start at 5:30, and our goal is to be done by 10:30 or eleven o’clock. So, when we get there, they’re already drawing. The racers come in, they pay, they get the cars unloaded, they pay, and they draw for positions, and then we have our practice. Then after practice is heat race, national anthem, and we start racing and we race til 10:30 and it’s done you know. And there’s a little intermission there where people can go get something to eat or go to the bathroom, whatever they need to do, but it’s not long and by 10:30-11 o’clock, we’re done. The people are going home and they’re happy. They’ve seen a full night’s of racing, and they’re not there til two o’clock. So it’s just a matter of how you run your show and East Lincoln runs well, and I mean KW: Yes sir, it does. TS: and gets it done and gets it over with, and people have fun and they’re genuinely happy, when they walk out the gate, they’re happy because it’s not two o’clock in the morning. KW: Yes sir, how is it, so is each race a set number of laps? Or how does that work? TS: Yeah, we got a set number of laps, and then we got time limits. If they have one caution after another, they wrecking in one particular class, and they use up all their time, that’s it, we’ll tell them over the race receivers, “guys, your times up, we gone give you, bring white check, everybody else got to race tonight.” So yeah, they have a time limit, but most of the time, they get all their laps, and everything’s good. KW: Okay, and I understand, I know powder puff, that’s the girls, then there’s the next

52 generation, that’s younger kids, as far as the other divisions, what’s the major differences between the types of, like that set one vehicle apart from another? TS: Well, the kids’ class we started last year, and we also started the ladies’ class last year. Over the years, there has been something they call powder puff, but it was the wives or whatever just got in there once a year and they got out there and they putted around and people made fun of them. I didn’t want that, I wanted women to be able to get out there and race and have fun and be competitive and so after two years, these women are running fast, they’re competitive, and they really get on it. But the kids’ class is something we started because if you don’t have the kids interested now, then racing is going to die later. KW: Yes sir, that’s true. TS: So we made it to where kids could leave from go karts and get into racing early. It’s from nine-fifteen years old. They can get in early, and then move up to the next class, which would be the front-wheel drives, and the kids’ class and the ladies’ class, they’re the same type cars. So, a lady could actually move into the men’s class if they wanted to, or a kid when they get that age, they could move into that class and we have 4-cylinders, and then V8 cars, which is the high-powered cars, which was rear-wheel drives instead of front-wheel drives. So, there’s places to move on up to late models. So we got kind of stepping stone classes. KW: Okay, that makes sense, thank you. How, like how many employees do you have at the track, about approximately? TS: Not a whole lot, we have four in the tower, and then there’s me and Jessica, and we have a flagman, so that’s seven. Then we have one at the turn four and then one at in the pits there lining them up, so that would be nine, and then we have our ticket people which is ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen. And then we have a tech guy which is [undistinguishable] that work. KW: Okay, how many fans do you think y’all average, each week? TS: It’s hard to say, we really don’t know because I mean, on a big race, it could be up to eight hundred people, and then on a regular race, it could be three hundred. You just never know what’s going to show up, there is no average, it’s kind of like it’s a whatever’s running that night versus football games or whatever’s going on around town. KW: That makes sense. TS: We just know we have to keep our purse and all our expenses down below so whatever we bring in that night, it just depends, it’s never the same. But you can bet we about have the same amount of cars, people in the pits every night, you know. We have between eighty and a hundred cars a night. KW: Gah, that’s impressive. TS: And most tracks, if they have a hundred cars, they’d be there til three o’clock in the morning. We have a hundred cars and we be done by 10:30. KW: It’s well-run! TS: It’s just you got to get it running and rolling and everybody has got to know what they’re doing. It’s just, it’s a matter of people and they know exactly what they’re supposed to do, and they get it done. It’s not me, it’s not Jessica, it’s the people we put in the right places to make it go. KW: Yes sir. I wanted to ask you what like, it seems like just the few I’ve been there it seems like you know, a lot of the fans are friends with each other, or you see people talking in the stands and stuff. To you, what is the ideal East Lincoln Motor Speedway fan look like? Like, you know,

53 are they of a certain age, certain political leaning, religious background, anything, are they from the area? Just, what do you think? TS: No, most, I mean you know, my son Dillon, he does the prayer, we stand up for the national anthem, I mean it’s a good sport and everybody seems to be on the same page as far as our views, as far as our country, you know. Religion, I wouldn’t know, I would think most of them there was Christians because they don’t complain about Dillon saying the prayer or whatever, and if they did, we wouldn’t care because that’s the way we feel. You know. KW: Yes sir. TS: As far as the Christianity thing, we’ve got our own beliefs and this is the way we doing it and if somebody got offended, they don’t have to come back, you know. That’s my point of view. But on the other hand, most of the racers and the fans that come there are, I guess you would say they are pro-USA, you know, that’s the only way I can say it. They stand up for the national anthem, they believe in what they believe and that’s it. But nobody ever complains, that’s just the way it is. I really couldn’t say that there’s one certain type person, because nobody really pushes anything on anybody else. It’s everybody kind of does what they want to do and their beliefs is their beliefs but nobody ever pushes it on anybody. KW: Yes sir. TS: I mean, there’s a lot of patriotic people there. When we have something that’s our heart- warming patriotic people, that’s what I’m saying comes to the race track, but I’m sure there’s some that believe different but nobody ever fusses about it because no one ever pushes anything on anybody. KW: Yes sir. TS: You understand what I’m saying? KW: Absolutely. Do you think like, I don’t know if you know a lot of the fans, I imagine you do, do they come from the local area, like Gaston and Lincoln County mostly? TS: Yeah, they’re actually, that track’s been open for thirty years, so we have second and third and fourth generation kids and people racing there, you know, their grandpas raced there years ago. So they’ve grown up watching it at that track and over the years, they’ve got cars, they started racing, and their daddies raced and now they’re racing, so it’s like third and fourth generation drivers. One thing that we have done since we opened this track up, was we started getting the drivers and the fans connected. Like, we’ll open the gates up and let the, if we have a big race, we’ll open the front-stretch gate up, and let the fans go down and meet the drivers. Before, they never done that. They could see a car out there, and they knew a name, but they didn’t have a face to that name. Now they can actually go down on the track, they can meet them, and the drivers come up in the stands and they get to know each other. And now people relate who’s in what car. And that’s something that we do different than everybody else. But it works. KW: Yes sir. Yeah, I think, I think that’s important. I’ve definitely noticed a lot of kids when I’ve been there and I think I mean being from that area, I guess you probably go to camp meeting too, right? TS: Mhm KW: Yeah, I notice a lot of kids. TS: We have a tent at camp meeting. KW: Oh really?

54 TS: Yeah, we are 11[?] KW: Okay, my cousin, Shannon Parker, she has a tent there so we go and spend time, she’s like 233 I think. But I was just comparing it because you know with that, if you don’t have a lot of kids, the tradition doesn’t keep going, so it’s a good thing to have kids at stuff like that to make sure it gets passed on. TS: Well this year we started a East Lincoln Kids Club and there’s actually over two hundred members that we give shirts to. But you see the kids there screaming every night for candy. KW: Yes sir TS: But there’s probably 100-150 kids there a night yelling for candy, but they want their momma and daddies to bring them every Saturday night. It’s something that you just don’t see every day. Kids don’t pester their momma and daddies to go to the movies, but they’ll pester them to come to that race track because they like it you know, and we make it where they like it. KW: That’s a good thing. I wanted to ask you, do you think that local racing, whether it be asphalt or dirt track, appeals to a different kind of people than NASCAR does? And on that same hand, are you a NASCAR fan? Do you watch it on TV? TS: I was a NASCAR fan for years and years. The last few years, not so much. I don’t like their points system, I don’t like it when they have stage racing, I don’t like it when they have three different, it’s like you got three different winners in one race. I liked it in the old days when they raced for points from the first race to the end of the year, when Dale Earnhardt, and Harry Gant, and all them was there that I watched as a kid, that’s when I liked it the most. Today’s racing, not so much. Dirt racing is down-to-earth, home fans. NASCAR has gotten so expensive, nobody can afford to go anyway. So, they’ve really took the fun out of it for us, I guess what you’d say poor racers, that would go there every time they come in town, buy a ticket, and pull for our local drivers. It’s not like that no more, it just cost way too much. KW: Yes sir TS: On a Saturday night then come to the track, a man, his wife, and three kids if they’re under ten, they can come for $24, and they can get them a hot dog for $3 a piece or they can bring in their food, bring in their drinks, and have a good time for $25. They can’t even do a movie for that anymore. KW: Right TS: It’s just for the poor racer that wants to come out and fans that want to come [?] the paycheck to get there. That’s what we push for. KW: Yes sir TS: NASCAR’s a great sport, I’m not going to lie. If you’re not millionaires, you can’t do it. Anybody, I’ve seen moms and dad get them an old car and get out there and work on them out in their yard, and the kids help wash them and they have a ball and they come to the race track and they watch their daddy or their momma race and they dream about racing one day. And they don’t even have a shop, they’re out there in the back yard working. NASCAR, dirt track racing, local short-track racing is different animals. KW: Yes sir, so that’s all the questions I got for you right now, but I just want to let you know, so this is like a year-long project I’m working on, and ultimately, it’s going to result in me writing a forty-fifty page paper. TS: Sure

55 KW: So I’ve got a lot of information to gather so if you would be willing and able, I’ll probably be interviewing you more in the weeks or months to come. TS: Sure KW: And since, I mean you’re helping me so much by doing this, please let me know if there’s anything I can do. I’d love to take part in the thing you were telling me about, like putting together the player profile thing. TS: Yeah, I mean we want to do that, but we’ve never had nobody that really want to step up and help with it. It’s kind of like, I don’t know if you’ve seen a Shriners’ race over at Carolina Speedway, they’ve got like a little program book. It’s got a picture of the track on the front, and then it’s got each page with each driver, some sponsors or whatever that put money into it. I want something, a profile of every driver in every class, and it might be fiftyish-seventy-five pages long, but they could flip through it and they could read about every driver, where they come from, how long they’ve been racing. It’s a driver profile is what it is. And then, they could advertise like whoever is their sponsor could do an ad on that paper and actually you could make some money at it. I don’t care about making money myself, but it would be worth whoever’s time to get the sponsors off of each car and put them on there and make a nice book and write it up. Really, you could make a lot of money on it in one year. KW: Yes sir TS: If you’re interested, I’ll help you any way I could, and Jessica will too, and the drivers, here’s the thing, they used to do that stuff, years ago, then they got away from it. But, fifteen years from now, this guy that raced, he could show his grandkids, or whoever, this book. Here’s what we did in 2019. KW: Yes sir TS: You see what I’m saying? It’s a program book that they could not necessarily just a trophy that they won, but here’s the people we raced with, here they are, now we’re fifty years old and can look back on it. KW: Yes sir, and like for this project, I would love to like, besides that, I wanted to interview drivers anyway, so if that can help somebody out with that, then I would love to take part in that. TS: Sure, if you wanted to bring a book up and go from driver to driver to driver, and we’d explain to em look, she’s doing interviews with you, we going to take pictures at the first of next year, we going to make us a program book, y’all, talk to this lady. I’ll do it for you. KW: That sounds great! TS: And I don’t want to make a dime off of it, but I’ll help you. KW: Alright, yeah I’m happy to do whatever. TS: I’m just glad somebody’s doing something with racing. KW: Yes sir, yeah that’s why, I came to my first race in probably March because I was in a intro to Southern studies class, and we could attend like events and write something about it to get extra credit, and I was like, “well, racing’s Southern, I’ve never been to this dirt track even though I live in Denver, let me go,” and I just fell in love with it, like the dirt flying and everything, it was so much different than what you see on TV. TS: Yeah, it’s addictive. Especially when you get to know the drivers, when you get a one on one connection with this person, like the Dodge boys, I’m telling you, they are a hoot! [?] They’re kind of kids in grown men bodies and that’s the way I explain it because they are so wild, full of

56 energy, it’s kind of like they are in high school, but they’re not! And they go around, they hug on people, they talk to people, they laugh, they have a ball, and that’s the way a lot of the racers are, that people don’t see it because they don’t know them. And then you have some that’s out there that’s just hard-nosed racers that don’t like anybody. You know, and all they want to do is come out there and win. They’ve done it for years. It’s different personalities, it’s a great sport is all I can say. It’s people in different personalities and you got to, but when we get them fans and the drivers connecting, that’s when it’s good. KW: Yes sir. Well, Mr. Sigmon, I just want to thank you for your time, I know you took a good bit of time out of your day today to help me out with this. TS: Oh honey, don’t worry about it, I’ll talk to you fifty times if you need me to, because I can tell you more stories about racing then you’ll probably ever want to hear. KW: No, I want to hear it, thank you, cause like I said, I’ve got to write forty-fifty pages so you’re going to be a great resource for me and you know I’d like to interview some other people at the track if you could help me you know, get in touch with some of those fans, I’d love to interview the chaplain too. TS: Oh yeah, I’ll take you around on the golf cart and introduce you to people and let you talk to all of them. We have women that race in men’s classes, you know the girls, we have the women that race, we have the kids, we have, oh it’s just people that’s raced for thirty years and maybe never won a race, but they’re there every week. Then you have people that’s just ornery and they win races, they might run over you but, people don’t like them, I mean, it’s just different personalities. KW: Yes sir. Well, that’s all the questions I’ve got for you. TS: I’m Tim by the way. KW: You want me to call you Tim? TS: Yes sir don’t sound right to me, I’m Tim. KW: Alright Tim TS: My dad is, that’s the one I say sir to is my dad. KW: Okay, I’ll call you Tim. TS: Mr. Sigmon, you know when people call me Mr. Sigmon I’m like, “oh God, that’s my dad.” And he’s, him and my momma are there every week—they’re in their eighties. KW: Yeah there’s definitely, like I was saying, you see a bunch of kids, but you see people, you see all kinds of ages there. TS: They’re probably the oldest ones there but they started me in racing and they don’t miss a race. If they can get there, they’ll get there. Dad still sells gas at the track. KW: Well, I just want to thank you not only for helping me today but also I mean, keeping the track going, just from the few times I’ve been, I’ve seen it’s really something special in our community so thank you for that. TS: Well thank you tonight, I hope you make a great report and get a good grade on it. And so you’re a senior at where? UNC? KW: Yes sir—I mean sorry, yes Tim. TS: Chapel Hill? KW: Yes TS: Wow, so what are you studying? KW: I’m studying political science and Southern studies, and I’m hoping to go to law school.

