Currently among the most unique annual drag racing events in the country is promoter Donald "Duck" Long's Sweet 16 V, set for this weekend (Mar. 25-27), at South Georgia Motorsports Park (SGMP). By design, few spectators will be on hand to watch the country's best radial-tired racers pull out all the stops in going after big money and literal crowns and thrones for the winners. 

While Long's recently completed Lights Out and No Mercy events each fall at the same track attract huge crowds for the radial racing set, Sweet 16 is designed as a celebration of speed and good times for the race teams themselves.

"It's basically a really big test session that pays about $115,000," Long says.

There's also an element of self interest, he freely admits, explaining the decision to limit attendance beyond the race teams this year to "only about a hundred" paying spectators.

"We've got about 125 cars, so I expect we'll have about six- to seven-hundred people on the property based on about four people per car. With Lights Out and No Mercy, obviously we're in business and we want to make money, but with Sweet 16, it's more of a way for us to, you know, thank the racers and to decompress," Long explains. 

"Once we got so crazy with Lights out and No Mercy, I don't get a chance to watch many passes anymore. I'm always running around and usually I'm already in the winner's circle while they're still doing semis and finals, so I want to be able to watch the races. You know, to get down there with the guys, just to be a fan and see things for myself."

Probably the biggest change for the fifth running of Sweet 16 is the expansion to 32-car fields in order to remain consistent for the inaugural FuelTech Radial Outlaw Racing Series, which includes Radials vs. the World, Pro 275, X275, Limited Drag Radial and Ultra Street classes.

"We're still gonna' do photos of the top 16 qualifiers and make a big deal out of that, but anything over 16 cars in each class will be going to a 32-car ladder," Long explains. 

"But this is gonna' be something for everybody to keep their eyes on," he quickly adds. "There's a lot of companies and people behind the scenes working on this Radial Outlaw series and next year I'm telling you, this is gonna' be a big, big deal."

Long also expects a record-setting pace to dominate the on-track action.

"This race, it seems like they always do that, someone usually breaks a record. I don't know how it happens, but there's always some kind of cold front that comes through for the Sweet 16 and, and here again we've had a day-and-a-half of rain and then we're gonna have the cold front come through," he explains. "So the air will be better hopefully for the water grains to get down and then I believe that you're gonna' see some record runs--and definitely personal bests--by a lot of people."

Also changing for Sweet 16 V is the Sunday finish, after the cold, wet weather forced the cancellation of planned test sessions. Long anticipates a return to the event's traditional Thursday through Saturday official schedule next year and acknowledges while putting on a big show like Sweet 16 always remains a huge undertaking with countless on-the-fly decisions to be made, like a true fan he also hazards a few predictions on the outcome of the event.

"I'm gonna' pick David Reese to win Pro 275, and I think for some reason, Norman Bryson is due to win Radials vs. the World, so I'm gonna' go out on a limb on that one," he says.

"And man, Rob Goss is hard to beat in X275, and I like Rob, but you know, I'd like to see somebody who's never won it before, so I'm gonna' say John Urist, he's my pick in X275.

"And LDR? I'm gonna' say, oh man, I'd love to see Shane Stack winning again, just because he's got one throne and I'd love to see another one right beside it. But that's gonna' be a tough one, you know? 

"So I don't think I'll make a prediction on that one. There's just too much drama going on there. There's over 40 cars in that class and so many of them could win, so I'm gonna' say, I don't know if he can do it, but I'm hoping Stack wins that one."

And though he won't name names, Long suggests the world's quickest and fastest doorslammer racer on the planet could be revealed at Sweet 16 this weekend, too. 

"If the weather conditions are right I think there is a chance if we wanted to show the world something, I think we could make the fastest door-car pass in the history of the sport of drag racing here," he states. "I'm gonna' go over there and talk to him after qualifying and I may give him a shot to do it."

Stay tuned for more.