Larry Larson made headlines earlier this year by defeating Lyle Barnett at the $75,000 King of the South (KotS) invitational during the Ronnie Buff Memorial weekend at Shadyside Dragway in North Carolina. Recently, at PRI in Indianapolis, KotS promoter Corey Stamper and Shadyside co-owner Seth Buff extended invitations to both Larson and Barnett for the 2026 edition of the event, scheduled for May 21-24. They both accepted, securing spots in the invite-only 64-car field competing for another $75,000 on 28×10.5 non-w slicks.

Larson has continued to gain momentum since his KotS victory, recently winning a $40,000 True 10.5 N/T class at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals, marking a triumphant year for the chassis-builder from Oak Grove, Missouri. In contrast, Barnett seeks redemption after narrowly losing to Larson by just .004 seconds last year, hoping to leverage his familiarity with Shadyside, which he considers his home track.

In addition to the popular Small-Tire invitational, a new feature for 2026 includes the $10,000 Knight of the South class, featuring a 16-car invitational on smaller 26×8.5 slicks. The event is anticipated to be one of the biggest races of the year, following the success of 2025, which attracted a record crowd. Track owners Seth and Zach Buff express pride in hosting such elite racers at their family-owned facility. Fans are encouraged to follow updates through Spoold Media as invitations continue to be sent out.



Source: dragillustrated.com