57 TS: Great, great! Well Jessica, my daughter, I sent her to Western Carolina. She started out as her major was going to be band, she wanted to teach band. And after she got through a couple years, that wasn’t what she wanted to do and she took business. She changed it to, her major to business, and her minor was, what was her minor, her minor was, crap I can’t remember. Oh, yeah it was Latino, I mean the Spanish. Because, I talked her into going with the Spanish because there was so many Mexicans moving in. I said well if you know that and you got a business major, a major in business, you got it made. Well she didn’t like the Spanish at all so she just wound up with a business major, but she actually was on the Dean’s list all that, and now she’s promoting the race track and eventually it’s going to be hers altogether. KW: I guess it paid off! TS: That’ll be a good story for you too so. KW: Absolutely, thank you. TS: Alright KW: Well TS: Do good in that school now because it’ll pay off, that’s what I tell everybody. KW: Thank you, I’ll probably be in contact with you, I’ll text, now that I have your number, I’ll probably just text you probably set up more interview times or tell you when I’ll be at a race so we can talk. TS: Sure, you can come up there any Saturday night, I’ll put you up there on the deck and we’ll have a ball. KW: Alright well thank you so much, I really appreciate it. TS: Alright KW: Have a good rest of your TS: Do good now KW: Thank you, have a good rest of your day. TS: Alright, thank you. KW: Bye

Interview with Dillon Sigmon 3/4/2020 KW: Hello, is this Dillon? DS: Yes ma’am KW: Oh hey, this is Kendall. DS: How is it going? KW: Good, how are you? DS: I’m alright. KW: Alright, thank you again for doing this. I really appreciate it a lot. DS: No problem KW: Okay, I can go ahead and launch into these questions if you’re ready. DS: Mhm KW: Before I start, just so you know, like I kind of explained, this is for my honors thesis, so if it’s okay with you, I’m going to voice record your answers so I can go back and reference it for my paper.

58 DS: Okay KW: And then I’ll likely transcribe all of that, like write out everything that was said, and then include it with my paper if that’s okay with you. DS: Yeah, that’ll be fine. KW: Okay, thank you so much. So I know you grew up around racing and in particular, the East Lincoln Motor Speedway. DS: Mhm KW: Because you have a dad who raced, can you tell me more about your own inspiration for becoming a driver? DS: Well, when I moved down to my dad’s house, it was when I was in my freshman year of high school, and all I’d ever really done was played video games and that was about it. And I got bored sitting around the house, and my dad had took us to race tracks you know, the whole time I had been growing up. And it was like I knew that he did it, but I didn’t really know that much about it, so when I moved back down here in high school, I said well heck lets go to a race with him and see what it’s all about. And from then, I started just kind of going with him every weekend, and then you know, helping him out, and then eventually built me a car and I just started from there. It really just kind of took off. It got to where I wanted to do it just as much as he did, and it was fun, me and him, we raced together for a couple years, you know on the track at the same time and so yeah that was probably, he was probably my biggest inspiration because he was the one who got me into it, I wouldn’t have even known it existed if not for you know, seeing him go every weekend. KW: Right, so have you always been on like a dirt track racer? DS: Nah, not really, I actually hated it growing up when I was a kid. My dad used to make us go when we were real young. I was like ah geez here we go with this, you know, and like it said, it took until I moved down here and decided that I wanted to go on my own and then I started, you know, a bunch of people that I didn’t really know anybody, and then I met a bunch of people that I went to high school with that I was going to high school with at the race track and over time, got to where I knew a lot of people because of the race track, so it kind of welcomed me in from moving down here as well. KW: But I mean you’ve never done asphalt, right? Mostly dirt? DS: Yeah it’s all been dirt. KW: Okay so that’s why you became a driver, what inspired you to become the track chaplain? DS: Well, I got really big into conspiracy theories and what was going on with the world and where the world was headed, and honestly, it kept me down, it kept me afraid all the time because I’d hear fearmongers you know they would say, you know, you’d hear this rumor or that rumor and we don’t know where the world is headed and it kind of kept me tore up all the time. I got to a certain point where it was all I thought about. Well, then I found the only thing that would cure my fear was when I found Christ. And when I found Christ, I started to read my Bible more, and I started to realize that the stuff that was going on the world is happening hand-in-hand with what the Bible has to say, and I started to realize that Christ was the Truth and with that, I learned a lot about Heaven and I started to realize that in everything that we do, there’s only one thing that would make an eternal difference, and that’s how many people you can help find Christ yourself, because the more people you can help find Christ is the more

59 people that will be in Heaven. You know the Bible says that there will come a day where the world will be gone you know. KW: Yes sir DS: And the only thing that will be left will be Heaven and Hell, and I got to learning a lot about Heaven and I realized that everybody I knew, I wanted them to go there and it really became the most important aspect of my life is how can I help people find Christ in this life? Well then my dad got the race track and at that point I really had no idea how I was going to help people find Christ, but I wanted to, and then you know, I was building this racecar and dad comes out to me in the shop one day and says [I want to buy this race track?] and you know, I didn’t know what to do at first but then something told me to try to use this as a platform to help people find Christ because I had a friend who told me you can’t, it’s hard to get people to go to the church but they’ll come to a race track. KW: Right DS: So I wanted to take that and bring the church to the race track, so that’s kind of how I became chaplain, and then with dad owning the race track, no one else is really stepping up to be a track chaplain, but they really didn’t even have one, so it’s more or less just a title more than anything, but the sole purpose behind it is I want to use whatever contact I can come in with people to maybe change their life. KW: Yes sir, I was at your, the track service back in October and I loved that. DS: Oh really? KW: Yes sir DS: Oh cool KW: I feel like it was a good way to, like you said, get people who you might not see in church, because you know church tends to be more formal and stuff so DS: Mhm KW: I liked it a lot. DS: Well I appreciate that. KW: Yeah, I appreciate you, thank you. Could you tell me more about your favorite part of being the track chaplain? DS: I think my favorite part is the—it’s difficult because you know, with racing and you’re trying to live a life. You’re trying to live like Jesus would live and with that you, you tend to have to watch what you do a whole lot more, and especially when everybody looks at you as the track chaplain. KW: Right DS: But the most intriguing part about it—to me—is that I can take this sport that is a temper- fueled sport, where people lose their tempers and they say things on the internet and they get into arguments and fights and everything else, well I can take that and show that this is what Christ can do, you know, this is this is what Christ can change you, this is what Christ can stop you from doing you know so it, I’m not perfect by no means, but the thought that maybe someone could look at how I handle situations and wonder well how does, what does he have that makes him that way, you know what does he got, I want that. The thought of no matter how bad things get I could have a positive outlook, or I could you know shrug things off and somebody might look and say ‘well how do I get that kind of peace in my life?’ Then you know,

60 maybe if they come talk to me one day, I could tell them about Jesus and I can tell them you know, who He is and how He can change their life just like He changed mine. KW: Yes sir, you’re right. Thank you. So, I guess you’ve kind of already touched on this with saying how it’s definitely like a temper-fueled sport, but if you have anything else to say, could you talk more about the challenges and rewards of delivering the Christian message to East Lincoln Motor Speedway? DS: Well, just in general, no matter where it’s at, the thought that your words could—granted, we aren’t the ones who change people’s hearts, God does that, but we could be the tool that God uses you know, but the thought that something you say or do or the actions that you have, that they could essentially be what saves someone’s life, you know. Earlier I mentioned that eventually there’s only going to be a Heaven and Hell, and that scares a lot of people you know that and you hear a lot of people well you know, you shouldn’t talk like that you know, don’t even mention Hell, but you kind of have to mention Hell if you want to preach the Gospel. You have to tell everything the Bible says, not just one part of it. But the thing about Hell is you don’t have to go there. You know, the thought that Jesus Christ can save you from anything, all you have to do is ask for it and all of your sins are forgiven because when He died on the cross, that is the one thing that can change your destiny to where you know for sure when this world ends or when you take your last breath, that you’re going to Heaven. Well, if I can have anything to do with that, you know, that’s what I like to see you know, the fact that I could potentially be a tool that God used to save someone’s soul. KW: Mhm. Do you see any particular challenges, do you think the people that come to the track are pretty receptive of the Christian message or not? DS: Being the location that we’re at, there’s a lot of people that accept it. Now if, granted if we were in a different part of the country or different part of the world, the message would probably be a whole lot harder to try to relay to people, but we’re kind of in a city, state, area where the Christian faith is a little bigger than some other areas, so there’s always going to be people that will there’s always going to be people [?], that’s why we’re here you know, is to help people find Christ and so no matter whether you think they’re listening or whether they’re not, they, you could definitely change someone. But there’s also going to be a lot of people that, no matter where you’re at, that they’re going to be looking and they’re going to be waiting and they’re going to be watching the Christian and wait and see if he messes up, and the first time the Christian messes up, well oh now let’s point out that he’s a Christian and that he did something wrong so there, anywhere you are trying to show Christ, the world doesn’t like it because it’s not something that sits with people until they find Christ and realize that the world and Christ are two different things, that having a relationship with Christ is one relationship and if you have a relationship with the world, or if you love the world, if you love your relationship with the world more than Christ, then it’s two different things. You understand what I’m saying? I kind of got KW: Yes sir DS: I kind of got mixed up there. Yeah, it’s, some people listen, I think everybody tends to kind of listen. You might hit somebody and make them think. They might not even respond, they might say ‘pshhh whatever on this Christian guy up here,’ but you might say something that one day that will sit with them, and they’ll sit there and think about it and you know, maybe it’s a point where they’re having a really hard time with something, and they don’t know where to

61 go, and maybe something that I said could come back and they say ‘well I’m going to try this Jesus thing out, let’s see what this Jesus guy can do.’ So you know, no matter what you’re doing, there’s going to be people that listen, and there’s going to be people that don’t want to see you succeed with it. KW: Yes sir. So, just, I haven’t been a racing fan for that long, but just in my experience it seems to me that the sport in general is pretty Christian as compared to some of these other sports we see on TV. You may or may not agree with that, but do you think that racing is appealing to Christians, or, and if so, why? Or do you think that Christianity is appealing to racing fans? DS: I think it all boils down to, I think it boils down to the type of people that watch the sport. Most of the time, they’re Southern people and you know, down South it seems to be a whole lot more of a way you were raised, to be raised in the church and everything. Not saying that anywhere else people don’t raise their kids in the church, but a lot of time I think it’s, I hate to say this but it’s true, a lot of times I think that it’s all about your personal appearance you know. When you’re raised in, around a place where everybody goes to church and in church on Sunday morning, you tend to be more of a person that says, ‘yeah, I believe in God, I believe in Christ’ you know, but if you’re in a spot where there’s nobody really says that, well then, you probably won’t either. If nobody even talks about being raised in the church or whatever, then you won’t be compelled to try to fit that lifestyle either, but I think there’s Christians everywhere, you know a lot of them are just hidden. But to say the sport, it’s hard to say. I think it depends on what area, and I think a lot time that racing is more Southern. Southern states, that kind of thing where it is more popular so to speak to be a Christian than it would be somewhere else. KW: That makes sense. Thank you. Does the, I was noticing the number on your car, it’s like a big seven and a little forty-six, right? DS: Mhm, yes ma’am KW: Does that have any religious significance, or what inspired that? DS: Yeah, in the Bible, God uses the number seven a lot. He uses seven, you know there’s seven days in a week, there’s seven music notes, there’s all kinds of sevens in the book of Revelations. There’s seven seals, seven bowl judgements you know, there’s a lot of different things that God uses seven about, and I can’t pretend to be you know, a theological scholar or anything, but I do know that God uses the number seven a lot and so when I became a Christian and became curious about it, I kind of wanted it to symbolize something. My number used to be forty-six. Well, when I became a Christian I changed it to 746 and made the seven big and the forty-six little to kind of signify in my life that God was bigger than I am now, and that was my purpose of changing to 746. KW: That’s awesome, I love that. I’m almost done here, sorry for taking up so much of your night. DS: Oh, you’re fine. KW: Do you foresee there to be a continuing importance of Sunday services at East Lincoln, like could you see that happening again or no? DS: My thoughts this year are I’d love to any chance I can. Cause like I said, any opportunity I have to maybe change one person’s life, you know I everything that I do and everything that I did my entire life for Christ, if it changed one person’s eternal destination you know if one person came to Christ and they were going to Heaven because of my message, then it’s worth

62 it. It could be my entire life worth of preaching the Gospel for one person, it’s worth it, and so any chance I can, I would love to talk about God. I really, I was excited about this interview because it would be an opportunity to talk about God as well and not only that but the people that they read it, you know God has a weird way of working. Maybe there’s someone who’s going to read this or hear this or you know whatever that they might be like well huh let me rethink my life a little bit you know hopefully, but so any opportunity that I can have some kind of something at the race track, I’m going to try my best. This year I’m thinking about doing a kind of a weekly, maybe thirty minute or so, Bible study. That’s kind of my thoughts. KW: Okay DS: So we’ll just see where it goes from here. KW: Okay, I look forward to that if that does take off. And then my last question, this question might not even make sense so if it doesn’t, don’t feel like you have to answer it. Could you talk about East Lincoln’s relationship with God? Do you think that it’s unique or traditional or pretty standard? You know, we kind of talked about how the track offers a very different setting for people to come to know God versus the typical, formal church. I didn’t know if you had anything to add to that. DS: Well, I would say that it’s all about personal relationship. The whole key to Christianity is a personal relationship with Christ, so it has to do with the people that are involved. See at the time, my dad wanted me to do whatever it was that I wanted to do you know, he was in full support of me sharing the Gospel to whoever, and he’s always been one that was raised in a church, but on the other hand is there was a lot of times where he would come up to me and say ‘I don’t go to church as much as I need to’ and we’ve had a lot of talks about it, but he was in full support, and see he just sold the race track to people that want to keep it running. It kind of came down to not being able to afford the bills with what situation he had, so someone that wants to see the place stay open, he took over. Well, I’ve talked to his wife a lot about God. She’s, well they both, are Christian as well, so now I’m still in a setting where I can be the chaplain and I can help people find Christ. Now, who’s to say that one day that it doesn’t change hands again to somebody that’s a complete, completely against God? It could happen, but as of right now, you know the setting is good because the people that are allowing me to do what I’m doing, they’re also Christian, so they want me to continue to be the track chaplain. It goes back to not everybody’s going to go to church. I look at church as a very necessary thing for growing Christians. You have to find a church that you love. A church doesn’t have to be a building, it doesn’t have to be some megachurch. The church is a body of people and the body of people, well the body of Christ, is what the church is, so whether we’re standing out in the sun or you know a hundred degree weather or in an air-conditioned building, the church is one big body that wants to help other people find Christ. So if, I don’t necessarily classify it as a church, but we could call the race track a church technically, but yeah it’s definitely a different setting than a formal church because there’s a lot of people that don’t want to get up and go to church on Sundays and I get it, you know, I’ve been that way. A lot of time you’ll hear people say, ‘well there’s a lot of hypocrites in the church’ and you know well yeah, but there’s a lot of hypocrites everywhere and I’m not saying that everybody that goes to church has a relationship with Christ, but the thing is, you have to find a church that you love and if the race track could be the church, so to speak, that you love going to, so be it you know. If that could be where you go to get fellowship and where you go to strengthen your relationship with God and listen to a

