RURAL RETREAT, Va. — For a driver who had just won Saturday's 53-lap Schaeffer’s Southern Nationals feature at Wythe Raceway, Chris Madden looked like just a regular guy shortly after returning to his trailer parked inside turns three and four of the half-mile oval’s infield pit area.

Brandon Overton was changed into street clothes and munching on potato chips from a bag he held in his left hand as he watched his crew survey his pummeled Infinity by Wells car. He was in good spirits and completely uninjured after crashing and flipping while running second on lap nine of Saturday night’s 53-lap Schaeffer’s Southern Nationals feature at Wythe Raceway.

The Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Series kicks off on July 12 at West Virginia’s Beckley Motor Speedway, which means some of Late Model racing’s best will do battle across the southeast for 12 races in 16 days. Before the Southern Nationals Series gets underway, let’s get you caught up with everything you need to know.

A heated, physical battle for the lead in Tuesday night’s 40-lap Schaeffer’s Southern Nationals feature at I-75 Speedway in Sweetwater, Tenn., went completely off the rails with 15 laps remaining.

Deja Vu. Just like Saturday night at Wythe Raceway, Dale McDowell took control in the second half of Sunday’s Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Series headliner at Volunteer Speedway to secure another $10,053 first place prize.

BECKLEY, W.Va. (July 15) — Cory Hedgecock milled around the Beckley Motor Speedway pit area late Friday night following his opportune Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals victory when a bystander reminded the Tennessean that it had been since May 7 he last triumphed in a Super Late Model.

TAZEWELL, Tenn. — Donald McIntosh’s path to his first career Schaeffer’s Southern Nationals championship was a bit unorthodox. On a regional series where, historically, winning races has been paramount to winning the championship, the Dawsonville, Ga., driver became the fourth driver in the tour’s 17-year history to capture the title without winning a race.

TAZEWELL, Tenn. — Capping a Schaeffer's Southern Nationals title chase with plenty of fresh faces, its fitting that the final points event ended with a first-time series winner and a first-time series champion.

SEYMOUR, Tenn. — After starting on the pole of a heat race but failing to win it Friday at 411 Motor Speedway, Cory Hedgecock knew he let a golden opportunity to start up front slip away.

RINGGOLD, Ga. — The inside groove was the smoother way around Boyd's Speedway on Thursday evening. The middle and outside grooves were, well, quite a bit rougher.

SWEETWATER, Tenn. — Dale McDowell remembers leading early in an I-75 Raceway event in April, only to slip back to a third-place finish behind a driver named Overton. He reversed that this time around.

BECKLEY, W.Va. (July 16) — Josh Rice didn’t win Friday’s 2021 Schaeffer’s Southern Nationals opener at Beckley Motorsports Park in a vacuum. The first sentence that tumbled from his mouth in a post-race interview at his pit stall made it clear he completely grasped the moment.

Cody Overton of Evans, Ga., the younger brother of red-hot No. 1-ranked driver Brandon Overton, will make his Super Late Model debut running the Schaeffer’s Southern Nationals for Rum Runner Racing, team manager Joey Coulter told DirtonDirt.com.

Here's how to watch the 2021 Southern Nationals at Volunteer Speedway on FloRacing.

Here's how to watch the 2021 Southern Nationals at I-75 Raceway on FloRacing.