One year ago, Larry Larson rolled into Shadyside Dragway for the Ronnie Buff Memorial Featuring King of the South as a relative unknown commodity in the small-tire racing world. But by the end of the weekend, the 5-time Hot Rod Drag Week winner was walking out with $75,000 and his own personal crown. Now he’s ready to head back to Shelby, N.C. on May 21-24 to defend his title.
Driving his Harts Charger-powered ’66 Chevy Nova, Larson defeated Lyle Barnett in the Tommy Youmans-owned “Salvage Title” Mustang by a minuscule .004 margin of victory. Larson was moved to tears immediately following the win, calling it the biggest of his career. Now, with a year to reflect, Larson knows going back-to-back will be a difficult mountain to climb.
“That win was a big deal, and it always will be,” says Larson. “We came in there without many runs on the car with small tires, so to go in there and beat the best of the best, that was huge. Now, a year later, everybody’s three or four tenths faster. It’s gonna be a completely different race this year. Everybody has picked up the pace, so it’s going to be crazy.”
Larson carried his King of the South momentum throughout the rest of the season, culminating with a $40,000 True 10.5 win at the Snowbird Outlaw Nationals, the first race of the Drag Illustrated Winter Series. As the popularity of 28×10.5 racing has exploded, so has the competition, with cars now running in the 3.90’s.
“We did well. We won the Snowbirds, and we ran good,” Larson says. “We’re trying some different things to try and pick things up, but once again, everybody else has caught up. You’ve got Russell Stone, Cory Reed, Kyle Canion…everybody has picked up the pace. I’m not going to go driving around some of these guys like last year. It wasn’t a runaway last year, and it’s darn sure not going to be one this year.”
In addition to the 64-car King of the South Invitational, the event will include the 26×8.5-inch tire Knight of the South, Lil’ Gangstas, SC Raceworks Street Racer 6.30 Index, Bracket Misfits 16-car invitational, IHRA Teen Championship Race, and the $7,500-to-win Kettle Kings Concessions Practice Tree Shootout on Friday night.
King of the South testing will be live streamed Thursday-Friday, May 21-22, via Spoold Media, while Saturday and Sunday’s eliminations will be broadcast on FloRacing. Fans planning to attend the race in person will want to arrive early, as the event is likely to sell out. Last year, the fire marshal was forced to close the gates on Saturday afternoon as Shadyside had reached maximum capacity. The atmosphere of having such a huge crowd at a smaller venue makes the racing that much more intense, something Larson thoroughly enjoys.
“It’s a really cool venue. It’s the [Ronnie Buff] Memorial race, which makes it special too,” says Larson. “It’s one of those backwood tracks that’s been there forever, and the fans come out of the woodwork. They had to shut the gate [last year]. They quit taking on race cars at a certain point because the pits were full. It’s just a crazy place. There’s so many things about it that are just silly crazy, but in the same token, that’s what makes it what it is. It’s just a cool, cool event, and I’m a really looking forward to it.”
Spectator tickets will be available at the gate. Fans can watch testing on Thursday and Friday for $20 per day; eliminations take place on Saturday and Sunday, which are both $35 per day. A “King Pass” is also available for $80, allowing spectators to attend all four days.
Fans can subscribe to FloRacing at www.FloRacing.com and watch the livestream via the following link: https://flosports.link/4rO8QAL
This story was originally published on May 14, 2026. 
The post Larry Larson Ready to Defend His Crown at $75,000 King of the South Small-Tire Invitational first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