63 message that was given at the race track, you know, so be it. That sounds good to me, you know what I mean? KW: Yes sir. That was very insightful, thank you for answering all my questions and bearing with me. DS: Oh it’s fine. [?] KW: Yeah I appreciate it. For now, that’s all the questions I have, but if you’d be okay with it, if anything else comes up that I think would be good to ask, I’m happy to get back in contact with you, if you’d allow it. DS: Yeah, absolutely KW: Okay well, thanks again. DS: Alright, have a good night. KW: You too! B-Bye DS: Alright

Interview with Tieler Dodge 3/17/2020 TD: Hello KW: Hey, is this Tieler? TD: It is. KW: Hey, this is Kendall. TD: What’s up? KW: Thank you again for doing this, it means a lot. TD: Oh, no worries KW: So, before I start, would you be okay with me recording this so I can go back and refer to it and quote if needed? TD: Yeah sure KW: Alright, it shouldn’t take too long, I just have a few questions. So, can you tell me a little bit about how you got started with dirt track racing and more specifically, at East Lincoln? TD: Well, I actually grew up like, I grew up on Old Plank Road and it’s about two and a half miles away from the track. And it’s funny, I never went to a dirt track race until about three years ago. My little cousin, John Dodge, started racing. He bought a racecar from his boss, and he started racing and at the end of the season, I was racing motocross. I broke my ankle and my wife sad ‘enough of that.’ So I was supposed to go have surgery, or a surgical consult Monday for my ankle, and we went and bought a racecar on Tuesday and went to our first race on Saturday—Antioch, Morganton. KW: Okay TD: So, I only started racing about two years ago and it was really my cousin, he got me started. KW: Okay, so would you say like during the racing season, pretty much every weekend you’re involved in race in some way or another, or how frequently? TD: Oh, absolutely KW: Okay TD: We, once our season starts, I mean it’s really kind of I mean non-stop until the end of the season. Every once in a while, we’ll get tore up real bad one weekend and we’ll take the next

64 weekend to, we’ll take two weeks to get the car back right and not rush. But I mean really overall I mean when race season starts, that’s where we’re at whether I mean, we have three racecars, four racecars now, whether I’m helping somebody else on theirs or working on mine or racing one of theirs or racing one of my cars or we’re racing every weekend pretty much. KW: Okay, do you feel like you’ve developed a pretty close-knit community with people, do you, like of the tracks you race at, do you race at East the most? TD: Yeah, I mean, I’ve only raced two other tracks. KW: Okay TD: There’s only been three times I’ve raced outside of East Lincoln, and even outside of East Lincoln I’ve really got, I mean found a fam. I mean when I show up at a track an hour and a half away up in Boone, on the back side of Boone, it’s immediately I mean, it’s automatically family. I mean once you get to know, people come up to you, they help you out for no reason, they really take, I mean I rarely, rarely, rarely see anybody ever shun people away or not help or something like that so yeah, I mean even if we travel to race, I mean it’s still a, just like a family. I mean at East Lincoln, I’ve seen a lot of people help on personal levels and I mean, we’ve gained a lot of family from racing. KW: Makes sense. Who do you think dirt track racing in general, and more specifically East Lincoln appeals to and why? TD: Well, I mean I feel like it appeals to a lot of different people, but I mean, overall I mean the kids have their place, I mean they do a lot of stuff for the kids and honestly that’s what we want to promote is children being there. They’re the future of the sport, they’re the ones that get most excited when you come back from a race and you done good or something big happened through the event. They’re the ones that are the most excited. But I mean, I can say that there’s been, I can’t think you can really say that it’s towards one age or type of person because I mean I know people that are in their seventies that get more excited about Saturday night dirt racing than anybody, and I mean the fans are more excited about it than most of the drivers 90% of the time. KW: Yeah, you’re definitely right about the kids. I’ve noticed there’s a ton of things like at the track geared toward kids. TD: Absolutely, yeah and I mean we’ve done, just like our shirt sales. We sold our adult shirts, we pay like $8 a shirt for them to get them printed and I mean really we didn’t, we just wanted people to have them and but we sold all our shirts for like $15, but we gave away every shirt for a kid. KW: Oh, that’s nice. TD: Like, none of the kids paid for T-shirts. So basically the adults paid for all the kids to have a shirt. KW: Okay TD: So I mean, there’s always doing something, and I mean every team doing something. I mean they, the candy drop every, there’s every weekend a team supports the candy drop and they do the ride-alongs with the pace car. They do a lot of cool stuff for the kids. KW: They do, how do you think that the dirt track racing experience stacks up against NASCAR, how does this level of racing differ from NASCAR? And do the fans differ do you think? TD: I believe as far as NASCAR and dirt track racing goes, NASCAR really, I mean their rules are so strict, their restrictions are so tight, everybody’s on a pretty much level playing field. But I

65 mean, one of the biggest things with I guess local dirt track racing is we’re owner-operators. We own a car, we drive the car, we’re the mechanics in the car. I mean our money comes, we’re the ones that pay for it. I mean really NASCAR, it’s all big money and I just feel like a [?] of that, you lose the wealth of the sport. When you’re the one that’s put in all the effort, putting in all the work, putting the money into it, all your time into it, and then you go do something good, I mean that, I feel like that’s where a lot of the appreciation for the sport comes, and I feel like that’s why dirt track racing is probably doing so well right now. KW: That makes sense. Alright, I just got two more questions, so I shouldn’t take up too much of your time. So do you, do your views on God, family, and country, do you think they tend to overlap or clash with those of the general racing community? How about East Lincoln? Please explain. TD: No, I mean I feel like that there’s a lot I mean of the moral that we have [?] I mean I feel like it’s all, I think it really incorporates into racing. I mean the way that you treat people, and the way that people, I mean there’s a lot of respect and a lot of love and that goes on at the race track, and I really feel like it’s all one in the same. And I mean really, I know there’s always some bad times where people get mad, people get heated, and crazy things but generally, I mean I feel like dirt track racing really brings out the best in most people and most communities really. KW: I agree, from my times, I’ve just been going, watching races, my first was about a year ago, but I’ve tended to notice that as well. Okay and then for my last question, I’ve been thinking about dirt track racing and I was wondering if it’s a Southern thing. What do you think about this? TD: Absolutely not, I have a kid that I actually work with I mean, and races in the same division as me for a while. I mean he moved from Arizona out west and I mean, I would say it’s probably a little bigger in this area, but at the same time, one of my really close friends from New York, I mean he come down from New York, and I mean they race all the time up there. I really don’t think that, I think that it may be bigger and a little more common around here than it is in other places, but I mean it’s still, the sport’s still really big I mean up north and out west and KW: That makes sense. That’s really all I had, but if you wouldn’t mind, if any other questions come up over the next few days or weeks, if I could reach out to you on Facebook or by text, I’d appreciate it. TD: Oh absolutely, you can call, text, message me, whatever you need to do. KW: Okay, well thank you so much. TD: You’re welcome. KW: I hope you have a good rest of your day. TD: You too KW: Bye

Interview with Casey Olds 3/19/2020 KW: Okay, so again, are you okay with me recording this conversation? CO: Yeah KW: Okay thank you. CO: I mean as long as you’re okay with me yelling at my kids sometimes when they don’t listen.

66 KW: Of course CO: [?] conversation KW: Of course, how is your quarantine going? CO: Well, I’m not really that quarantined, I mean, they haven’t shut my work down yet so I guess I’m okay. KW: Well I guess that’s a good thing then, at least you get to keep working. CO: Yeah, got to make money somehow. KW: You’re right, okay so I just have a few questions, hopefully this won’t take too much of your time. So first, can you just tell me a little bit about how you’re connected to the track and how you got started attending East Lincoln? CO: Well, Buddy and I moved out to North Carolina about three and a half years ago. KW: Okay CO: From Arizona, and he’s been racing since before he and I met, and we were looking for a race track to go to around here and we heard somebody say East Lincoln and we thought, well let’s go check it out, and we’ve been attending there ever since. KW: Okay, so you live close by? CO: Yeah, we live out here in Stanley. We live about maybe ten minutes from there. KW: Okay, yeah I live in Denver, so not too far either. CO: Yeah, like we stand outside on our porch, we can hear the cars. KW: Oh wow! I’m not that close, wow. How often does Buddy race? CO: Every weekend if we can afford it—if our car doesn’t break down. KW: Okay, and you’re typically there when he’s racing? Pretty much all the time? CO: Yeah, I think I missed maybe two or three races last year. KW: Okay CO: I don’t miss very many. KW: Are you friends with any of the other fans, drivers, or employees? Do you feel like you connect with other people at the track? CO: Oh yeah, yeah I’m friends with just about everybody. KW: Okay, who do you think East Lincoln appeals to and why? CO: Well, that one’s kind of difficult. I mean if you think about it, East Lincoln is kind of a track for everybody, you know, because they have things for everybody to do. You know, they’ve got the kids meeting for the kids and you know, there’s like certain events that can go on and stuff like that for other people, and you know you’ve got the concessions, and then you’ve got your friends that go there, and then you’ve got the racecar drivers, and you know. I guess it’s just kind of and all around, in general appeal. KW: Mhm, that makes sense. Yeah, I’ve definitely noticed like a big focus on the kids. Whenever I’m there, there’s a ton of kids. They have like—one race I was at last year, they had like a Power Wheels race for the kids so CO: Mhm KW: Definitely a lot of focus on that. Do your views on God, family and country tend to overlap or clash with those of the general racing community? How about the East Lincoln community? CO: Not mine. I mean I typically don’t talk religion or politics or anything like around the track. I keep it kind of neutral. KW: Okay

67 CO: You know, just that way I don’t offend anybody and nobody offends me, you know what I mean? KW: Yeah, that makes sense. CO: Keeping a neutral mindset in a large population like that is the best thing that you can do. KW: That makes sense. How do you think that the dirt track racing experience stacks up against NASCAR? How does this level of racing differ from NASCAR? CO: Well NASCAR is like, you know you have big crews and fancy tools and you know, it’s asphalt and the cars are much, much nicer and much, much more expensive. I mean, I’d say dirt track racing is a little bit more on the low end, at least, you know, what we do at the track. KW: Mhm CO: But like, if you go to like Lucas Oil or Blue Ridge or stuff like that I mean those are pretty high-end competitors, but they’re nothing compared to NASCAR. KW: Okay CO: But dirt I would have to say is more competitive than asphalt. KW: Okay, why do you think that is? CO: Because there’s more thought process going on out on the track if you think about, I mean because the track changes constantly, you know dirt’s always shifting. There could be a rut in one end that wasn’t there two laps ago. KW: I had never thought about that, but that’s a great point. CO: Asphalt is more consistent even though with the temperature changes, it affects their tires, but dirt tracks change more dramatically than asphalt tracks can. So there’s more thought process going into it, and you never know like I said, I mean one driver could hit a rut that wasn’t there two laps ago, their car breaks then out in front of you, and you have to try and compensate for it so you don’t wreck into them. KW: Okay, so you said you’re from Arizona, so this probably impacts what you’re about to tell me for this question. I’ve been thinking about dirt track racing and I was wondering if it’s a Southern thing. What do you think? CO: No, it’s not just a Southern thing. There’s dirt tracks all over the place. Like in Arizona, Buddy used to race, I think there was like ten different tracks out there. You know? KW: Mhm CO: And not just in Arizona, but you know there’s New Mexico, there’s California, there’s Nevada, you know? KW: Yes ma’am CO: But there’s dirt tracks all over the place, it’s not just a Southern thing. KW: Okay, do you think a lot of people would say that it is? CO: Yeah, I would say so. KW: Why? Since there are tracks everywhere, why do you think that’s such a like misconception? CO: Well if you think dirt track, you think more, this might sound a little ehh but KW: It’s fine. CO: You think more redneck, you know. KW: Right CO: You know? KW: Okay

68 CO: People out here are more, fit that category, than people back west. KW: Okay, that makes sense. So it just like the I guess, stereotype that makes it seem that way. CO: Yeah! KW: Okay, that’s really all I have. I know that was super quick, but if any other questions come up as I’m writing this paper, if you’d be okay with me reaching out over Facebook messenger, that’d be awesome. CO: Yeah, that’s not a problem with me, feel free. KW: Okay well thank you so much, this is going to help me a lot, and I appreciate you taking time out of your day to talk to me. CO: You’re welcome, hope the paper goes good. KW: Thank you! I hope you CO: And if you have any more questions feel free to get ahold of me, okay? KW: Well, thank you so much, I hope you have a good rest of your day. CO: You too, b-bye KW: B-bye

Interview with Chris Smith 4/3/2020 CS: Hello KW: Hey, is this Chris? CS: Yes KW: Hey, this is Kendall. Thank you so much again for doing this. CS: No problem KW: Before I get started, would you be okay with me recording this conversation? CS: No, that’s fine. KW: Okay, can you just tell me a little bit about how you began to attend races at East Lincoln and your connection, like are you a driver, a fan, etcetera? CS: I been driving there since I was twelve. KW: Oh, wow. How did you start doing, how did that come about? CS: My cousin and my step-dad—my cousin is Jay Sessoms— KW: Okay CS: Derrick Cook, my step-dad, Steve, they all kind of raced together and I grew up in it. KW: Okay, so when you race, is it pretty much always at East, or do you race at various tracks? CS: Primarily, we go to East Lincoln but we have went to Gaffney, Thunder Valley, let’s see, Carolina. KW: Okay CS: We’ve went to a few places. KW: Okay, yeah and sorry if some of these questions are like kind of elementary, I’ve only been going to races, my first race there was like last March, so I haven’t been a fan for that long. CS: Yeah KW: So do you feel like, it sounds like you’ve been going there for quite a while then. Do you feel like you’ve developed a pretty close community of like friends at the track? CS: Oh yeah, definitely. I grew up with a lot of the guys over there.

