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As might be expected, there are plenty of die-hard race fans and backyard mechanics in the stands. But children of all ages are also everywhere, waving checkered flags in the stands, playing with their hot wheels cars on the bleacher seats or just enjoying the spectacle alongside their parents who may be wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the logo of their favorite driver. Oh, and did we mention the dirt? Kids can be found collecting handfuls of the mud that鈥檚 flung into stands as cars zoom past. An often-repeated phrase at the speedway is: 鈥淚f there is dirt in your beer, they are racing.鈥�

鈥淚t is definitely entertainment, a show,鈥� says Josh Carroll, the owner of the raceway, referring to the roar of the cars in each race, and the anticipation in the crowd for the inevitable spinouts, crashes and even sparks flying from cars hitting the wall as spectators watch from behind a high chain-link fence, separated by only a few feet from the action on the steeply banked track.

At the center of the spectacle are the racing cars themselves. The fiberglass car bodies are polished until they glisten and are painted in every conceivable combination of vivid colors. Many colors are florescent paint that glow as the evening turns to night and the overhead light poles illuminate the track.

Advertisements for local businesses are also prominently displayed on the car bodies, with many of the sponsors ironically being personal injury law firms.

Some auto bodies display the nicknames of the drivers, like 鈥淪lammin鈥� Sammy鈥� Swindell, 鈥淏lackjack鈥� Brian Brown, or 鈥淭he North Pole Nightmare鈥� Bill Balog.

Even the physical appearance of the racecars is entertaining to a first-time spectator. For less wind resistance and greater speed, car roofs are lowered and resemble the passenger compartment of a car that was about to be crushed for scrap before someone in charge of the car smasher changed their mind midway.

Standing in front of a car it is unavoidable to notice a decided tilt in the body to the left, as if the car had been crashed into broadside, knocking it out of alignment leaving it destined to only make left turns. However, the wayward lean allows the car to grip the track better in the turns and enter the two short straightaways at a higher speed.

Race action starts as the cars leave the pit area in the middle of the oval track with their engines rumbling, and backfiring as they make their way onto the track for practice laps. Then, intuitively they get into position for a rolling start as the checkered flag is lowered and the noise becomes so loud it would not be a surprise if the cars took off and started to fly.

As the cars enter into the corners of the oval raceway at speeds near 100 mph, drivers apply the brakes, shifting the car鈥檚 weight toward the front wheels causing the car to turn sideways at a 90-degree angle to the track. Then, as the inside wheels lift off the ground, each driver uses the sliding motion to exit the turn facing the 100-yard straightaway before the next turn looms in the distance and the sideways maneuver is repeated.

Each race night there are as many as 120 different racecars competing in a variety of car classes that include Modified, Stock Car, Hobby Stock, Northern SportMod, Southern SportMod, Sport Compact, Late Model and Sprint. Each class has specific rules and regulations regarding the build of the body and engine.

Races begin with qualifying heats followed by heats to determine position followed by the final race. Fans are treated to as many as 25 races nightly, lasting between five and 25 laps.

Carrol says that attendance usually is a comfortable crowd size of about 5,000 fans, and that most drivers come from within 30 miles of the track. 鈥淚t is a historic sport,鈥� he says. 鈥淒irt track racing started in the United States before World War I and became popular in the 1920s and 1930s. This track dates to the 1980s.鈥�

The website lists 36 dirt tracks in Missouri and 45 in Illinois. According to the National Speedway Directory there are over 700 dirt oval tracks in operation in the United States.

For those desiring to see the cars up close, a pit pass can be purchased for $40. It allows spectators unlimited access to pit row where they can inspect the cars before or after the races and talk to the drivers and mechanics.

鈥淭his is an expensive sport,鈥� says Mark Voight, 63, who is one of the oldest racecar drivers and has been racing at Pevely and other tracks for decades. 鈥淭he car frame and everything, but the engine is about $45,000, and the motor is another $50,000, at least,鈥� he says.

鈥淎dd on tires at about $250 each, racing fuel at $650 for a 55-gallon drum, and a $100,000 rig to tow two cars inside with a sleeping compartment and bathroom. That is some serious money.鈥�

Voight says that depending on track conditions the tires need to be replaced after 80 miles of racing, or sooner, and that the fiberglass body shell usually needs to be replaced once a season at a cost of about $2,500.

The investment does not include the man-hours spent each week repairing or replacing damage done to a car each week.

There is prize money for winning a race, but even a lot of 鈥渨ins鈥� only goes so far. The top prize for a first-place win for the premier race in Pevely is $1,200, followed by $800 for second place and $600 for third.

Asked why he keeps racing, Voight鈥檚 retort is 鈥渨hy do people do drugs? It is an addiction.鈥