Waycross Motor Speedway

Waycross Motor Speedway & the Southern Clash Late Models welcomes Friendly Express to tour 2026 season! Retailing…The Friendly Way

Friendly Express, Inc. can trace its origins back to Lewis Oil Company (now Lewis and Raulerson, Inc.). The first venture into the convenience store business was a small store on the outskirts of Waycross known as Shell Express. Grady Lewis and Bill Raulerson partnered together to purchase the location in 1989. From those humble beginnings, Grady Lewis was able to grow the business into a thirteen store chain by 1996. The company acquired several other convenience store chains during the 1990s, including Sunrise Foods, the Georgia Lil’ Champ locations, and Friendly Marts. Eventually, Shell Express gave way to Friendly Express, Inc. Today, Friendly operates thirty-seven locations in southeast Georgia. The Quality of People Retailing…The Friendly Way Friendly Express’s success has been built on the quality of people in the store and the atmosphere we have tried to convey to the customer. Friendly Express strives to hire the hardest working and honest people who take customer service to the highest level . We care about our employees, and we want our employees to care about our customers. Your Family Friendly Store We want you and your family to feel welcome and safe in any of our stores. This is evidenced by: We give back to the communities where we live and operate. Please visit our affiliates at: Lewis & Raulerson, Inc. Thanks Friendly Express!

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 & 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗺𝗽

Graniteville, S.C. (1/16/26) – Officials with the Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series (STSDS), in conjunction with Waycross Motor Speedway, have announced the postponement of Saturday’s Showdown at the Swamp. While weather conditions during race time on Saturday are expected to be favorable, the decision was made due to prolonged extreme cold leading into the weekend, anticipated freezing temperatures immediately following the event, and the potential for hazardous travel conditions across much of the Southeast.

Waycross Speedway officials cited ongoing challenges preparing the facility after several days of unusually cold weather.

“It’s been incredibly cold here over the past week, and those temperatures have created issues that affect our ability to properly prepare the speedway,” said Waycross Speedway promoter Michelle Stone. “Our goal is always to provide the best possible experience for our fans and competitors. Given the circumstances, we don’t feel confident we can do that at the level this event deserves. That’s disappointing because we were really looking forward to this weekend.”

STSDS officials echoed that sentiment, noting that post-race travel conditions played a significant role in the decision.

“While Saturday afternoon looks good on paper, our bigger concern is what happens after the checkered flag falls,” said STSDS owner Travis Scott. “Forecasts are calling for rain, snow, and ice across large portions of the Southeast Saturday night into Sunday. We have teams, fans, and staff who would be faced with long drives home in potentially dangerous conditions. At the end of the day, no race is worth putting people in harm’s way.”

Series and track officials emphasized that the postponement was made proactively and with the best interests of competitors and fans in mind.

“We understand this decision will be frustrating to some, especially knowing the weather during race time looks fine,” Scott added. “But taking the full picture into account—track preparation, overnight temperatures, and travel safety—we firmly believe postponing is the responsible choice.”

The Showdown at the Swamp has been rescheduled for Friday, May 15, 2026, and will now serve as a points-paying event in conjunction with the Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series’ weekend stop at Needmore Speedway on Saturday, May 16, 2026, creating a marquee doubleheader weekend for fans and racers in South Georgia.

Additional details regarding the rescheduled event will be released in the coming weeks.