69 KW: Mhm CS: Who are still there, yeah I’ve got tons of friends from that place. KW: Okay, that seems to be, from the people I’ve talked it seems like, like it’s a pretty close-knit community so CS: Oh yeah KW: Who do you think that East Lincoln, or dirt track racing more generally appeals to and why? CS: I would say the, probably just sports fanatics that get tired of watching NASCAR. Just the, you know the lower-class people that don’t have a lot of money, and they just like to have a good time. KW: You think that’s the main difference between NASCAR and dirt track racing CS: Oh yeah KW: Is the amount of money put in? CS: Which I mean like, the stuff that we do now is kind of low budget. KW: Mhm CS: Which I mean, we spend a lot of money but you know if you’re like Scott Bloomquist or Davenport and them, they have unlimited funds. KW: Right CS: We’re middle-class people that work every day, paycheck to paycheck. KW: Yes sir, so as far as, like I know it requires a lot of labor working on your car from week to week, is that pretty much like you and your buddies or you and your family that does that together? CS: I would say it’s me and my close friends and my, some of my family, yeah, we all do it together. KW: Okay, so as far as, like, I was just asking you about who do you think you know, who the sport appeals to, how do you think that racing fans are depicted in the media? Or like news sources if that makes sense. CS: To me, the media just makes you sound like a huge redneck. KW: Right CS: Because you like watching cars go in circles, but they wouldn’t understand. KW: I get that, and going along with that, do you think that your views on God, family, and country tend to overlap or clash with those of the general racing community? CS: Oh no, I’m pretty sure everyone else has the same agreement that God’s God and that’s who we worship. KW: Yes sir, do you, as far as like country, from my experience it seems to be a pretty patriotic sport, at least compared to some of the other professional sports on TV, like NFL and stuff. Would you agree with that statement, and what to you does it mean to be patriotic? CS: Oh, definitely. I mean, you know people at the NFL, they get paid millions of dollars to sit on their knees. If it was me, I’d kick them in the head when they on the ground. It’s, the world today is so screwed up. People are just, they make too much money and they’re a bunch of wusses, in my opinion. KW: Makes sense, thank you. Okay, let’s see, you already answered that. Are you from like, pretty much born and raised in North Carolina? Or this area? CS: I was actually born in New York. KW: Oh really?

70 CS: But I was raised here. KW: Okay CS: So I’m pretty much a yankee redneck I guess you’d say. KW: Okay so I don’t know if that’ll affect your answer to this next question, but I’ve been thinking about you know, dirt track racing, and I was wondering if it’s a Southern thing. What do you think about this? CS: Well, from living here, yeah. But, if you go up north, I mean there’s tons of races up there. KW: Okay, that’s what I’ve heard. I talked to CS: Now, personally I’ve never been. KW: Yes sir CS: But around here, this is where I grew up at. KW: I talked to, do you know Casey Olds? CS: Yeah KW: You know, she was telling me they have all kind of dirt tracks and stuff out in Arizona and out west, so we kind of talked about how maybe like it’s not necessarily a Southern thing in the sense that there’s tracks everywhere, but stereotypically, like the people it appeals to, it kind of makes it seem like a Southern thing if that makes sense. CS: Yeah, you, from what I’ve experienced, I know people from up north that race. They’re just like we are down here. They’re, they talk weird but they’re still you know, I don’t know, I don’t know how you say it nicely without being rude, but they’re still down-to-earth people. They’re not KW: I got you. CS: [?] they’re still normal. KW: Okay let’s see, you’ve covered all of my main questions. Do you feel like, a big part of my paper is kind of on family values and how the track kind of indirectly teaches family values to kids, because I’ve noticed that there is a big presence of children, like with the kids club and the candy drop and all that. Can you tell me anything about this, you know, since you were pretty much a kid when you started? Do you feel—and being raised at the track and stuff—what do you think? CS: Oh yeah, it definitely, you know kids, they grow up watching this and when I, I know when I was a kid, a bunch of my friends, we all grew up together you know, we’d watch people like Jay and Buddy Smith and KW: Mhm CS: You know all them and one day we wanted to be that. Well, I feel like I’m getting close but I’m not there yet, but I grew up fantasizing to do this and this is what I’m doing. KW: Yes sir, that’s awesome. That’s, I mean we blew through those pretty quick but that’s pretty much my main questions so I can let you go, but if you’re okay with it, if any other questions come up, if I could reach out, that’d be awesome. CS: Sure, no problem KW: Well thank you so much, I hope you have a good rest of your day. CS: Oh, you too KW: Bye CS: Bye

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Interview with Samantha White 4/3/2020 SW: Hello KW: Hey, is this Samantha? SW: This is she. KW: Is this still a good time for you? SW: Yeah KW: Okay awesome. First of all, are you okay with me recording this? SW: Yeah that’s fine. KW: Okay, so if you could just start by telling me a little bit about your involvement at the track. It seems like you’re a driver, right? SW: Yeah KW: Okay, how long have you been going to East? How often do you go to East, stuff like that. SW: I’ve been going to East since I was probably about five years old. KW: Okay SW: So it’s my home track. KW: So is that primarily where you race? SW: Yeah, I’ve raced at Carolina once, that was last year. KW: Okay SW: They had a special race course, that was it. KW: So it sounds like you grew up going to races, did you have like family members or family friends that raced, or what started you going? SW: Yeah, my dad started me off racing. He had raced for a long time, and then my cousin, he raced, and then from there they made a division at East Lincoln, the powder puff division, and that’s when I started it [?]. KW: Okay, so having grown up there and stuff, do you feel like you have, like you’ve made a lot of friends at the track and it’s a pretty close-knit community, or what do you think about that? SW: Yeah for the most part, I mean almost everybody out there will help you if you need something. KW: Yeah that’s how it seems with these interviews, everybody jumped to help me, I’m so grateful. SW: Yeah KW: Who do you think that East Lincoln, or dirt track racing more generally, appeals to and why? SW: As far as KW: Like I guess to rephrase that, if you were to describe the typical fan, how would you describe them? SW: Somebody who is probably born and raised out toward that area. KW: Mhm SW: It’s sort of like a Southern hospitality thing. KW: That makes sense. So, that actually directly ties into another one of my questions. I was going to ask you, do you think that this sport is a Southern sport? Why or why not?

72 SW: I do, I really do. I mean it’s just the way that, the way that I’ve been brought up around it is what it is. KW: Mhm SW: And I mean, the way my family has been brought up around it, and the way everyone acts, I honestly think it is. KW: Can you go into a little bit more detail about how everyone acts, maybe like what values it perpetuates that makes it Southern, if that makes sense? SW: I guess the way people act out there, they do get a little bit rowdy [?], I’m not putting a bad name on it but like KW: Right SW: People get KW: You know, enthusiastic SW: Excited about [?] and all that stuff, I mean people get upset, they get hot-headed. To me, that’s like KW: Mhm SW: Like that’s your turf where you [?]. KW: Yeah so actually, my paper is pretty much about like how you know this community helps teach younger generations like Southern values and I mainly focus on faith, family, and country. So, to you, what does it mean to be patriotic, and do you think that racing is a patriotic sport? SW: I do, because whenever they do the national anthem, 99% of everyone out there stands up, you know, they’re staring at the flag, we always have someone that’s singing our national anthem. I mean I have kids, and my kids are always out there and they’re very, when that time comes, like the national anthem and everything, they’re just standing there. KW: Mhm, yes ma’am. I’ve talked to Dillon Sigmon, so that was a big part of the faith part of the paper, but can you tell me a little bit about the track’s connection with religion and if you think religion plays a role in this sport at all? SW: I think it does because people have to realize like what they’re going out there, like when you strap into that car, you don’t know what’s going to happen, and I mean you have to believe you know, if something does happen, you know, I’m saved so to me, if I go out there and I get hurt, God has me. KW: Yes ma’am. Let’s see, so we kind of talked about how the race, how the sport is Southern and these various Southern values. Have you had any experience, or how do you think that racing fans are depicted in the media? Do you think that some media sources are different than others, as far as that goes? SW: I do. I think some go out there and picture them as just plain out rednecks, which is not true. KW: Mhm SW: I mean, most of everybody out there has a good heart, and I mean, I guess if that’s what you want to call a redneck, that’s what it is, but I really don’t think it’s that, but the media does put a picture on it. KW: Right, and makes like negative stereotypes SW: [?], the alcohol, all that stuff on it

73 KW: Yes ma’am. Okay let’s see, you pretty much answered most of my main questions. I guess my last question is just how do you think that East Lincoln, or the dirt track racing experience more generally, stacks up against NASCAR? Like what’s the main difference do you think? SW: NASCAR is more money-wise I think, and I think dirt track is more grassroots is where it all started at. KW: Mhm SW: That’s where it, you know, everybody’s going to go there cause it a lot cheaper than [?]. I mean, it’s where it all started and you have more fun out there. KW: Yes ma’am. So since, since that is the case, do you think that dirt track racing maybe attracts a different type of people or maybe leads to a different type of fanbase if that makes sense? SW: I think it leads to people who don’t mind getting dirty. KW: Yes ma’am SW: Because [?], you have some people who come out there and are like ‘oh I can’t sit here, it’s too dusty’ you know, it’s too loud. KW: Well that is really all I have, you answered my questions well, this will be very helpful in writing this paper, so thank you so much, and if you are okay with it, if any other questions come up, if I could reach out, that’d be awesome. SW: That’s fine. KW: Thank you so much. SW: You’re welcome, thank you. KW: I hope you have a good rest of your day. SW: You too, b-bye KW: Bye

Interview with Jessica Beaver 4/3/2020 JB: Hello KW: Hey, is this Jessica? JB: Yeah KW: Hey, thank you so much for doing this. JB: You’re welcome. KW: So before I get started with a couple questions, would you be okay with me recording this? JB: Yeah KW: Okay, so can you tell me a little bit about how you got started at East? JB: Well, it was like [three?] years ago, my dad started [?] and he started working the pit gate like bringing the cars in or whatever, and then they needed a ticket lady, so I volunteered to do that, and then, I got moved to the small pit gate, and then this year, I [?] the ticket booth down at the main pit gate so. KW: Okay, so you’ve done it all. JB: Yeah, a little bit. KW: So do you live pretty close by, I imagine? JB: Well actually no, I actually live like forty-five minutes away. I live in Vale.

74 KW: Oh okay, I live in Denver so not too far. JB: Well see, my parents live in Sherrills Ford, so not far at all. KW: Okay, so that makes sense. So prior to beginning all of those positions you’ve held, were you a dirt track racing fan before that? JB: Yeah my dad actually ran, he started racing like when I was [too?] tiny. KW: Oh wow JB: So I grew up around it and I used to race myself. KW: Okay, let’s see. JB: I didn’t do much racing but like I’d practice. KW: Okay, who do you think East Lincoln appeals to and why? Or in other words, if you were to describe the typical fan, who are they? JB: Like you mean like one specific fan? KW: Yeah, just any way you want to take that, like I don’t know, just like do you think it appeals to a certain type of person or anything? JB: I mean it really just depends because like there’s different drivers, different fans, the owners, you know? KW: Yes ma’am JB: It really just depends, it depends on who you are and how you take it. KW: Right, do you think, you know in talking with some other people and I’ve gone to a few races myself, I’ve been wondering if it’s a Southern thing, what do you think about this? JB: Honestly no because my friend, she’s a city girl and I had to drag her to the track, but after that she liked it, so I mean it’s not really a Southern thing. Anybody can like it, you just have to be into it to and understand it. KW: Okay, that’s fair. Do you think that there’s stereotypes around it that make it seem like maybe a Southern thing or I’ve even heard “redneck” thing? JB: Oh yeah, most definitely. That’s what a lot of people are like ‘oh, this is just a Southern thing. This is just for rednecks.’ It’s just basically, it because like the people that’s there, how they act, but when you get around them, you’ll start acting how they are. KW: Right, do you think, with this stereotype, so you think that the media has anything to do with it? Or like, I guess another way to say that, like how do you think the media portrays like a typical racing fan and do you think like some media sources are worse than others in doing that? JB: Honestly yeah because the media blows things out of proportion. Like most people you know like will post something and then say I didn’t comment on something and just blow it out of proportion. But some of it’s just not true, like for you to feel and know how it really feels, you have to actually be there. KW: Yes ma’am JB: And like you can’t just go by what social media says. KW: Right, okay what to you does it mean to be patriotic, and do you think that dirt track racing is a patriotic sport? JB: Honestly yeah KW: Okay JB: I mean, I think it can be considered an actual talent because if you don’t have a talent for it, you’re not going to be good at it.

