1/30/2026
Hunt the Front Purchases Southern Raceway, Commits to Long-Term Future of Dirt Track Racing in Milton
Milton, Fla. (Jan. 30) — Hunt the Front, a Milton, Florida-based race team and motorsports media company best known for its popular YouTube channel, has purchased Southern Raceway, securing the future of the Gulf Coast-area facility as a dirt racetrack and beginning a new chapter focused on growth, community, and long-term stability.
Founded by brothers Jonathan, Joshua, and Joseph Joiner, along with their wives Shadow, Elizabeth, and Kayla, Hunt the Front began as a grassroots racing operation and grew into one of the most-followed dirt racing channels on YouTube. That growth eventually led to the launch of the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series and the Hunt the Front TV live streaming platform. Through those efforts, Hunt the Front has built a large, engaged audience and a reputation for using content, storytelling, and promotion to help grow events, series, and fan support across dirt racing.
That same approach will now be applied to Southern Raceway.
For the Joiner family, the purchase is deeply personal. The family has raced at Southern Raceway nearly continuously since the track opened in 1988. All three brothers grew up attending races at the track from an early age, working on their father John Joiner’s race team before eventually becoming racers themselves.
After launching the Hunt the Front YouTube channel in 2019, the brothers began gaining national traction and expanded their racing efforts across the country. Even as their racing and media footprint grew, Southern Raceway always remained home. The Joiners routinely returned to race at the track whenever possible and periodically assisted with organizing and promoting events there over the years.
In purchasing the track from longtime owners M.J. Arnold and the Arnold family, and taking over operations from previous promoters Tom and Kim Lowery, the Joiner brothers emphasized their appreciation for the foundation and stewardship that helped shape Southern Raceway.
“We’re incredibly thankful to the Arnold family for trusting us to take over the track and continue the work they and so many others have done at Southern Raceway over the years,” said Joshua Joiner. “They played a major role in shaping what this place is, and we’re honored to build on that foundation.
“Tom and Kim have done a tremendous job keeping racing alive here,” he added. “They’re working closely with us over the next few months to help ensure a smooth transition, and we’re grateful for their willingness to support the track as it enters this next chapter.”
The day-to-day operation of Southern Raceway will be a family effort, with the Joiner family and other relatives all playing active roles. Along with the brothers and their wives, the group includes their father, John Joiner, and their uncle, Lonnie Joiner, both of whom bring decades of experience in site work, paving, grading, and business operations, and will be directly involved in the operation and long-term development of the facility.
Under Hunt the Front ownership, Southern Raceway will continue operating as a racetrack, with a long-term goal of steadily elevating it into one of the premier dirt tracks in the country. Plans include maintaining a strong and sustainable local racing program, hosting multiple major touring events each season, and making significant investments in the facility over time.
Those improvements will include a series of facility upgrades, as well as ongoing work to the racing surface, including reshaping the track and, eventually, installing a new surface as part of a long-term plan.
“We know trust is earned,” said Joseph Joiner. “We have a long list of improvements we want to make, but it’s going to be a process done the right way and over time. All we ask is the opportunity to show our commitment through our actions.”
Hunt the Front plans to take the same content-focused, community-driven approach that has helped grow its race team, media platforms, and touring series and apply it to Southern Raceway, highlighting racers, fans, and events while working to grow attendance, community support, and meaningful exposure for track sponsors.
“Our content has always been about more than numbers,” said Jonathan Joiner. “It’s about community. By telling the stories of what goes on behind the scenes and the people who make this track special, we believe Southern Raceway can grow while staying true to its roots. ”
Southern Raceway has announced a 27-race schedule for 2026, with most months featuring two weekends of racing. The season will open February 13–14 with USCS Winged Sprint Car competition, marking the first of four Winter Nationals events.
The schedule also includes a six-race Crate Late Model Challenge Series, highlighted by a $10,000-to-win Crate Racin’ USA Dirt Late Model Series event on Labor Day weekend, and will conclude November 20–21 with the Southern Thunder Super Dirt Series championship weekend, featuring the track’s lone Super Late Model events of the season.
Local racing throughout the season will feature a rotating lineup of divisions including Late Model Sportsman, Modified, Street Stock, Vintage, Factory Stock, Pure Stock, Bomber, Stinger, and Slingshot. Details on which local divisions will compete each race night will be announced soon. The track will operate as a Crate Racin' USA–sanctioned facility for the Crate Late Model, Late Model Sportsman, and Street Stock divisions, while the Modified division will compete under IMCA sanctioning.
More details and a new track website will be released soon. For now, follow the track's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/southernraceway to keep up with the latest news and information.
Submitted By: Joshua Joiner