The Alabama 200: The Biggest Little Race in the South
MONTGOMERY, Alabama (March 4, 2022) – At the end of a rural neighborhood road just outside of Montgomery, sits one of the South’s prized possessions. Montgomery Motor Speedway. Each March, pro late model drivers from across the region, and parts beyond, converge on the famed half-mile oval for a 200 lap contest. That contest, to be held on March 5th, is the Alabama 200 – Hunt for the Bear, and 2022 is the 58th edition.
This year’s Alabama 200 is full of a who’s who in Pro Late Model racing.
Super late model racing superstar Stephen Nasse makes the trip from Pinellas Park, Florida and brings along Michael Hinde. Hinde is fresh off of winning the pro late model event at SpeedFest in Cordele, Georgia and the pro late model championship at the World Series of Asphalt Racing in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
The two favorites to win this year’s Hunt for the Bear have got to be Jake Garcia and Christopher Tullis.
Georgia native Garcia won this race in 2020, and is the reigning Southern Super Series champion, under the guidance of multiple Alabama 200 champion crew chief, Ricky Turner.
Tullis is the defending race winner and the reigning Show Me the Money Series Champion, the speedway’s pro late model track championship.
Alabama has 14 drivers entered, led by the likes of Tullis, but also represented by drivers from across the state including, John Bolen, Justin Bonnett, Justin South, Jim Wall and Dustin Smith to name a few.
Drivers Chris Davidson and Kaden Honeycutt make the trip from Texas; both in stout equipment. Davidson is the 2021 pro late model champion at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida while Honeycutt, driving in Montgomery for Jett Motorsports, is a 2022 participant of the eNASCAR iRacing Coca-Cola Series for Roush-Fenway-Keselowski Racing.
Speaking of Jett Motorsports, a second car is entered for Alabama native JoJo Wilkinson. Up until now, Wilkinson has competed for her family-owned team but is looking to expand her opportunities by partnering with Jett.
Another talented female racer, Brittney Zamora, looks to make her Alabama 200 debut on the heels of a break out pro late model win at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in Tennessee in October of last year.
Zamora drives for Willie Allen, who is also feilding a car for Cole Williams. The Rackley-WAR Racing team hails from Tennessee, which has six drivers represented.
From Florida to Wisconsin, the Alabama 200 draws in drivers all looking to make their name on a historic stage.
Montgomery Motor Speedway first opened in 1953 as a dirt track and was paved in 1956. The speedway hosted six NASCAR Grand National events from 1955 to 1969, all 200 laps.
Richard Petty and Bobby Allison won in 1968 and 1969 respectively. Allison, and brother Donnie, would become frequent racers in Montgomery and other tracks across the state. The brothers, from Florida, eventfully persuaded long-time friend Red Farmer to join them, enticed by the handsome payouts the speedway provided.
Soon, the trio took up full time residences in Alabama, and thus began the legendary “Alabama Gang”.
Over the years, the ownership of the speedway would change hands a couple of times, which included a stint that saw the track used to store cars for the local Hyundai manufacturing plant. In 2008, Bobby and Mark Knox took possession and ownership of the facility and ever since, the venue and event have been on an ever-rising upward trend.
A big part of the success of the Alabama 200 is the hometown feel of Montgomery Motor Speedway. Yes, this event is a bucket-list item for pro late model racing, but it doesn’t feel that way when you’re there. Instead, you get southern hospitality at it’s finest.
The atmosphere is serious, but calm. A pleasant staff, spacious grandstand, and rich racing history all play into making this big event feel intimate. Being nestled in the middle of a country neighborhood certainly adds to the hometown vibe, and if all goes well, the moderate temperatures of early March make the experience all the more enjoyable.
As the day rolls forward practice and qualifying sessions fill the day. When the sun begins to set, the energy builds as the features begin. The local Outlaw division and Montgomery’s own Modifieds of Mayhem set the stage for the main event, the 200 lap Alabama 200… which also marks the beginning of the 2022 Show Me the Money Series.
Historically, the race is one of attrition, as the favorites at the start sometimes don’t make it to the end. This race is double the length of most of the other “big” pro late model events, and keeping your car in one piece becomes one of the biggest challenges. With $10,000 to the winner, many will do whatever it takes to be at the front at the end; leading to tempers flaring and moments of intense action resulting in a lot of bent sheet metal.
When it’s all said and done, the driver that has outlasted the torment of 200 fast paced laps, and bested his competitors, will raise a wooden carved bear trophy and collect a handsome check, adding his or her name to the list of racing greats to win this storied event.
It is truly an event to experience in person. But, if you’re unable to attend, Racing America, powered by Speed51.tv, has you covered.
And of course, PixelatedSPEED will be there, providing updates to Instagram and Twitter throughout the day.
- By: Daniel Vining, Twitter: @danielvining
- Photo: Anthony Campi’s 81 car, driven by Gio Bromante in 2019 at the Alabama 200 in Montgomery, AL (Daniel Vining/PixelatedSPEED)
PixelatedSPEED.com is a motorsports-centric news and opinion website published by content creator Daniel Vining. The mission is simple; inform, entertain and inspire motorsports lifestyle enthusiasts using imagery and storytelling to capture news and history. If you’ve made it this far into the post, thank you. Please consider sharing this content on the interwebs and following PixelatedSPEED on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. Copyright PixelatedSPEED – 2018 – 2022