75 KW: Right JB: So I mean you have to have a passion to do it. KW: Yes ma’am, let’s see. Do your views on God, family, and country tend to overlap or clash with those of the general racing community? How about those of the East Lincoln community? JB: That’s a hard question. KW: It’s okay JB: Because I mean like people are different. KW: Right JB: I mean I don’t talk to most people, the only time I really talk to anybody is like when I give them their money back and stuff. KW: Oh then that’s fine. JB: The only ones I talk to are like John and Carl and that’s probably it. KW: Okay. John Dodge? JB: Yeah KW: Okay, he actually just messaged, I just messaged him about setting up an interview with him too. That’s one thing I’ve noticed, it seems like everybody knows everybody else, like it seems like a very tight-knit community, can you speak to that at all? JB: It honestly is. At the track, we’re like a big family. Like we know everybody but a lot of people don’t talk to a lot of people, but we have our own little cliques, but we still know everybody. KW: Yes ma’am. That makes sense. Let’s see. So it sounds like you’ve been going to that specific track for a good many years now, right? JB: Yeah, I’m nineteen and I’ve been going there since I was [in diapers?] basically. KW: Okay, do you feel like the track, you know over that course of time, of course you were young during some of those years, but do you feel like in general it stays pretty much the same over time, or are there any drastic changes with changes in owners and stuff like that? JB: Well, when Tim had it, it was a little [?], don’t get me wrong. That was just here recently, like last year. But now since Donna and Tony have it, I think it’s changed a lot and improved. KW: Okay JB: And I mean that’s just my opinion but I think they did a lot for it and I think it’s going to be a great race season if we ever get to race. KW: I know, I hope we get to, I enjoy going a lot. Let’s see. Does it, I haven’t asked anybody else this question, but I guess you kind of have a different perspective since you like talk to people as they come in and stuff. Does it seem like most of the fans there are consistent fans, or do you get a lot of people like you’ve never seen before? JB: Most of them are consistent fans but like when we have big races like you know [?] come in, it’s like new people, but like when you’re like every Saturday [?] kind of yeah it’s just consistent, I mean there might be a few stranglers here or there but KW: Yes ma’am JB: I mostly know [?] by name sometimes. I get them mixed up, but that’s okay. KW: Let’s see. That was pretty quick but you answered my questions. You helped me a lot. This is going to be super helpful. If it’s okay with you, if I have any other questions moving forward, if I can reach out to you, that’d be awesome. JB: Oh yeah, anytime

76 KW: Well thank you so much and I know it’s late at night so thank you for doing this. JB: You’re welcome, I got sidetracked, I’m so sorry. KW: Oh no, you’re fine, it’s totally fine. Since we’re quarantined, I don’t have that much to do anyway so it’s not like you cut into anything I was doing. JB: Alrighty KW: Thank you so much. JB: You’re welcome. KW: Bye JB: Bye

Interview with Lindsey Dyer 4/4/2020 LD: Hello KW: Hey, is this Lindsey? LD: It is. KW: Hey, thank you so much for doing this. This is Kendall. LD: Hey KW: So, oh before I get started, are you okay with me recording this conversation? LD: That’s fine. KW: Okay, so can you start off by just telling me a little bit—I, from your Facebook, I can tell you’re a driver, right? LD: Yeah KW: Okay, I just want to make sure. Can you just tell me a little bit about how long you’ve been going to the track, how you got started driving, and just, anything like that? LD: We, I’ve been going with my husband since 2011. We started out as, as I call it, grandstand drivers because all we wanted to do was race. KW: Right LD: And I’ve raced the past two years. The first year I raced, I finished ninth in points and last year, I finished fifth in points. KW: Wow LD: And so if we get to race this year, I hope to finish a little bit better, but my husband got me into it and I’ve just been hooked on it ever since. It’s really fun. KW: Yes ma’am. So, how did y’all find out about the track? Like start going? LD: My husband’s dad, and him—my husband—have been going ever since Ray Evernham owned it, yeah, and he helped Jonathan Warlick and did the dirt track school, and when Bob had it, he went there, and we’ve just been around ever since, he’s been around and he just kinda drug me along with it. KW: Okay, just to give you a little bit of premise, so like the basis of my paper, it’s pretty much on, I focus on like three values that I’ve observed that I think the track really helps instill in younger generations, so I focus on faith, family values, and patriotism. So do you have any kids? LD: Yeah, I have one. KW: Do they come along with you to the track ever?

77 LD: He loves the track. He loves everybody. He has his favorite drivers. He hangs out with everybody. That’s his second home away from home. KW: Okay, and it seems like there’s a lot of kids there for him to play with, right? LD: Oh yes, there is. KW: Okay, and then, I’ve spoke to Dillon Sigmon, so that was definitely really helpful with the faith part, but can you tell me you know, if you think that this sport has any type of connection with religion, and if so, why and what that looks like? LD: I don’t, I don’t know how, I mean to a point it does because we’re all, it’s just like us being a whole big family. We all believe in one thing, and we all treat each other with respect there. KW: Yes ma’am LD: I feel like, if you don’t understand what we’re doing, then you shouldn’t, it’ll either grow on you or it won’t grow on you to a point just like faith and religion is. We do stand for the national anthem. We do what we have to do because we respect each other, and we respect where we’ve come from, and who our God is and who, what we all believe in so I mean I, we’re one giant family. When one of us hurts, we all hurt. KW: Yes ma’am, and with that, with y’all being a family, it seems like everybody knows each other, like whenever I speak to somebody in these interviews, they’ll bring up other names, and then I’m like ‘oh, I just talked to them!’ So LD: Yeah KW: Yeah, like Bob, I didn’t know who that was until I talked to Tim and he was talking about Bob, so small world. Let’s see. Do you prefer some, I don’t know if you watch the news at all, but do you prefer any news sources over others, and along with that, actually no, that’s good right there. Do you prefer some news sources over others? LD: I really don’t pay attention to the news because sometimes it’s just not believable, and sometimes it’s just like too much of harsh reality. KW: Yes ma’am. To you, what do, like who do you think this sport appeals to? If you were to describe a typical fan, what do you think like they’re like? LD: Like you mean who does it, who do I think that most of them are at the race track? KW: Yeah LD: Just the Lincoln County rednecks, I mean you’ve got to have some kind of either the love for the motor sport or the love for the dirt track or you, I don’t know if you know who David Lucas is? KW: I don’t. LD: Well he drove for Steve O. Newsome multiple years, he was a dominator there and like Carl Maree, Carl Maree is over half the grandstands because they all, it’s his family and his friends, that’s who they come out there to support. If you go out there and ask any random person, I can guarantee you they’re going to name five or six drivers because that’s what they’re there for to support. KW: Okay, that’s really helpful and insightful, thank you. Let’s see. Do you, I know you said you don’t watch much news, but like in maybe like movies or Hollywood or just the media in general, do you feel like racing fans are stereotyped at all? And if so, how? LD: I mean I do because I feel like, once again like I just said, it’s rednecks, everybody is general ‘oh if you go to the dirt track, all you’re going to do is drink and scream at each other and start fights and ya’ll are just going to be called the white trash of the world and the rednecks’ and

78 that’s not us. We’re there to have fun. We’re there to be a family. We’re there to be with our friends and if we tear something up, we’ll fix it and we’ll go back again the next week. KW: Yes ma’am, with tearing stuff up, how, I know like being a driver is lot of hard work behind the scenes, getting your car ready from week to week. How like do you work on that with your friends or family or how do, how does that work? LD: My, I do cosmetics part of it. I don’t, mechanically, I can change the oil, I can change a tire, I can do that, but, and I can change spark plugs and everything, distributor, everything like that, but I do mainly the painting and everything like that. My husband, my husband is, I wouldn’t know what to do without my husband in dirt track racing because he can have it fixed in two days, and if I’m hurt, he’ll say ‘take your time, recover, let’s get your car fixed, and we’ll get you back out there.’ KW: Okay, so it’s a team effort for sure. LD: It is, it has to be, or if not, you’re going to struggle, and it’s not going to have fun like it’s supposed to have in it. KW: Okay, so do you, I’m still like learning the ropes because I just, I went to my first race last March and then I’ve been going to some, and then this season’s kind of on the backburner right now because of this whole virus and everything. But LD: Tell me about it. KW: I know, it really sucks. LD: The struggle is real. KW: How, so, from my understanding, powder puff’s all girls, but girls can race with the men if they want to, correct? LD: No KW: Okay, then no. LD: Technically, in the rules when Tim had it, the rules state that the women cannot race in any other class at East Lincoln Motor Speedway. Now that’s not to say, that I, if I wanted to go to Carolina and race the hornets class there, of which has the men in it and SCDRA rule cars, I could race there, and then I can come back and race at East Lincoln the next day. KW: Okay LD: So you just can’t run another class at East Lincoln. KW: Oh okay, so what is it like, I mean I don’t even know if you think that like gender matters at all, but what’s your experience like being a woman in the sport? LD: I think it’s a male-dominated sport. KW: Okay LD: I really do and we women are trying to make a—say ‘hey, we’re here too’—we want to have fun. KW: Mhm LD: But, I do think that the men have the bigger egos and saying ‘oh this is a man’s sport, women aren’t welcome in it,’ but in our class, we have more respect for each other than I can guarantee you any man out there, because any man that hits a man and then threatens to beat him up or something like that, we’re not going to do that. We might get mad, we might cuss, but we’re going to shake your hand and hug you at the end of the night. We have more respect. KW: Okay, let’s see. You’re helping me so much, like I’m just thinking about this paper and your answers are like giving me so much information, so thank you.

79 LD: You’re welcome. KW: So, going into this, I had this mindset that this was completely a Southern sport, but talking to different people, you know I talked to Casey Olds, and she’s from Arizona and everything, so I’m kind of starting to see different perspectives. What, do you think this is a Southern sport? What do you think? LD: Absolutely not. KW: Okay LD: The only reason I’m saying that is because I don’t know if you can get it or ever if you get the chance, watch MAVTV. KW: Okay LD: Because it is like dirt trackaholics’ view on life, they have northeastern dirt track racing, they have they, it’s everywhere, it’s not just us. It really is everywhere, it’s just everybody has their different take on it. They have, some have the modifieds, some have midgets, some have the microsprints, some have the outlaws, it’s just one of those things where it just, in that distinctive area what the demand is of it. Down here, the Blue Ridge outlaws, the lightening late models, and the thunder bombers, and the stock 4s, and the pro 4s, and the front-wheel drives are our domination down here. We don’t have much demand for the mini, the microsprints or the outlaw sprint cars, or the midgets. We just don’t have the demand for that. KW: Okay, do you think that maybe like, we kind of talked about how religion does have a place, and even patriotism. Do you think that any, and we talked about stereotypes too, do you think that any of that maybe plays a role in making it Southern, or making people think that it’s a Southern sport? LD: I do, because it goes back to the whole ‘oh, y’all are just a bunch of rednecks.’ KW: Right LD: Because if you look at the terminology to go ask somebody from New York or somebody from upstate, oh well that’s a bunch of rednecks down there, they live in the South. We’re already stereotyped because we live in the South. KW: Yes ma’am, okay I see. LD: You know what I’m saying? KW: Mhm LD: It’s one of those things where I think people are automatically assuming ‘hey you’re from the South, you know what dirt track racing is’ or ‘hey, y’all ever heard about that place over yonder?’ That’s exactly what they do. KW: Let’s see, okay so my last question really, how do you think that the East Lincoln experience stacks up against NASCAR? How does this level of racing really differ from NASCAR? LD: NASCAR’s no fun because NASCAR doesn’t have that many wrecks and dirt track does. KW: Okay LD: I don’t, I think we’re in our own little world. I think we need to do our own thing and just say ‘hey, this is how we roll and if you don’t like it, just go home.’ KW: Okay, that makes sense. The biggest, like a lot of people I’ve talked to, they say money’s the big thing like LD: It is, I can’t afford a cup car. KW: Right

80 LD: I can’t afford the asphalt tires, the only good, like all jokes aside seriousness, in my car I have, the car I drive, I have two grand sitting in it right now, that’s it, that’s brand new. I bought it built, I bought it race-ready, put my seat in it, put my steering wheel in it, and I jumped in the car and I went on. KW: Mhm LD: My husband’s thunder bomber, and stock 4, and his front-wheel drive, I have more money in those three cars than I do in my own car. KW: Wow LD: I can’t, Lord forbid if we both wanted to run NASCAR, I would never have a home. I’d be living out of a cardboard box or in my racecar. KW: Yes ma’am LD: Because it’s expensive. KW: And I thought of another question, so forgive me if this is pretty elementary, like you said I’m still, or like I said, I’m still learning the ropes. But so with, from when I’ve been there, I know they have the different like models of cars go together and then powder puff goes at one time, so all the women, y’all all like have the same model, or how does that work? LD: No, I have a 1996 Honda Accord. KW: Okay LD: Four-door Honda Accord, Tasha Goodson has, I think she has a Honda just as much as I do. Samantha White has a Honda. Brittany Brady has a Chevy Cavalier. Kelly Fox has a RSX and Chris Martin’s wife, Lisa Martin, has an RSX and Emily Jennings has a Honda. I mean we’re a Honda domination. KW: Okay LD: But it’s just one of those things, it just depends on who your husband is, who your boyfriend is, and what they can mastermind putting faster parts to, to make you, to be the dominator out of it. KW: That makes sense to me, thank you for helping me understand. LD: You’re welcome, that’s just like thunder bombers, the domination of those are Monte Carlos, just because Monte Carlos have a better chassis. Monte Carlos are metric cars, they can be metric if you want them metric. And Monte Carlos are a lot more in the junkyard, per se. KW: Okay LD: And that’s like the stock 4s are primary Mustangs or Toyotas because they’re your 4- cylinder cars and they’re more expensive but they last a little bit longer. KW: Okay so I’m so sorry if these questions sound dumb. LD: You’re good. KW: So as far as the different like types of models of car, or like the different like divisions I mean, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the same model of car, it’s like things on the inside that make it fit that division? LD: Yes like KW: Okay LD: Prime, pro 4 and stock 4, you know what? The difference between a pro 4 and stock is as simple as a restrictor plate. That is it, it’s a thin piece of metal that restricts the carburetor and air flow.

