Exciting, thrilling, eclectic and downright entertaining! That’s what to expect from the 2023 season at Bobby Watson’s Carteret County Speedway!
As always big name racing events and drivers highlight the 2023 schedule sprinkled in with some non-racing shows like Monster Trucks, the World’s Largest Yard Sale, a benefit Rock Concert, Truck Fest and even a Laser Light show!
Here is a monthly breakdown of the 2023 season at Carteret Speedway:
March 11-Media Day: This is a showcase for the drivers, interviews, photo shoots, media coverage and some practice laps.
April 2-The Jumpstart 165: This special Sunday event will feature the Late Model Twin races with a two o’clock start.
April 23-Spring Showdown: Another special Sunday race will feature the Limited Late Models and Bomber twins races. Once again the green flag drops at two o’clock.
May 13-Croatan Spring Jam: This is the first Saturday night racing event of 2023 featuring twin races from the Mini Stocks and Limited Late Models. The Legends, Bombers and Mini Cup will also compete.
May 28-Memorial Day Classic: The Southern Ground Pounders will be featured in this special Sunday Holiday show. The Vintage cars are a reminder of racing gone by! Plus plenty of local divisions racing as well.
June 3-Carolina Pro Weekend: Keith Graham and his class of amazing talent roll into town featuring Pro Late Models and Modifieds. The local favorite Legends, Bombers and Bandoleros will also be featured.
June 10-Ladies Night at the Races: Ladies you get into the races for free and can enjoy the East Coast Flathead Fords featuring veteran drivers and cars of a past era. The Limited Late Models, Legends, Bombers and Street Stocks will be on track as well.
June 24: Shootout By The Sea: The Southern Super Series comes to Carteret featuring some of the top short track drivers in the nation. The Bombers and Bandoleros will be featured as well as the Legends schedule for twin 20 lap events.
July 2-Firecracker Clash: This special Sunday event will green flag a long 4th of July Holiday weekend with twin races from the Limited Late Models and the Legends. Plus the Mini Stocks, Bombers and Mini Cups will compete.
July 8-Monster Truck Show: The always exciting and entertaining Monster Trucks will crush and jump vehicles displaying their power and dominance. It’ll be the first ever Monster Truck Show at Carteret Speedway and we can’t wait.
July 15-Night of Destruction: This is another spectacular event never held at Carteret Speedway. Just the word “Destruction” gets my attention as we’ll have cars doing things race cars were never meant to do! Yet another must see in 2023.
July 22-Summer Thunder: The Grand National Super Series will be featured in a pair of 50 lap races! The GNSS features some of the best, most competitive drivers in the country. It’ll be a busy night with five local divisions racing as well.
August 12-Davey Allison Memorial: Not only does this race feature the Allison Legacy Series but also the Southern Ground Pounders are back and the Legends will have a shootout with $3,000 to the winner.
August 19-Kids Night/Double Points: Kids get in free as we celebrate youth in motorsports and the kids have a chance to compete in bicycle races. Meantime six local divisions will hit the track with Limited Late Models covering 50 laps and the Mini Stocks and Street Stocks each with 30 lap events. The Bombers and Bandoleros will round out the field.
September 2-Labor Day Classic/Carteret Clash: The SMART Modifieds will be featured for 99 laps in a race being dubbed the “Carteret Clash”. The Southern Modified Auto Racing Teams is loaded with top cars and drivers and it will be a memorable show! Once again four local divisions will spice up the day as the Legends, Mini Stocks, Bombers and Mini Cups compete.
September 3-Sunday Madhouse at the Beach-The dust will have hardly settled from the night before and Carteret Speedway will welcome drivers from Bowman Gray. They made their Carteret debut in 2022 and are back for an encore. BG is based out of Winston-Salem and known for putting on a wild, wooly and competitive race experience. September 2 and 3 promises to be a weekend of racing for the books at Carteret Speedway.
September 16-Bobby Watson Memorial: The East Coast Flathead Fords return to help keep Bobby Watson’s dream alive. Watson, who left us in 2018, started Carteret County Speedway which has since been dubbed America’s Nicest Short Track. The Watson Memorial will also feature a 100 lap showdown by the Late Models while six other local divisions will race that night as well in celebration of Bobby Watson.
September 23-Twin Night at the Track: As the name implies there’ll be twin racing events for the Limited late Models, Bombers and Street Stocks while the Legends will circle 25 laps for a great night of racing.
October 14-Night of Champions: This will indeed be a championship night of racing as six local divisions will decide their season championships plus the USAC Midgets and Grand National Super Series will crown season champions as well. This will be like the Super Bowl of Coastal Carolina auto racing with big money and season titles on the line.
October 28-Halloween Bash: Bash is the keyword as the night will feature the first and only ENDURO race of the season. Racers will try to avoid all and any obstacles placed on the track but as we’ve witnessed with ENDURO’s of the past, it’s only a matter of time before BASH Rules! The Bombers, Legends and Mini Cups will also race plus it’s the annual Halloween Costume Challenge. 2022 brought out hundreds of costumes and we expect 2023 to dazzle again!
November 10-12: Race of Champions/ Mini Stock Nationals: This is a huge three day weekend of racing featuring The Mini Stock Nationals for 100 laps of controlled chaos and the Late Models for 150 laps of door to door racing. The Legends, Bombers and Bandoleros will be on hand as well to add to the excitement. The final racing event of the season promises to be a classic Carteret Speedway Showcase!
We’re excited to see you at the races in 2023!