KINSTON, AL :: Former ARCA Racing Series regular and long-time Late Model driver Justin South says he joined the Southern Super Series due to its competition level and the ever-increasing viability of the second-year Super Late Model tour.
With several races on television this season and the increased media attention the S3 receives, South believes the tour is on the verge of a massive popularity surge.
“We had a lot of success in our Pro Late Model last year and we knew we wanted to go race Supers,” South told RACE22.com. “Supers are obviously more expensive so we weren’t going to do it unless we thought that we could make a splash.
“With the growth of the Southern Super Series, this is what I want to be a part of as it continues to grow.”
South served as the spotter for Mason Massey last season and saw first-hand the competition level in the S3. He immediately cited the World Crown 300 and AR Bodies 125 as stand out races that enticed him to join by the end of the year.
So South sought out his long-time friend and former Super Late Model standout Josh Hamner to serve as his crew chief and engine builder and transformed his Pro Late into a Super and set out to chase the Southern Super Series championship, a tour that is centrally located around his home of Leeds, Ala.
“That’s what makes this feasible,” South admitted. “I know they were looking at maybe going to Memphis or New Smyrna but the current schedule keeps travel at a minimum and allows us to run for a championship.
“And that’s the coolest part — I haven’t experienced the week-to-week grind of a championship since ARCA.”
It’s ARCA where South first established his national notoriety, running the full schedule in 2007 and making sporadic starts in subsequent seasons. He even moved from Alabama to North Carolina at 18-years-old to pursue a career in NASCAR.
South ultimately moved back home when things didn’t pan out.
“Basically, what (we) had is a shoe string budget,” South said of his ARCA tenure. “I don’t want to say that we didn’t have the best personnel because everyone gave it their best effort. But take our Daytona race. We had Nick Harrison as our crew chief, the Sprint Cup Nick Harrison, but we couldn’t offer competitive pay when he left for Phoenix Racing after that weekend.”
That was how it went for South in ARCA, not having the budget to compete with his rivals and leaving him to believe that it just wasn’t meant to be.
Upon returning home from the Carolinas, South said he was “over racing” and wanted to sell everything he owned until Hamner approached him about teaming up in what has ultimately become their Southern Super Series entry.
“Josh is great,” South said. “We’re best friends. We’re all under 30 and I get to go hang out at all these cool race tracks with my best friends. Racing is fun again and I can’t wait to see that translate into results this season.”