81 KW: Okay, so I guess what I’m trying to ask is, are the women all the same division then? I know y’all have different models of car but LD: Yes KW: Okay LD: We, as long as, the rule states that as long as like I said, as long as you are not in another class, that’s like Alexus Motes. Alexus does stock 4 and pro 4. She could not race front-wheel drive because she is in a bigger, ultimate bigger class than we are. KW: I see, okay. LD: But since we have different cars, as long as we don’t race in a different class at East Lincoln, we are all on an equal playing field. KW: Okay, you answered so much. That’s all I have, but if you’d be okay with it, if as I’m writing this, if any other questions come up, if I could reach out to you, that’d be awesome. LD: That’s fine, I’m here whenever you need me. KW: Okay well thank you so much. LD: You’re welcome. KW: I hope you have a good rest of your day. LD: You too KW: Bye LD: Bye

Interview with Blake Harris 4/4/2020 BH: Hello KW: Hey is this Blake? BH: Yeah it is. KW: Hey, this is Kendall, thank you for doing this. BH: Ah you right on time, right when that clock hit 3:30, you was on it. KW: Didn’t wanna keep you waiting BH: Ah you’re fine, I’m just over here watching the IndyCar race. KW: So before we get started, would you be okay with me recording this conversation? BH: Of course KW: Alright, if you could just start by telling me how you got into dirt track racing and how you became the announcer. BH: Well, I got into dirt track racing, it’s basically been in the family. First race I actually went to, I was three months old and that’s cause daddy was racing down the road at Cherokee Speedway down in Gaffney, South Carolina. And I had a racing career myself, but money got tight, I figured I’d hop into announcing so, I was at Harris Speedway in 2016 and my car, I blew a motor up in practice, so I went up and asked the announcers, Duane Goins at the time, if I could get the microphone and do some announcing and do the interviews in victory lane and he said sure, so once I got out of racing, I knew I had a fallback, so that’s how I got started then. But with East Lincoln, back in 2018, it was back in February, I got a call from then, kind of partial owner of the track, Bundy Stowe asked if I wanted to announce at East Lincoln. So, I had never heard of the track before, but I made sure I went down there and sure enough, this’ll be almost

82 my, I think this’ll be my third year coming back there. I didn’t finish up the season last year because of other reasons, but I’m back this year at East Lincoln and I’m looking to be there a couple more years as the announcer. So that’s kind of my story on how I got started with the microphone. KW: Okay, so you kind of seen both sides of it, you’ve been a driver and an announcer. What’s your favorite part of being an announcer? BH: Just getting the crowd, getting the crowd and seeing the looks on their faces, especially the kids. I like talking with the kids and stuff, get them because getting the kids involved is the future of this sport. We’re not going to have racing much longer if we don’t get the kids involved. You know all these older guys, I’m only nineteen, but if you get the younger generations into it like I am, we’ll have a better future and more people involved in racing years to come. So one of my main things is to get the kids involved. I also like getting the crowd involved because also, can’t have a race without the crowd. The grandstands what keeps these tracks open, so getting the crowd involved, letting them know who the drivers are and keeping them entertained is the best part of the job and probably the most influential part of the job as well. KW: Okay, so let’s see. Do you feel like, so you’ve been at East for a few years now, do you feel like you’ve found your place there and you know a lot of the fans and drivers and such? BH: Of course, being the announcer, you got to know all the drivers. Back when I started there in 2018, I probably knew three or four drivers, so what I had to do, I literally took my sheet from the week before, and started memorizing names and car numbers and stuff. That way, I can give the fans the best experience and memorize everything. Well of course the fans, they’re a distinct group over at East Lincoln Motor Speedway. You have your loyal fans, you have your fans that’s going to miss sometimes, of course you got the redneck section over there on the big stands over there in turn four. You got all your distinct sections there at East Lincoln. It’s a crowd for a little 1/3 mile bull ring. One of the really only bull rings you’ll see in the Carolinas. Most of them really 3/8s and half miles, but yeah I’ll have to agree with you, that’s what I think on that one. KW: Okay, let’s see, so you kind of talked about how the, there’s different parts of the community. What do you think, like who does this track appeal to, if you were to describe the typical East Lincoln fan, what are they like? And that might not be easy to do, since you said there’s multiple. BH: Oh, it just, if you like close-quarters racing, beating and banging, an occasional fight where a drunk redneck tries to beat up another one, that’s East Lincoln for you right there. Hard- nosed, bumper-to-bumper, quarter-panel-to-quarter-panel racing, that’s about what you get at East Lincoln. You also have a fun time and if you’re tired of staying at the track until about twelve or one o’clock, like you see most other tracks do, you ain’t got to worry about that at East Lincoln. We start a little early at 5:30, but we’ll have you out of there by about eleven o’clock every night. KW: Okay, let’s see. I don’t know if you’re with the news, or you know, movies or anything, but how do you think racing fans are depicted in the media, and do you think that some media sources do this differently than others? BH: Well, I’m actually in the racing media world, helping out with speech [?], doing articles, doing interviews, a bunch of stuff, so I think we depict it really well. The news, and movies, and

83 of course movies and regular media, they try what’s the word I’m thinking, it’s kind of they don’t do it quite like it really is, but you say you log on to there’s some media sources out there like Race 22, Speed 51, Speed Sport, you see it every week on your television of NASCAR stuff. They depict it really well, but you’re in the racing world, it’s just a niche world like the racers get the racing, I think the other people around us really don’t get what it takes. Everyone thinks you’re hopping into like your Toyota Corolla and going around a track in circles. It’s a lot more than that. It takes practice like every other sport, and it takes talent. And that’s what a lot people in the world don’t realize. They think it’s just a bunch of rednecks hopping in the cars. But even from an announcing a race and any sort of photography, anything you do in life takes practice and you takes practice to perfect it, and these drivers have a lot of years, some twenty, thirty years under their belts to be out there and win. So it’s just like every other sport, actually harder than some other sports I play, because there’s a lot more preparation during the week as well. But yeah, a lot of the media side and people that ain’t really in racing, I don’t think understands it too much, so that’s a good question, I see where you’re coming from on that one. KW: Okay, so definitely a lot of hard work that goes into it. BH: Well, of course. You got start out Sunday after race, you got to get the car washed, get it on the scales, look at setup, prepare what you’re doing during the week. After school when I raced, I’d most of the time go to the shop about four o’clock, I’d stay out there until about one to two o’clock in the morning working on cars after I’d get homework done of course, so. KW: Wow BH: It takes a lot of time out of your life to be a racecar driver. KW: So BH: Even on the weekly scale KW: Right, so it sounds to me like, I know from just going to the track a few times myself that there’s a lot of kids there. It sounds like that’s a good thing for kids to be picking up on, you know the value of hard work. Do you think there’s anything else like beyond how to race and how to work hard that the track teaches the children? Any values or anything? BH: Of course, you need, most of my friends I’ve always made in life has been at the race track. It teaches, it gives you friendships and how to interact with other people and a lot of other stuff. Also, like you said, it teaches you hard work and stuff. It just teaches you just to be around other people. That track is packed every week. You’re going to have to start making friends and also gets you into the hobby and stuff. There’s not, it don’t teach you as much as school but stuff, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like there is some lessons you can learn from going to the race track every week. KW: That’s right. Let’s see. Do your views on God, family, and country tend to overlap or clash with those of the general racing community? How about the East Lincoln community? BH: Oh no, racing, I feel like is more closer to that than any other sport. You see people out there in football kneeling against their country and other stuff, people skipping national anthems, no prayer, but the racing side? I make sure you always do the prayer before you go racing, and you always do the national anthem. Of course. Faith is one of our big things around, we’re in the Bible Belt here and this is also where racing started so there’s a lot of close connections there with racing side, but to answer that, I feel like the racing world is actually more intertwined with the faith and family aspect of just your real life than any other sport.

84 KW: That makes sense to me. So going along with that, I’ve kind of been thinking, wondering if racing is a Southern thing. What do you think about that? BH: Well the roots of racing, to give you a little history lesson here, and not take up all your time but KW: No, this is so helpful, thank you. BH: But, basically how racing started back in, trying to think of the word for it, but when liquor was illegal and all that. KW: Prohibition? BH: Yeah, prohibition. There it is, I’m a history buff and I forgot that. But, basically how it was is you had all these guys making illegal liquor, basically moonshine in the Appalachians of North Carolina, South Carolina. So they’d get their cars and beef them up and they’d go run from the cops from them. But all these rednecks decided ‘hey, you got a fast car and I got a fast car, let’s go race them a little bit,’ and that’s where you see stars such as the Flock brothers, Junior Johnson of course, one of the best owners and drivers in NASCAR history, he come from ‘shine running. Cale Yarborough, a bunch of other people, Dale Earnhardt started, his dad Ralph at the beginning of it. All these guys started out in the ‘shine industry that worked their way into NASCAR. Even Bill France who founded the organization. So it started out as a Southern thing, yeah, but as racing has grown and went throughout the country, it’s not just a Southern thing. KW: Okay BH: Case in point, case in point as well. During the winter time around here, a lot of American guys will travel over to the Australian race because it’s summer down there, they have a lot of dirt races there in Australia. You got racing in Arizona. It’s big up, especially sprint cars are big block modifieds up north in the country. Of course, I have friends in Canada and they get in a lot of racing in Canada too and even Mexico with the NASCAR Mexican series and Europe. So it started out as a Southern thing, yes. But racing has just been worldwide around, especially even before the moonshiners, the Indy 500 has been held since the early 1900s so KW: Wow BH: It’s kind of started as a Southern thing with the NASCAR side and the dirt side, but it’s always been worldwide, I wouldn’t categorize it as a Southern thing. KW: Okay, and then, I guess my last question, I don’t want to take up too much of your time either. BH: Aw, you’re fine. KW: You’ve used the term redneck a few times. Do you, so people, outsiders might use that term to be derogatory. But do you think that this community really embraces that label, or how does that work? BH: Yeah, oh yeah, you wouldn’t see somebody come from New York City and come hop in the mud and come racing. That’s for the dirt track side of it, you can see more city people, like if you go to a NASCAR race, you see people romping around in suits and dresses and stuff. But at East Lincoln and other dirt racing around here, it takes a blue-collar type of guy to be into dirt racing, getting dirty and going to all them type of races so there’s a side of it yes, we don’t see it as derogatory of course. That’s what this country was founded on, your blue-collar people that went against the British government is how I feel like, so no I don’t see it as derogatory at all.

85 KW: So, sorry, I said last question, but that raised a good point, you said blue-collar and you know the drivers. So are a lot of the drivers in their full-time week jobs mechanics and stuff like that? BH: Well some of them yes, but say, I’ll put a name out there, Carl Maree, he’s a realtor. He’s the one who hops into suits every week and then he’ll come back out to the racing. But he loves dirt. It don’t take a blue-collared person to come do this stuff. But see you got realtors, I’ve heard of lawyers driving cars, preachers driving cars, so it’s not really all mechanics and stuff, but that’s really how it was founded on, all these mechanics out here, like I went back to the forties and when the racing start, that’s what it was, all these mechanics and tinkerers trying to get their car into back right. They might not all be blue-collar, but they got a little bit in them wanting to tinker and hop around the dirt every week. KW: Okay, well that was so helpful, you gave me so much information and that’s really all the questions I have for now, but if you’d be okay with it, if any other questions come up, I’ll reach out to you. BH: Yeah, that’s fine. I know what you’re going through. I mean I’m in the media world with Speed Sport. I’m calling, interviewing drivers, doing the same thing you’re doing every week so yeah, just reach out to me and I should be available whenever. KW: Alright, well thank you so much and I hope you have a good rest of your day. BH: Alright, you too KW: Alright thanks, bye BH: Bye

Interview with Lucia Corvino 4/4/2020 LC: Hello KW: Hey is this Lucia (Lu-See-a)? LC: It is. KW: Did I pronounce that correctly? LC: Lucia (Lu-Chee-a), but I’ll answer to either. KW: Okay, well thank you so much for doing this. LC: You’re welcome. KW: And, are you okay with me recording this conversation? LC: Yes KW: Okay, so just to get started, if you could tell me a little bit about how you found East, how you got involved, and what it’s like to be the track photographer? LC: Okay, so I found the track because the guy that I was date, or that I’m dating, his whole family has been racing there for many years, starting with his dad, his uncle, all of them, his brother. KW: Okay LC: I’ve been going there for the last two years, I’d say, and, next thing you know, we got new track owners this year and they’re really good friends of mine, and they said ‘well we need a photographer and we know that you do pictures.’ They said ‘we know you do pictures, we’ve

86 seen your pictures, you do good work. Would you like to go ahead and be track photographer this year?’ KW: Okay LC: Obviously I’m going to sit there and say yes because I mean, any little bit helps and I’ve had other I’ve had some people or some drivers say that they like the pictures I take because I make sure I get pictures of everybody. KW: Okay so you haven’t started yet? LC: I was very happy for the opportunity. KW: Yes ma’am, so you’ll start that whenever this season starts off? LC: Yes, but as of right now with all this going on, there’s no racing. KW: Right, well there has been, there was like a snowball race, right? Like in the winter? LC: Yes, that was an enduro race, I did do some pictures from that, I actually have them posted on my photography page, or some of them I have posted. KW: Okay, what’s your photography page called? LC: It’s Family Tradition Photography. KW: Okay, I’ll have to LC: And my profile picture is my decal, it’s two checkered flags with and it’s the Family Traditions photography written in blue. KW: Okay, let’s see. So you said you’ve been coming to the track for around two years now. LC: Almost three, yeah KW: Almost three, okay. In that time, have you met a lot of the other fans and drivers and like found your place there? LC: Oh yeah, I actually, most of the drivers at this point I do know, unless we get visitors from other tracks because I’m one that likes to sit there and get to know everybody, put my business out there. I like to get to know everybody, so know I have drivers on my photography page, I have fans on there, especially this year I’m doing a meet and greet package for the drivers. So I’m doing $25 for you know a hundred 4x6 photos and an 8x10 and I’ve already had probably about ten or so drivers interested in it. KW: That’s awesome. LC: So I’m getting my business out there plus drivers are getting their names out there. KW: That’s great. LC: Because I also have people from out of state that are liking my photography page as well. KW: Are you from around this area? LC: Not originally KW: Okay, where you from? LC: Maine KW: Okay LC: I’m from up north, moved here about eight years ago. KW: Okay, so that may affect your answer to this question. I was going to ask, I’ve been thinking about dirt track racing, and I was wondering if it’s a Southern thing. What do you think? LC: They do have dirt tracks up north. KW: Okay

