By Sara Page, Midlothian Exchange
spage@midlothianexchange.com

For as many years as Southside Speedway has existed as Southside Speedway – 51 – Robbie Robertson has been a fixture at the 1/3-mile oval. The track paid tribute last Friday night, naming the longest race of the season after the former pace car driver and surprising him with a special guest and good friend – Bobby Allison – as company in the VIP room for the evening’s four races.

Robertson has known owners Sue Clements and Patsy Stargart for as long as anyone can remember. “Sue goes around and tells everybody that I pushed her around in a baby carriage when she was small. I think that’s so she makes sure everyone knows I’m older than her,” Robertson joked before the race.

The trio grew up as neighbors and their parents worked in the construction business together before the Wilkinson family got involved in racing.

Robertson picked up the racing bug when Southside Speedway was known as Royall Speedway. He, his dad and a neighbor would head out to the track nearly every weekend when he was a child.

“I guess it’s like anybody else. You go to a few races and some people get hooked on it and some people don’t. I was one of the ones that got hooked,” Robertson said.
It was as a local fan that Robertson first met racing legend Bobby Allison.

As Robertson tells the story, he knew Allison before Allison was known.

“I just saw him at the race track one night. He came up here and didn’t have no tires for his race car. He borrowed some tires to race on that night, and he won the race,” Robertson recalled. “I said, ‘This must be a guy that I would probably like to root for because somebody who comes up here with no tires and wins the race – he’s got to be somebody special.’”

Robertson spoke with Allison after the race that night and soon joined the driver’s fan club. Before long, he was an area director for the club, then the East Coast director. Finally, he became director of the fan club and travelled around the country with Allison.

“It was a big job. It kept me out of trouble,” Robertson quipped.

In his spare time, he remained part of the Southside Speedway faithful, attending races and helping out on the volunteer fire department at races.

After retirement, he got behind the wheel – of the pace car, that is – and again became a fixture, leading laps around the track, under yellow-flag racing. He drove for three years before an on-going battle with cancer forced him to fully retire.

Though characteristically humble about his accomplishments – “There’s a whole lot more people out there who deserve to have the race named after them other than me” – Robertson admitted he was honored. And he had no idea his long-time friend would be at the track with him until he arrived at the VIP lounge just before festivities got underway on Friday evening.

“I’m lucky to have participated in the things I’ve gotten to participate in,” Robertson said. “They said my job [as pace car driver] is still open, so maybe one day …”

Robertson and all the special guests were treated to a classic evening of short track racing.

The Late Model division kicked things off with the 150-lap feature.

The No. 95 car of Shayne Lockhart took charge from the get-go. Lockhart started on the pole thanks to a dice-roll inversion of the top two qualifiers, but the inversion seemed to matter little. Lockhart led by at least a quarter lap all night.

The No. 4 car driven by Adam Resnick brought out the fourth caution of the night when the rear end locked up causing him to spin out in turn four. The yellow-flag slowed Lockhart and brought the rest of the pack within spitting distance. Lockhart got a good restart, but by lap 144, was peering nervously in his rearview mirror at the blue and orange hood of Eddie Johnson.

Lap 145 saw the caution flag fly again as Chris Dodson in the No. 0 car lost control in turn four after a hard bump from the No. 99 car of Chris Hopkins. The clean-up set up a green-white-checkered finish in overtime.

Johnson leapt ahead on the restart and ran side-by-side with Lockhart under the green flag. The No. 43 inched ahead as the white flag came out, and Johnson held on for the win.
Lockhart was later awarded the win in post-race inspection.

Not to be outdone, the Grand Stock division featured a late battle for the checkered flag as well.

In their 30-lap race, a caution on lap 25 bunched up the top four. Mark Simpson took advantage of the battle for first between Brian Myslivy and Donny Newman and scooted into first place, on the back stretch, during the restart. Simpson pulled away and held on for the win.

Buzz Moore took home the hardware in the Champ Kart division, adding to his lead in the point standings.

Daniel Thomas won the 25-lap U-Car race and jumped from fifth to third in the point standings. He now sits just 60 points behind leader David Kerns and 40 behind second-place Mike Chapman with 1,780 points.