I don’t go to the movie theater too often, maybe six or seven times a year. But right now, I miss the movies. My wife and I don’t go out to eat very much either. Maybe a couple times a month. But damnit, right now I’m really Jonesing for a clubhouse grille sandwich from my neighborhood grill and bar.

Obviously, what I really like to do quite often — under normal circumstances at least — is go to the races. It’s both my job and my passion. So like most in our industry, the last seven weeks have been pretty difficult to deal with. To say I’ve been itching to get to the track is an understatement. I’m sure I’m not alone.

Watch the Schaeffer's Oil Tarheel Invitational presented by PitStopUSA.com LIVE on FloRacing!

I was able to enjoy a brief reprieve from stay-at-home measures enacted during the coronavirus pandemic when we went to Boyd’s Speedway for a practice a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, we had some engine issues that kept us from making more than one test run at the track on the Tennessee-Georgia border near Chattanooga. Even though it felt good to get out of the house, making only 10 laps left me dissatisfied, at best. We had a lot of stuff we wanted to work on after replacing nearly everything in the rear suspension, but we left Boyd’s with as many questions as we had answers.

Naturally when I found out there were a couple of opportunities to get back to the track this week, I jumped at the chance. A couple of weeks ago, officials at Southern Raceway in Milton, Fla., announced a May 2 invitation-style event featuring six local divisions that would be shown live via pay-per-view.

Headlined by Crate Late Models paying the track’s modest weekly purse, it’s not the type of event we’d typically staff at DirtonDirt. But as the owner of a 604 Crate Late Model, it’s exactly the type of event I’d like to attend, especially considering what we’ve all be going through since early March.

Southern’s event was first open to local competitors only before being opened up to outsiders to help complete the fields for the six divisions. When I first saw the track’s Facebook post, I immediately asked my brother if he wanted to go. He answered quickly with a resounding ‘Hell yeah!’

The six-hour trek from Middle Tennessee to the Florida panhandle isn’t one we’d normally make, though we did compete in a pair of Southern All Star events there in 2017, finishing 23rd and 16th. But this is different. This is more about getting out of the house than it is about the actual race. It’s more about the trip than the competition. Getting to race is just the cherry on top of an already sweet cupcake.

While speaking with Pennsylvania Late Model standout Jason Covert during a phone interview last week, it was obvious he felt the same way.

“I told the (crew) guys be ready to ride,” Covert said. “When it opens back up, be ready for a road trip it doesn’t matter how far. You know, going to the races is about being with the people, it’s not about the machines. If you can’t be with the people … even those who may not like you … it’s not the same.”

I’ve always been up for a road trip. During my sophomore year at Tennessee Tech, my college roommate busted into the room around midnight — I definitely remember it was a weeknight — with the grand idea of driving to Middle Tennessee State University about 90 minutes away to take his girlfriend some flowers. I have no idea why. I’m not sure if he’d done something wrong or if he was just terribly romantic, but without hesitation, not only did I agree to go with him, but I also offered to drive. That’s just me.

My decision to go to Florida on May 2 was about as easy. Of course it helps that the cost of gasoline is about the same now as it was in 1991 when Bret and I headed to Murfreesboro, flowers in hand, to visit his girl. Florida isn’t the only option this weekend — races have sprung up at Georgia’s Boyd’s Speedway as well as South Carolina’s Lancaster and Cherokee speedways — but Southern Raceway is where we initially planned to go, so we’re sticking with the plan. (We’ve often come to regret deviating from our original plans.)

Not long after I heard Southern Raceway was planning an event, we got the news that Ray Cook planned an invitation-only Super Late Model race at his Tri-County Racetrack in Brasstown, N.C. Cook’s event, which pays $4,000-to-win and will be streamed live tonight on DirtonDirt and FloRacing, kicks off an exciting weekend for the sport. When given the opportunity to go to Brasstown to cover the Schaeffer Oil Tar Heel Invitational presented by PitStopUSA.com, I jumped at that chance as well.

How could I not? It’s only about three hours from the house. And it’s racing, for Pete’s sake. Not iRacing. Real racing, what we’ve all been longing for since this Covid-19 pandemic disrupted our way of life. Sure, there are only a handful of events on tap this weekend, and yes, most of them are being held without spectators in the stands, but it’s certainly better than what we’ve been dealing with for the past month-and-a-half.

If nothing else, the events this weekend — meager as they may be — give us hope of more to come. Two weeks ago I’m not sure we could say we had much hope. I don’t expect this is the opening of the floodgates with racing. The path will still be slow, and I suspect quite sparse, as pockets of the country reopen. But for now, it’s enough. It’s a start. And that’s about all we can ask for.