87 LC: Now they’re not the red clay dirt tracks, they’re the obviously the dark brown clay dirt, or dark brown dirt tracks. They’re not as, they’re different. But up there, it’s mostly, it’s also the asphalt racing. KW: Okay LC: Dirt tracks though, they do have, they do have up there. A lot of people would say it’s a Southern thing, but I don’t say it is because they do have them up north as well. KW: Why do you think that so many people think that? LC: Environment KW: Okay LC: I would have to say the environment, like the people around you and you get a lot of country people at the track. KW: Okay, that makes sense. Let’s see, do your views on God, family, and country tend to overlap or clash with those of the general racing community? How about the East Lincoln community? Please explain. LC: Can you repeat the question? KW: Yeah, of course. Do your views on God, family, and country tend to overlap or clash with those of the general racing community? How about the East Lincoln community? LC: Not to me because East Lincoln is a family-oriented place. KW: Mhm LC: Everything in there is family-oriented. From the racing to the, you know to the way that they have you know people like concession people working there, and vendors, and everything. It’s all family-oriented. They, we just recently did a release at the race track of a mascot this year. KW: Oh really? LC: Yes, and we have a Kids Club. So, we do, East Lincoln does, they do, just like most of the race tracks, they do prayer before, they do the national anthem, they do a little kids meeting where they do a candy drop, different drivers bring candy every week and they drop it, like they have all the kids at the bottom of the tower, and they’ll sit there and they’ll drop the candy [?], and they have the mascot, they’ll do pictures with the mascot, and stuff like that. KW: What is the mascot? LC: It is a bull. KW: Oh cool LC: Our logo for, or our slogan for the race track is ‘baddest bull ring in the Carolinas’ so we have a bull for the bull ring. KW: And excuse me if this is a dumb question, but bull ring is like, that relates to the length of the track, right? LC: Yes KW: Okay, it’s 1/3 of a mile? LC: Yes KW: Okay, I’m learning as I go. LC: You’ve either done your, you’ve either been told that by someone, or you’ve done your research. KW: I was just told that by, I think Blake Harris told me that. LC: Yep, the announcer

88 KW: Yep, okay let’s see. LC: Who’s also one of my really good friends as well. KW: Yeah, I’m starting to notice everybody knows each other, so it seems like it’s LC: Yeah, he also does photography as well, but I’m the track photographer this year and he’s the announcer. So he’s actually been helping me out with photography and stuff as well. KW: Okay, does Lee Kington do photography as well? LC: He does, but this year he’s doing Kids Club. He’s doing the Kids Club this year. KW: Okay, I’ve briefly spoke with him over Facebook as well. LC: Yeah, he was track photographer at one point, and then, I think that was when I first started going about two years ago. Last year we had Tyler Wicks as our photographer, and this year it’s me. KW: Okay LC: But Lee Kington is still doing photography but he, I mean he’ll be doing like track pictures too, but he’s doing mostly the Kids Club. KW: Okay LC: Walking around with the mascot, stuff like that KW: Let’s see, how do you think that the East Lincoln experience stacks up against NASCAR? How does this level of racing differ from NASCAR? LC: That’s a hard, that question’s a hard question, because I’m not a big NASCAR fan. KW: Oh it’s okay then if you don’t have an answer, don’t feel like you have to. LC: I do know someone that might have an answer to that one. Hold on one second. KW: No problem LC: Hey Crystal, the question she just asked me is a hard question. How do you think that East Lincoln racing matches up to the NASCAR racing? Or does it at all? You said this is back hill stuff? She said that’s what you call the redneck version of racing. KW: Alright, love it. Do you, let’s see, if you were to describe the stereotypical East Lincoln fan. Oh sorry, is that a person still talking? LC: Oh no, you’re good. She was talking to me, I was trying to put something in the buggy. KW: Okay, I’m sorry, like who do you think East Lincoln appeals to? If you were to describe the stereotypical fan, what would they be like? LC: Country, country everything KW: Country LC: Yeah, for the most part. I mean, it’s like I said, it’s families too, but it’s a lot of country. KW: Okay, to you what does it mean to be patriotic, and do you think that the fans at East Lincoln are patriotic? LC: Very much so. We’ll have, you know we have different people that do, like I said, our national anthem and everything at the track and even like there was, I mean not East Lincoln per se, I was at another race track last year for example. I’m in the military as well. I went in my uniform. They brought me up to the tower. They put me on the opening on the tower at the other race track, introduced me to everyone. Everyone stood up, applauded, thanked me for my service when they saw me walking by, they also, at the time, because it was me being in the military, it was Memorial Day Weekend last year. They let me into the track free, let me help out with handing out trophies. KW: That’s awesome, thank you for your service.

89 LC: And you know for someone in the military, it means a lot you know what I mean? KW: Yes ma’am, well thank you for your service, I appreciate that. LC: Thank you. KW: I’m almost done, I don’t want to take up too much of your time here. LC: Oh no, you’re good, my daughter’s over here talking up a storm. KW: How old’s your daughter? LC: Eighteen months, I had to think about that, eighteen months. KW: She’s young. LC: She’ll be nineteen months next week. KW: Does she come with you to the track or is she too young? LC: She’s been at the track since she was six weeks old, not even six weeks old. KW: Oh wow, does she like going? LC: Yes, it keeps her calm. When she’s fussy, even if I’m at home, I’ll play racecars on my phone, or my boyfriend will play racecars on his phone, and she’s quiet. KW: Wow LC: But that’s because my entire pregnancy, I was at the race track, ever since she was six weeks old, we were at the race track. KW: Wow, that’s a great story. So you can kind of give me the mom perspective I guess. Once your daughter gets to be a little bit older, what important values do you think she can learn from being around people at the track? LC: The family aspect of it again, also the mechanical aspect. Growing up, it’ll teach her how to work on a car herself so she don’t have to rely on someone else to do it, or pay someone to do what she can learn how to do herself. Because that’s what, I mean I’ve only been in it for two, in the sport for about two years. She’s already learning how to climb into a racecar because her little, Little Tikes that car she has, the door’s on one side, well she goes to the other side and will climb in like a race, like she’s in a racecar. KW: That’s so cute. LC: Her cousin’s the same way. Her cousin does the same thing. He sits there, he’ll turn, he’ll put, act like he’s jacking the car up on a block, act like he’s fixing/changing the tires, whatever. KW: Wow LC: Her and her cousin are both exactly the same way and he’s three, he’s four and she’s one. KW: Yeah, that’s important skills to learn for sure. I was thinking LC: Especially that young KW: like seeing those young kids that do the next generation, like I don’t think I ever drove anything before Driver’s Ed. LC: Message, look up Steve Griggs or Dallas Griggs and message them. Dallas Griggs was one of our next gen drivers, he’s the 08 driver. You’ll see his pictures, his car on my photography page. Steve Griggs is his dad, Dallas Griggs is the driver. KW: Okay LC: I know they’d be willing to do it because he races go karts too over at Millbridge. KW: Okay, that sounds great. So you really LC: And then, like I said, when I get back home, around my boyfriend, I’ll go ahead and call you back and that way you can do one with him as well.

90 KW: Okay perfect, you answered all of my questions. If, if you’re okay with it, moving forward, if any other questions come up, I’ll reach out to you. LC: Okay KW: And yeah, I appreciate this so much, thank you. LC: You’re welcome. KW: I hope you have a good rest of your day. LC: You too KW: Alright bye LC: Bye

Interview with Buddy Olds 4/9/2020 BO: Hello KW: Hey, is this Buddy? BO: This is Buddy. KW: Hey this is Kendall. Thank you for doing this. BO: Not a problem, sorry I’m hard to get a hold of. KW: Oh, you’re fine. Before I start asking you questions, are you okay with me recording this conversation? BO: Yeah KW: Okay, so I’ve already talked to your wife, so she kind of gave me some of the basics, telling me you’re a driver and everything. So I can just jump right in. Let’s see. BO: Alright KW: Alright, oh and if I remember correctly, she said y’all have kids, right? BO: Yes, we have two kids. KW: Okay, do they come with y’all to the track? BO: They won’t let us go to the track without them. KW: What, if any values, do you think that your kids can learn from spending time around people at East Lincoln? BO: Probably the family and kindness. I mean there might be a lot of arguing out there, maybe some people get a little butthurt, but at the same time there’s a lot of people out there that’ll give you the shirt off their back. Everybody is a big ol’ family out there. KW: Okay. Let’s see. What to you does it mean to be patriotic and do you think the East Lincoln community demonstrates this? BO: Yeah, patriotism. I absolutely love patriotism. I’m an American flag waving man myself, but you know, they do, it definitely shows the redneck side of America. So, but definitely patriotism’s a part of the racing community and that ain’t going to change any time soon. KW: Okay, what role, if any, does religion play in this sport? BO: Well there are a lot of, most people are very religious, very religious. And I mean you can watch that from any sort of racing, NASCAR on down. And I’m really not a very religious person myself, but religion is a humongous part of racing and I mean, that’s why we do our prayers before every race and have our national anthem every weekend. KW: Why do you think that this sport attracts so many religious people?

91 BO: I don’t know, it’s probably just the kind of people. KW: Okay BO: Probably KW: Okay, let’s see. Okay yeah, so we kind of talked about family values a little bit, and how, you know it’s a really family place. I know they do a lot of stuff for the kids at East Lincoln. BO: Oh yeah KW: And as a driver, I’m sure you’ve seen or experienced that it can also be very temper-fueled, you know people get mad out there on the track. BO: Oh yeah, I grew up around racing, I’ve been going to race tracks since before I was born. KW: So do you think that aspect of it overlaps or clashes with the family-oriented nature of the track? BO: Well, I don’t think it has anything, really I think they’re one in themselves. We are all in this world, and that’s a part of anything in this world. People are going to clash, people are going to not get along, it’s how people overcome it. You watch out there and you go out there week to week, you can see people that get into arguments with each other about what happened on the track, and bicker, and fight, and cuss you know and you have the cops walk over and grab onto them. But usually, a couple weeks later, they’re over there talking with each other, having a good time, helping each other out. It’s, everybody’s going to argue. It’s a very passionate sport, a lot of money involved in it. KW: That makes sense. Let’s see. How do you think that racing fans are depicted in the media? As far as news sources, movies, anything like that. BO: Real big rednecks, that’s just about all they give us. That’s really all they give. Even NASCAR, that’s all they give for NASCAR. KW: Do you think that’s an accurate portrayal or not? BO: Well, there’s definitely a lot of rednecks in it. But, a lot of movies and commercials that I’ve seen, they do kind of string it out a bit. KW: Okay BO: A bit much KW: Okay, so maybe stretch it a little bit? BO: Yeah, but I mean I guess that’s in anything. KW: Okay, and then let’s see. Really my last question is how do you think that the East Lincoln experience stacks up against NASCAR? How does this level of racing really differ from NASCAR? BO: Well, I grew up racing at an asphalt track, it was a NASCAR-sanctioned, and never even went to my first dirt track until I was about thirteen. And I grew to love dirt racing and NASCAR and I actually moved across the country from Arizona to here in North Carolina to chase a NASCAR dream. KW: Really? BO: I love NASCAR, and it’s, they’re one in the same. KW: Okay BO: I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. I’ve been around it my whole life and I feel like people around the dirt track, compared to NASCAR, are about the same kind of people. KW: Okay, somebody, it might have been your wife actually, but somebody I talked to told me that there’s a lot more strategy in dirt track racing because the dirt shifts so much.

92 BO: Oh yes. Oh God, there’s so much with dirt, bumps, ruts, moisture, and just the people that you’re running with. You have somebody that is running and they have a quick car that runs on a smooth bottom track and you have a track like that, you have to try to think about that and try to figure out where he’s starting compared to where you’re starting and kind of, there’s a lot of mental game into it, a lot of strategy in it. KW: Okay, well you just answered all the questions I have for now really. I know that was pretty quick but, if you’re okay with it, if any other questions come up moving forward, I’ll reach out to you. BO: Alright, well you got my phone number. This is my phone number, you can just get ahold of me through here. KW: Alright thank you so much. BO: Not a problem, you have yourself a good one. KW: You too, bye BO: Bye bye

Sermon Preached by Dillon Sigmon 10/6/2019 Today I want to talk about a little different type of preparing; I want to talk about preparing for life after death. Death is a very sensitive subject, but I believe it is a very necessary subject. Statistically speaking, one out of every one people will die at some point or another. That’s a little morbid to think about, but it’s something we have to think about. At some point or another, you’re going to experience death, whether a family member, a friend, a loved one, you’re going to experience death. But, I want to tell you that that’s not the end. Death is not the end. I want to talk about Heaven. 1 Corinthians 2:9 is the verse I want to start with, ‘but it is written Eye have not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those that love Him. But God has revealed us, revealed them unto us by His Spirit, the spirit searcheth all things, the deepness of God.’ So what do we know about Heaven? I heard a quote from Chip Ingram, ‘a faulty view of Heaven destines us to a wasted life on earth.’ Now that, if you think about that, it means if we don’t think about Heaven and how it truly is, then we’re wasting our time here because Heaven is a big part of this life. There are a lot of misconceptions about Heaven. One misconception that I heard is that Heaven is going to be one big, long church service. I like church as much as the next guy, but if that was all we had to look forward to, it might be a little boring. I heard someone say one time if a long church service was all we had to look forward to, you know, the alternative might not be so bad. Another thing I’ve heard is that when we get to Heaven, we’re going to, we’re not going to know each other, we’re not going to remember anything, we’re just going to be in some weird state of bliss. Well, none of that’s biblical. See, I go behind what the Bible has to say about Heaven. The Bible is the original and only credible source of Heaven. If it was not for the Bible, there would be no Heaven. The word Heaven wouldn’t even be in our vocabulary. Without the Bible and without God, Heaven wouldn’t exist. So, the Bible is where I get my information. So what does the Bible say about Heaven? I only have a short amount of time, so I’m going to give a few main points. I’m going to kind of leave it up to—the stuff that I don’t get to—open your Bible and read it and find out exactly what the Bible has to say about Heaven. But first off,

93 who’s going to be in Heaven? Well, I’m not going to candy-coat it. The, our loved ones that died in Christ will be in Heaven. A lot of the faces of, a lot of faces of people that we thought we might never see again, that’s not the end, they’re going to be there, you know. A lot of famous people from the Bible will be there. David, Daniel [or maybe Nathaniel?], John, all these big names from the Bible, we can get there and we’ll hear their stories and be able to see what they saw and hear what they heard and experience these stories that really we look up to when we read the Bible. But most importantly, God will be there, Jesus Christ will be there, the Holy Spirit will be there. So another topic about Heaven that I’ve heard a lot of people interested in is our resurrection bodies. Well, a lot of people don’t even know what that means. Resurrection bodies, when we go to Heaven, we’re going to have a completely different body, a radically improved body. I want to go to 2 Corinthians 5:1 in here somewhere. 2 Corinthians 5:1 ‘for we know that if our earthly house in this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God. A house made with hands, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.’ So our bodies, they wear out. We get old, we get sick, and when we get to Heaven, there’s going to be a new body. There’s going to be a body that doesn’t get sick, a body that’s not affected by the curse, a body that we’ll have for eternity. We can infer a lot of things about our resurrection bodies from Christ’s resurrection body. Christ came back after he died, and there was a couple different things that he had, or that he did in this life that we can’t do. A couple things, he could appear in rooms without using doors John 20. He was able to disappear Luke 24. He never needed to sleep Acts 1. He ascended into Heaven, also Acts 1, which leads people to think we can fly in our new bodies, you know, maybe. When we get to Heaven, who’s to say we won’t? Heaven is going to be so much, so much more than this world is, that it’s just going to be so much better. So there’s a lot of things that we can infer. Revelation 21:4, go to that, when we get to Heaven, Revelation 21:4 says ‘and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away.’ When we get to Heaven, all of the things of this life, the bad, the pain, the people getting sick, it won’t be there anymore. Heaven is our eternal home. We’ll [?] in Heaven. I don’t know if anybody knew that or not, but we’ll definitely eat. Amen to that, right? So, think about, speaking of eating, think about the best thing you’ve ever eaten. Think about the best food you’ve ever had, or the best experience you’ve ever had, or the best relationship you’ve ever had. Well, in Heaven, it’ll be so much more than the relationships, the food, everything will be better in Heaven. I heard a song by Kane Brown called “Heaven,” and I want to just say the lyrics of the chorus so it says ‘everybody’s talking about Heaven like they just can’t wait to go, saying that it’s going to be so good, so beautiful, lying next to you in this bed with you, I ain’t convinced, because I don’t know how Heaven could be better than this.’ That’s a misconception that so many people have, is that there’s these things in this life that whether it be a trip or a you know experience, or gold, there’s so many things that we think ‘well, there’s no way Heaven’s going to be better than this.’ But that’s not true, Heaven is where we were destined to be, it’s where God wants us to be, it’s what we long for. Heaven is, you know a lot of people think that Heaven is just an imitation of this life and you know when this life is over, that’s it, but that’s completely backwards. This world has all the bad things, the curse, the sin, that Heaven is, earth is actually an imitation of Heaven. God wired us to long for Heaven. Everybody’s always looking for the next new thing, a new car, a new house, a new job. We’re always looking for something new, or we’re always looking toward what we can do in

94 this life, what kind of goals can I accomplish, what kind of dreams can I accomplish, what kind of money can I make, how famous can I get, but once we get there, or once we get the next new thing, you notice it always just starts to get old, it gets, it doesn’t stay new forever, and then you’re onto the next thing, you’re ready for something else, right? Well, Heaven’s the place where new doesn’t get old. Heaven’s the place that doesn’t get boring. Heaven is the place where this new feeling doesn’t go away. If you’ve ever been away from home for a long, for a trip or whatever, and you’re ready to get back home and you look at your, you get back to your bed and you’re like ‘man I’m ready to sleep in my bed, I’m ready to be back home’ you know. That feeling of ‘I’m finally home,’ imagine that, but infinitely better. That’s what Heaven will be like when we get there. Man, I’m finally home. It’s going to be great. So Heaven is not a place where we’ll go in, not knowing who anyone else is, in a state of bliss or some big, long church service. Heaven’s a place where we’re going to be there forever. If you think about, I’m not exactly sure who thought of this, but I heard one time, if you take a line on a piece of paper, and draw an arrow on one side, you have a dot on one side, well the dot is the start of the universe. We’ve got one little dot that’s maybe seventy, eighty, ninety years, depending on how long we live and this line’s going to go on forever. Well that little dot right there is what everyone seems to be concerned about. That seventy years of ‘what can I do in this time?’ But I think we need to look further into it, I think we need to look at what are we going to do for that entire line. You look at Heaven, when we’re going to be there 100 billion years and you look back and say ‘man, that seventy years wasn’t anything’ so. Heaven’s a place where we’re going to have learning, we’re going to have jobs, we're going to have fellowship, we’re going to have worshipping, we’re going to be serving God but a lot of people think that you get to Heaven and your hobbies, and all the things that we like in this world just won’t be there, but I think the hobbies and everything else will be better in Heaven. Restaurants, concerts, you know I’m not sure but there might be dirt track in Heaven, you know. Let’s hope so, right? That’s why we’re here. So the Bible says that we’ll have treasures in Heaven. I want to go to Matthew chapter 6, verse 19 to 20. This was in the red letters, so Jesus said it, it’s real important. ‘Lay up for yourself treasures, lay not up for yourself treasures upon earth where moth and rust does corrupt, and where thieves can break in and steal. Lay up for yourself treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust do corrupt, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.’ He’s telling us that as we go through this life, sure you can have things, you can have nice things in this life, but we need to look towards what treasures we can set up for Heaven and not what we have now, because at some point or another, the Bible says that this world is going to be folded up like a piece of paper and we won’t have any of this stuff, any of our goals, our plaques we got hanging on the wall, our trophies, our nice stuff, it’s all going to be gone one day, but the things that we can carry on with us is the treasures that we build up in Heaven. I don’t know what kind of treasures we’ll have in Heaven, but they got to be really good to last forever, right? So, Matthew 12:36 says ‘and I tell you, that we must all give an account for every idle word that we speak. Our treasures will be determined by the good or bad things that we do in this life.’ Some of the treasures we’ll get in Heaven may just be our eternal career, if we live our lives to the fullest and glorify God, we might end up with an amazing [job?], where you might lose out on some things if you don’t live your life right in Christ. The Bible’s very clear about that. So if all you did was accept Christ, you didn’t try to help others, you didn’t try to help others to Christ, you didn’t try to turn away from your sin, you may just miss out on some really

95 great things, and that’s what I want to stress is that we need to look towards Heaven in this life. And it goes back to that quote, if a misguided view of Heaven destines us to a wasted life on earth, if Heaven is not a very significant [part or thought?] of our lives, then we might just be missing out on so many great things that we’ll have. Heaven’s going to be great for everyone, but it won’t be equal. So, that brings me to—there will be two judgements. The judgement for the believers is, believers in Christ, is called the judgment seat of Christ, more or less an award ceremony where you will be awarded for the good that you did in Christ. The second judgment I want to talk about is a lot more sobering. The great white throne judgment is for the non- believers. The ones who rejected Christ, there is no ceremony, there is no place, this is no place you want to be. Anyone at the great white judgement is destined to Hell and I want to talk about Hell. I can’t speak about Heaven without talking about Hell as well because Jesus spoke about Hell more than any other person in the Bible. He made it clear that we needed to know about Hell, so I just want to talk about Hell for a minute. And I say this because I care and I don’t want to see anyone go there. I think there’s a lot of misconceptions about Hell as well. I’ve had a friend tell me one time we were talking about it, and he said that Hell is just going to be a big party, right? That’s not true. I want to describe a couple, I want to tell you a couple things the Bible describes Hell as: outer darkness Matthew 25:30, the second death Revelations 21:80, eternal punishment Matthew 25:46, everlasting destruction 2 Thessalonians 1:9, the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing teeth Matthew 13:50, eternal fire Matthew 25:41, the lake of fire Revelation 19:20. In Luke 19, there’s a story of Lazarus and a poor man. Lazarus was a beggar, he was—Lazarus and a rich man, I’m sorry—but Lazarus was a poor man and then there was a rich man. Well, the rich man would he, like back then they didn’t have silverware so they ate with their fingers, and they would wipe their fingers off with their bread, and then they’d throw the bread in the floor and that’s what they gave to the dogs. Well, Lazarus was a beggar, he ate the food they would throw on the floor. Well, in this parable, it tells that both of them died. Lazarus goes to—this is Jesus telling the story, so this is before Jesus died, before he got the [keys to hazed to death?], before Jesus died, they went to a place called Abraham’s [willow?]. Abraham’s bosom split into two sections, there was paradise and there was torment. Lazarus, the poor man, he goes to paradise. The rich man goes to torment because of what he did in his life. So the rich man shouts out to Abraham ‘have pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in cool water to put on my tongue because I’m tormented [?]’ Abraham tells him he had everything he wanted in this life, Lazarus had nothing. Now Lazarus is comforted. The reason I’m telling you this is because Hell is not a party place, Hell is not a place where you’re going to get to do all of the things you wanted to do. It’s not good. Hell is torment and we are going to be aware in the afterlife of where we’re at. Hell is constant torment and the reason that I say this is because look at what’s most important. As we go through our day, as we go through our life, the thought of Hell, and the thought that someone you know might go there, that ought to be enough encouragement that I want to make sure that they don’t go there, right? You know you might be the only person that can show Jesus to someone else, so I say this, that we need to drop our petty arguments, we need to drop our grudges because what’s important is helping others find Christ. Other than that, it’s just not worth it. So, I’ve been asked, ‘how do I know that all this is true?’ Well, you know, I’ve been asked ‘is it because the Bible says so?’ Well, yes. It is because the Bible says so, but I’ve seen Christ, I’ve seen what He does in my life, I saw the answered prayers, I saw everything that He’s done. I mean, he put

96 it on my heart to preach the Gospel to people, and here we are at a dirt track sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s real, Jesus Christ is very real, and I can’t stress that enough. So back to the question that I asked at the beginning, how do you prepare for your future? Are you prepared? Are you preparing for what treasures you can have on earth or are you preparing for what treasures you can have in Heaven? C.S. Lewis says ‘aim for Heaven and get earth thrown in. Aim for Earth and get neither.’ So do you know where you’re going to go when you die? It’s something we all need to think about. Well, I’m here to tell you that right now, you can know for sure. You can absolutely know for sure that say, Heaven forbid, that you passed away tomorrow, you can know that when you wake up, you’ll wake up in Heaven. And I can tell you how. I want everybody to close their eyes. Close their eyes, and bow their heads. If you’re listening today and you want to know that you’ll go to Heaven, I just, I want you to repeat after me. If you don’t know that Heaven is your destiny, I want you to repeat after me. Lord, I know I’m a sinner, but you’re the Savior. Lord I ask that you come into my heart and forgive me of my sins, and be my Lord and Savior. I ask this in Jesus name. So if you said that, and your life is going to change dramatically. See, a lot of people don’t realize that the way to Heaven is really very simple. So, I’ve heard a lot of times that there’s more than one way to Heaven, right? I’ve heard that there’s a bunch of roads and they all lead to Heaven. Well that’s not true. The Bible’s very clear that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. He says that ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father but by me.’ See we are all sinners and one sin is enough to keep us out of Heaven, but through grace, God sent his only son to come down. He lived a perfect life for thirty-three years, and on his thirty-third year, they took him, they tied him up, they whipped him, they ripped the beard from his face, they put a crown of thorns in his head, they mashed it into his skull, they made him carry his own cross up the mountain, and they put him on that cross and he got nails drove through his hands and his feet, they stuck a spear in his side, and they left him to die. Why? Because that was the redemption for our sins, without that, we would not be forgiven for our sins. See, Jesus knew the whole time that this was going to be the case. He came down knowing that this was what needed to be done so that we can all go to Heaven with Him. Right? He wants us to be there. The Bible says that God wants no one to perish, but for all to come to everlasting life. So, this actually was a lot shorter than I anticipated, but it’s alright. I want to say a prayer. Lord God, I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to come up here. I want to thank you for everyone that came to listen. Lord, I pray that every single ear heard a message. Lord, I pray that every single ear heard you. And I pray that you open up every heart in here. If there’s someone who doesn’t know you, Lord I pray that you’ve metaphorically kicked them in the head, and show them who you are. Lord, I pray that you open up their hearts, and I pray that you show them the key to eternal life. Lord, I want to thank you for everything that you’ve given me, given us. In Jesus name, amen. I want to thank you guys for listening. I guess we’re going to play for a couple more songs. Thank you guys.

Text Conversation with Dillon Sigmon 4/12/2020 KW: Hey Dillon, this is Kendall (the one that did the interview for the school project). I hate to bother you on Easter but I just have a quick question. For the sermon, of all the topics you

97 could’ve chosen, what lead you to speak on the misconceptions of Heaven and Hell? Thanks again for all your help with this!! DS: No problem. I believe that if people don’t know what Heaven or Hell are really like then they wouldn’t see the severity of the topic. I’ve had a friend say before, “Hell won’t be so bad, it’s just one big party after all.” And I’ve also heard someone say “I don’t like Church, so I’m not going to like Heaven either.” These are dangerous thoughts to have. Hell isn’t just a big party, it’s eternal torment. Hell is a place where if someone were to go, they need to go ahead and abandon all hope for a better eternity. There is no coming back. And on the same side Heaven is not just for people who love church. I enjoy going to church as much as the next guy but if we had to sit in a long church service for eternity, would either it be all that great? Heaven is THE place you want to be. Heaven is a place where all the good things of this world are so much better, and all the bad things of this life are gone. Chip Ingram said “A misguided view of Heaven, destines us to a wasted life on earth.” If we don’t look at how great the Bible says Heaven really is, then where is our motivation to help others find Jesus and know they will go there when they die? Making clear what the Bible, and God say about Heaven and Hell is necessary when preaching the Gospel, to give cold hard realities of where we should all want to go when we die. If someone believes that there is a Heaven and Hell, and believes what the Bible says about it, shouldn’t it be their top priority to helping lost souls? Nothing else is more important. If someone is walking towards a cliff and not paying attention to where they are going, wouldn’t you try everything in your power to help them from walking off? I see the same concept with life. If I know how bad Hell is going to be then I need to treat it like people’s eternities are at stake, because they are. That’s why I stress the importance of what the Bible says about Heaven and Hell and not letting people believe lies they have heard. And have a great Easter. KW: Thank you! And Happy Easter to you as well!

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